UKC

UKClimbing.com's alpine gear reviewers, Jon Griffith and Will Sim, both based in Chamonix are always having lots of climbing fun whether it be clipping bolts in the sun (that's what they are doing this afternoon) or more seriously the alpine faces right on their doorstep.

Last week they did the Croz Spur on the on the Grandes Jorrases.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=49822

In reply to boothy:

lol, Hey Ed when are you off to the Alps next then ?

Amazing footage guys !

In reply to UKC News:
boom!

In reply to UKC News: Good skills Willski and Jon.

Will are you back in the UK soon, did I here? Fancy some Gogarth action?

In reply to UKC News: Super video Jon. Nice one.

Would love to do this route.

Jack

In reply to UKC News: It's a great video Jon, really nicely done. The climbing looks ace.

If you or anyone else can explain how you upload things that look that good on to Vimeo I'd be really grateful. I don't understand enough about the filters and such to work out how to get good looking hi def footage onto Vimeo. I've actually gone back to using YouTube because their HD upload is easier for technical hopeless cases such as myself.

Fantasic video, thanks for sharing Jon. Bo)

In reply to TobyA:

There are tutorials here: http://www.vimeo.com/forums/topic:3671

In reply to UKC News:

Excellent, and what a fantastic-looking route.

In reply to UKC News:

Nice video Jon, great effort. All the best to you and will,
catch you in the winter sometime... ciao.

In reply to UKC News: Good effort guys.

In reply to UKC News:
Quality film! Enjoyed it lots.

Fine effort too, getting up and over in a day.

Couldn't work out from the video where the Slovenian finished and the normal Croz route was joined. In particular I wanted to see what conditions were like on the groove leading out of the top of the second snowfield. Seems to be a key section, where the ice is often thin and poor.

Tony

In reply to UKC News:
Excellent film Jon & a top effort guys!

Cheers

Dave

In reply to UKC News:

Will, you ARE A LEGEND! As is John. Epic shots.

In reply to TonyM: Slovenian variant joins the original route at the first snowfield IIRC.
From what i can remember, the groove leading out from the 2nd snowfield isn't very steep. The trickiest bits are a short rock section before the 1st snowfield (orig route), linking the snowfields (can be ice or rock) and the final tower/ice variation.

p.s. nice video and very smooth ascent guys!

In reply to UKC News:
Inspiring stuff, what an amazing looking route!!

In reply to TonyM: Hi Tony

As Viv has pointed out the diagonal ramp line form the top of the second icefield is not that hard. Even very bare of snow or ice it would not be hard to climb. There is a short section in the video where Will finishes out from that couloir- when we were on it it was fine conditions wise- I expect it to be even better now with all this fresh snow.

At the top there are two exits according to the Rebuffat guide book. You can either go up left of the tower on some horrendous loose rock or you can take a pretty dicey traverse on some powder covered slabs into the ice that we went up. Its a little tricky to get to the start of the runnels but once you're in it's an easy romp to the top.

You join the Croz spur at the first icefield- well we did anyway

Jon

In reply to Jon Griffith:

Jon,

How do you carry a 5D II (if that is what it is) up a climb like that - in your rucksack or separately?

Alex

In reply to Jon and Viv:
Thanks for info. I was meaning the groove linking the snowfields, so that must be exiting the first snowfield. It's definitely fairly steep, and was thin unprotectable ice on only occasion I've been there. There's a photo of the point I mean (in snowier conditions) in Stuart Macdonald's website - penultimate photo in his Grandes Jorasses gallery - http://www.stuartmacdonald.org/PictureGallery.aspx

I turned back there, worried that if there were many pitches as hard as that we'd never make it up and over in a day.

Tony

In reply to TonyM:

Hi Tony,
That section was dry when I was on it- pretty tricky but only for a pitch then eases back. That and the final tower (we found a way up the tower not the gully or left version) are the crux bits of the route. Good luck next time!

viv

In reply to alex_th: Hi alex

I just stick it in the rucksack and get it out when needed. You have to learn how to be quick with your shots as ideally the leader wont have even noticed you stopped to get your camera out

Tiny: Pretty much as Viv says...

Jon

In reply to Viv and Jon:
Thanks again for info. Helpful. I think I was just a bit unlucky getting it in 'in-between' condition

In reply to UKC News:

Whats the music on this video?! it says chemical brothers and extrawelt but which track? any suggestions?

In reply to UKC News: what grade is this route?

In reply to mountainsheep: Depends who you ask, what you read, and more importantly what condition its in. On big mountains grades are pretty meaningless. But around scottish 6ish.
Will

In reply to benchwarmer: Chemical Brothers: Surface to Air
Extrawelt: 8000

Jon