A couple of summers ago, Hazel Findlay and Jack Geldard climbed a new route up the beautiful granite spire of the Aiguille de Saussure on the Mont Blanc du Tacul, Chamonix, France.
This small spire had ample room for new routes, as the difficult access meant that main front face of the 3839m summit had never been climbed (to their knowledge).
The Findlay Geldard Route (ED, UK E5 Rock, Scottish VI)
Looks like a fun outing! Jack - have you done Super Dupont on the Midi? I've seen wildly varying french grades for the crux (F6c+ to F7b) WHat would you give it? With this warm weather I'm keen to get climbing fit again!
I have done Superdupont, but quite a while ago now, maybe 2004. I don't remember it being too bad, a tricky move to get in to a crack on the crux, which is pretty steady afterwards as I remember, but don't quote me on that!
Maybe 6c+/7a?
Hope you get a chance to do it. Such good routes on that wall. Saw someone climbing on there just the other day, I thought 'wow, they're keen!'.
Re your question about Super Dupont, the hardest part of the route is AFTER it joins Monsieur de Mesmaeker. In his original topo Piola gives this section 6a going into a 6b+ crack. In his later topo he gives the same section 7b going into a 6b+ crack. This implies that he either made a mistake in his original or that something changed.
I climbed SD in 1991 (so after the second topo appeared) with Neil Foster and Hilary. We'd had a leisurely start with the intention of rapping down from the top but unfortunately the Midi lift was closed so we drove through the tunnel, took the lift up to Helbronner and then the cherries over to the Midi... and then rapped the face. As you can imagine with that long approach - and climbing as a three - time was short. When we got to the short section of 7b on MdM we pulled on some of gear to speed things up - and JUST made the last cherry back to Helbronner. If it is 7b, then it's just a very short section to enter the 6b+ crack. Bear in mind that Piola's tendency at that time to undergrade everything. However, Neil seemed to think it would have been quite hard - I'm sure he won't mind me quoting his logbook:
> Ran out of time towards the top and had to aid the crux crack in a race to catch the last cherry. Not that it looked possible to free with more time...
In reply to Jack Geldard - UKC Chief Editor: We were climbing there yesterday and Dave/Emily were on it maybe 4 days ago. Still a bit snowey but very warm in the sun!
And also - it looks as if Monsieur de Mesmaeker has been recently rebolted. Might have to do that one too!
This week's Friday Night Video whisks us back to Val-David, Quebec, in the Autumn of 1958. Two daring young climbers embark on the ascent of a route that seemed unattainable, resembling a roof suspended in the air, defying all the conventions of the time....
Podcast Mountain Air - 1. Sibusiso Vilane, First Black African on the Roof of the World