A fire has destroyed the popular Lognan cable car at the Grands Montets station in the Argentière valley. The fire has gutted the mid-station and caused five of the eight cables to melt, resulting in one cabin falling onto the glacier below. Fortunately, nobody was harmed in the incident since the lift was closed due to routine maintenance.
> Man who climbs sport routes (with situ bolts) objects to ski lifts...
Probably fewer than 30 sport routes in 25 years of climbing.
I've also reluctantly used cable cars around Chamonix, but only three times during a total of 35 weeks climbing in the valley. Virtually everything I've done there has included a walk up and a walk down with all my gear.
Lifties in Cham are very unhappy at the moment. There will be significantly fewer jobs this winter (strong rumours the Charamillon cable car isn't going to run, problems with Montenvers and a December re-opening for the Midi is wishful thinking) and their bonuses are paid according to the profit made by Compagnie du Mont Blanc. With all the problems with the Midi, Charamillon, Brevent, Grand Montets etc the profit has been hit massively.
Pretty rubbish times in Chamonix though hopefully a lot of the above is just doom mongering (fingers crossed!). I doubt this will result in any reduction in my lift pass price...
Press Release The Climbing Gear Revolution: Saturday 9th March.
News Ray's Roof E7 6c by Mari Augusta Salvesen
Norwegian climber Mari Augusta Salvesen has made the first female ascent of the burly Ray's Roof E7 6c at Baldstones in Staffordshire. First climbed by visiting American Ray Jardine in 1977, the horizontal offwidth crack remains a gritstone testpiece...