In reply to Mr Lopez:
> (In reply to Yanchik)
>
> [...]
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> The only way in which it matters is that the 'photo session' is another great achievement in it's own right!
> Didn't i read somewhere that the actual face had never been fully retreated? I recall reading somewhere that the only people who tried, some crazy japanese as usual, who for some strange reason decided to descend via the Croz, perished trying.
> Luca?
They were Koreans. Alison Heargraves, few days before he solo of the Croz/Slovenian route, went to the Leschaux hut, and found signs people having departed toward the mountain few hours before (oddily, they had left a walkie talkie on the hut table). Later, when on the route itself, he saw to her left a line of abseil anchor, at 100 m intervals, and then, off the descent axis, two axes embedded on the ice, with sling/krabs etc hanging from it.
Two days later it was reported that three Koreans had literally disappeared on the face after climbing the MacIntyr- Colton in horrendous weather conditions. Apparently they had decided that escaping from the mountain down the Italian side was too dicey, and rescue not an option because of the weather, and had decided to abseil the Croz. Halfway down the descent, "something" happened and they all fell to their deaths (only one body was recovered below the Croz much later).
There's another theory about this accident that states they weren't climbing the MacIntyre, but much of the accident mechanics doesn't change. The other two bodies were never found.
It's worth to say that in general, the descent down the Italian side may be astonishingly tense (and slow!), but it's almost always an option. The most straightforward escape from the summit ridge is down the South (Italian) side of the Croz spur, there's a line of short abseils (and some downclimbing) that starts few meter to the R (looking toward Italy) of the small summit gendarme. It lands directly on the top of the Reposoir, and may involve abseiling down a serac to the top R of the Reposoir itself. It's not pretty, but it's better than abseiling the NF!
The other escape route from the Jorasses summit ridge it's the Hirondelles. Again, it's not anything easy or relaxing, but can be done. From he top of the "triangle" beyond the V breach there's now a line of abseil stances courtesy of the French guides.
Ueli and Jon descent is not the first time the face it's abseiled, but it's a very rare (and, in my view, quite remarkable) feat, even in a somehow "programmed" situation like the one Ueli and Jon experienced (doing that in an emergency becomes even more difficult). The Central Couloir is one of the few sections where it's relatively straightforward - descending the Walker spur may be nearly impossible given the need to reverse the pendulum above the 90m dihedral. Anything to the R of the Croz spur is dangerous because of rockfall and very, very rotten rock in the first half. Reversing the Gousseault or Rolling Stones above halfway may be suicidal.
So it's quite an achievement in the achievement! And I must remark - kids, don't do that yourself it can be done safely only if you're climbing at Ueli (or Jon) level...