A winter trip to the Alps was first mooted at the Gerry Gore presentation last November. After his talk Gerry asked if an IMC group would be interested in visiting his ‘activity base’ in the Southern French Alps and well situated for mountaineering, ice climbing and skiing. Several present expressed interest and Martin (Hore) and Steve (Culverhouse) took on the task of organising a trip. The February half term week was chosen and by Xmas five people were able to commit to the trip: John (Pereira) and his son Jeremy skiing, Martin and myself ice climbing, and Steve doing a bit of each. Departure date is rapidly approaching when we get the bombshell (or should I say bomb crater). Steve loses an argument with some tree roots when descending a bomb hole on his MTB in Thetford forest and suffers a whiplash injury to his neck needing manipulative physio and has no choice but to pull out of the trip (with intense frustration). This forces a quick replan of transport, as I was to have been Steve’s co-driver, and we all pile into Martin’s (deceptively roomy) Focus for the c.700 mile trip to Vallouise.
We leave Ipswich about 6pm on Friday (13/2), catch the 9.30pm ferry to Dunkirk and drive through the night to reach Vallouise early Saturday afternoon. The weather is beautiful: blue sky, cold and crisp (and that’s how it stayed for most of the week). The rest of Saturday is taken up with meeting Gerry and poring over maps and guide books, getting ski passes and buying provisions for the chalet (which is comfortable, quiet, and well equipped). What follows is an ‘ice
climbing’ view of the week, I couldn’t possibly do justice to the 60-70km/day black run fun had by John and Jeremy.
Ice grading is in two parts: overall grade I to VII (taking account of length, ice quality, how sustained, distance from road, etc.) and technical grade 1 to 7 (move complexity, steepness, belays, ice formations (e.g., mushrooms, columns, etc.) Our intention is to climb at III/3-4.
Up very early on Sunday, drop off the skiers in Briancon and then to Ceillac, a fairly remote village where the ice falls are opposite a ski slope and easily accessed from the road. We’re early, but the ice climbers are already out in force; clearly a popular place. As we gear up a van with ’24/7 Medecin’ in bold lettering draws up beside us. (Wot, we haven’t even started climbing yet!) It turns out to be a team of ice climbing doctors (who we met several times during the week). We quickly arrive at the base of our route for today: Holiday on Ice (aka Y branche de gauche), 250m, grade II+/3+, a series of 10 to 20m steps not exceeding 85(. Now, a word on our respective ice climbing backgrounds. Martin has led grade 5 (albeit 20 years ago), whereas I have only done a few snow gullies and the odd (short) frozen waterfall in the Lakes. Martin appears instantly ‘at home’ whereas I am somewhat awestruck by the sheer scale, and beauty, of the ice rising above us. We are also struck, quite literally, by the endless cascade of ice fragments dislodged by the climbers up ahead as the ice is shattered when their axe fails to plant firmly. This is quite scary because some very big pieces get to the bottom without breaking up (we have the dents in our helmets to prove it). We begin climbing and Martin soon
gets into a relaxed, seemingly effortless, rhythm; he leads the steep parts and I take over the lead on the easier sections. We both want to get confidence in placing ice screws so our progress is much slower than the other teams on the route. Nevertheless we top out mid
afternoon and follow the conveniently situated GR5 back to the car park. A good first day! Time even to stop off at Mont Dauphin on the way back, to check out a conglomerate crag that was highly recommended by Gerry; but no time to climb.
Monday, and back to Ceillac again. This time to climb the sister route of yesterday: Le Y (Branche de droite), 250m, II+/3+, very similar in character but with more interest we think. It also gave me my first taste of leading 3+ and gave Martin a first taste of getting seriously
cold hanging about at a belay. We top out and then follow GR5 to the start of another route: Easy Rider, 70m, II/3, a popular two pitch route easily reached from the finish of most other routes without descending far. This is a narrow gully (of average incline 70( and some sections at 80() and is rather busy when we arrive. Two guided parties, the doctors (again) and us, all climbing up and abseiling down at the same time; so lots of ice flying about!
Tuesday, and a change of location. Today we are out with Gerry and his climbing partner Chris (a mountaineering instructor visiting from the UK). They have decided to climb the awesome Cascade des Viollins (150m, III/6) at Freissineires and thankfully have not asked us to join them. Our route is Fracastorus, 200m, III/3+. A five pitch classic according to the guide book and so it proves. Nothing steeper than 75( except an optional vertical cigar at the end. We pass on this because (a) the belayer will have to stand underneath a massive icicle, (2) we agreed to be at the pick-up by 3pm and we’re already late and (c) it looks bloody hard! We get to the pick-up at least an hour late, but no sign of Gerry. He’s either got fed up with waiting and gone home, or they’re still on the fiddle. So we stroll to the quaint hamlet of Les Viollins and there they are just abseiling down. What a route: two long sections of 85( linked together by a vertical 30m cigar with an overhang at its top. Understandably, they’re well pleased with themselves.
Wednesday and we’re back at Ceillac again. This time to climb Les formes du chaos, 300m, III/4. When Martin was eyeing up this route on Sunday I’m thinking to myself “You must be joking”. But, here we are 3 days later! It’s a truly stunning route of steep ice, caves, translucent sheets of blue ice with cascading water behind and icicles of every shape and size imaginable. Easy to see why the guide book rates it as the best route in the Ceillac region. Superb climbing but the increase in technical grade is noticeable. We complete the route but don’t have enough time to tackle the interesting tributary ice falls at the very top.
Thursday and the weather is beginning to change. The location today is the Vallee du Fournel and a route called La vision de Marco, 100m, II/3. Two long pitches, the first of 70( (after a steeper start) and a more demanding second with sections of 85(, joined in the middle by a
belay stance that got very crowded with 4 teams climbing up and abseiling down at the same time. In fact this caused Martin an anxious moment. He was leading on the steepest part of the route when an abseiler passed him on the left and immediately swung to the right on reaching the belay stance, oblivious to the fact that the abseil rope was forcing Martin off the ice. The valley shook to Martin’s desperate cry of “Attention, a gauche” and the errant abseiler immediately moved his rope. On the way back to the car we check out the impressive
Hiroshima (III/5) as a possible for Friday, but neither of us feel confident enough to lead the unavoidable 15m vertical crux pitch. Today we even manage to pick up John and Jeremy at the prearranged time, much to their surprise.
Friday and the weather has changed to grey skies threatening snow, and a much stronger wind; just the day for our longest climb. We drop off John and Jeremy en route to La Grave and agree to pick them up from a hotel bar at about 6.30pm. The road over the Col du Lautret is getting
tricky as the wind whips the snow on to the road, so Martin has to take great care. Our target today is the village of les Freaux and a route called Colere du Ciel (Anger of the Sky), III/3+, 300m, 8 pitches. Arriving, behind schedule, in the village we’re undecided what to do. Then two other teams arrive, heading for different routes as it happens, but it lifts our spirits so we decide to go for it. A hard walk in: steep slope, deep snow, heavy bag. We gear up at the base of the route. According to the guide book there are 3 steep ice pitches, 3 snow slopes, and two easy ice pitches, and there is supposed to be a path down (where to though?). By now we’re both climbing pretty well, much quicker than at the start of the week and placing gear more sparingly. The climbing is enjoyable, we’re sheltered from the wind, the snow is holding off. The so-called snow slopes have some significant ice steps so progress on these is not as fast as we expected. By 5pm we’ve reached the top of the third steep ice pitch and have the two easier ice pitches to do. We can either go for the top and hopefully find a path to take us back to our bags at bottom of the route, or try to bypass the top two pitches, or exit from the ice fall and go down the steep wooded slope parallel to the route. We decide on the latter, at least it will get us back to our bags eventually. It’s far too steep to walk so we abseil using trees. After our second abseil its dark, and we’re going to be very late picking up J&J. We can’t contact them because the mobile is in the bag at the bottom of the route. After seven abseils, including one where
the rope stuck and Martin gamely prussiked up to free it, we reach less steep ground where it was possible to rope together and weave our way through the trees so that there is always a tree between us in case we fall. The snow is falling quite heavily by the time we reach our bags and call J&J to explain what happened and let them know we’re on our way to pick them up. We get back to the car at about 11pm and head towards the Col du Lautret. The road to the col looks ominously quiet and soon we come to a sign that explains why: col closed due to snow. Martin, quite unfazed, says “We’ll have to take the detour via Gap”. “And how far is that?” I enquire. “Oh, about 130 miles” comes the reply. Another call to J&J advising them not to wait, and get a taxi. And then the long tiring journey from La Grave to Vallouise via Gap. I hadn’t thought it necessary to get insured to drive Martin’s car, thinking three drivers should be ample, so poor ole Martin had to drive all the way…which he did admirably, getting us back to the chalet at 3am on Saturday morning.
Saturday morning, and at least a foot of snow has fallen overnight, so no more play. We pack, clean the chalet, put on the snow chains, say cheerio to Gerry, and start the long slow journey back home.
What a brilliant week. Superb climbing, magnificent scenery, convivial company, and a first rate climbing partner.
Finally, thanks to Mike Hams for allowing me to break in his almost new boots, ice axes and crampons, and to Keith Lodge for the loan of his ice axes to Martin.
Mervyn Lamacraft