Fall is a good time. It's when climbers go into hibernation, not to re-emerge before the spring mank of late March.
A series of cold storms followed by very warm rebounding temps have provided several days of good, cold, mid-winter-like skiing followed by days of sunshine and splitter.
A few weeks ago I got to go to Petit Clocher de Portalet, an amazing rock formation on the Swiss side of the Massif du Mont Blanc. Surrounded by two nice cabins and few people, some call this place the highest concentration of craggable splitter in the range. I would agree.
We climbed nice 7 pitch route with bolted cruxes and over-pinned-up cracks, you can leave the double rack at home.
Simen follows on the 6th pitch.
Yesterday I went up to the Arolla basin. This "remote" area is a large series of glacial cirques between Zermatt and Verbier. It is the promised land. The guardian of the cirque, the Pigne d'Arolla was our objective for the day. Despite very little snow down and sustained foehn wind, we made it to the top 1900m above our parking lot. I got a chance to scope out the N. face, a ski objective for later in the year. I soiled.
Skinning on rocks (from the car though).
Higher, on some glacier thats almost gone.
No, we're not in a heli, it's the Cabane des Vignettes.
Seracs on the flank of the Pigne.
Face nord.
Summit icecap.
Glacier skipping. Who wants to ski the nunatuk?
Brilliant light.
This is the place for an expedition.
The Little Bell Tower and some Piña Arolla
- Diamond Dachshund
- from The Future
- Contact:
- skykilo
- olikyks
- from Santa Fe
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Re: The Little Bell Tower and some Piña Arolla
Beautiful. Nice to see some spectacular Alpine in less Cham-centric locations.
Not here!Fall is a good time. It's when climbers go into hibernation
- DonJuanPakistan
- Trippin' travellin'.
- from Seattle, Washington
- Contact:
Re: The Little Bell Tower and some Piña Arolla
Sweet jesus.
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Re: The Little Bell Tower and some Piña Arolla
you said i could visit sometime, is that offer still good?