My adventure started off where the last TR left off. A memorable 4th of July on the beach with fellow freedom lovers. Please excuse the sub-par cell phone photos.
Then to the Contamine on the S. face of the Aiguille du Midi with friends Danny and Eva. 15 minute approach. Six pitches of golden alpine splitter at 13,000 feet all 10c/d then a crux pitch of a 11a/b. Zero deproach. Doesn't really get any better.
Next it was back to Lausanne for the annual Festivale de la Cité where we stumbled upon a Calexico set. They do indeed suck.
A few days later I hit the rock again with Austrian friend of a friend Markus. Markus guides but was on a pleasure trip to Cham. After skiing by the amazing splitter on the Mt. Blanc du Tacul satellite Pointe Adolphe Rey, we took a gander at the incredible concentration of perfect granite the zone had to offer.
We climbed the lost classic Bettembourg (10c/d 200m) which was about 6 pitches of effortless immaculate hero hands.
Danny wanted to get back on some splitter on his day off guiding the White One so we decided to investigate the legendary Majorette Thatcher (11a 250m) on the Red Piller (Pilier Rouge) of the Blatiére. This is a MIchel Piola route so normally one would normally expect sandbag slabs and splitter avoidance. However this route was put up before his Bosches were light enough to haul so he was forced to climb crack. Unfortunately we couldn't find the camouflaged anchor so we climbed L'eau Ronce d'Arabie with some of the hardest 6b (10 c/d) slab I've ever tackled starting off a nice névé.
Just yesterday, Danny and I would return with some reinforced beta and climb the whole route. With a variety of handcrack roofs, squeeze chimneys, and off-width, this route provides fun for the whole family in a spectacular setting.
The next day was a rest day so I casually went for a ski up on the Grands Montets. There is still quite a bit of snow left after the plentiful winter dumpages. I hiked up a small mixed section of rock to the Petite Aiguille Verte and skied about 3500 feet of nice corn to the top of the Herse chair.
Now what?
