Summer Alpine Blog

Sunshine! Thunderstorms!! Sunshine! Thunderstorms!!

It’s been that kind of week here in the Alps. Pelle’s called in from our Chamonix Climber course buzzing from a speedy dash up the Dent d’Geant with Andreas on Tuesday. The buzz mostly coming from slipping up and topping out before the bad weather system pounded back down on us here.

Dent du Geant in nicer skies

Andreas demanding to sport a Jagged Globe guides jacket now for his efforts.

Over in Zermatt the skies equally devious so torrential downpours kept Paul Farmer and team off the Monte Rosa today. Instead they’re enjoying the sites and sounds (and maybe a few pints?) from inside the new Monte Rosa hut; eyeing a summit chance late tonight and early tomorrow. Not a particularly bad perch to be stuck out on really.

Newly constructed Monte Rosa hut

Enjoy the trail-breaking tonight, Ingaret & Pascal.

On the other side of that Swiss summit is Andy Owen and his climbers out in Saas Fee. Not heard a peep outta those guys all week. Surprising? Not really

And finally, here in Chamonix, the menacing clouds provided a clever backdrop to the fireworks show last night in celebration of Bastille Day here in France. For most though, the celebration was mostly for the World Cup Climbing Competition in the main square of town which finished just before midnight. Men’s and Women’s finals took place on the 15 meter walls installed along side giant mega-screens. So last night the crowds reached into the department of 10,000 cheering on our vertical versions of Beckhams and Ronaldhinos.

The Austrian took home the resounding win in the men’s competition as the only climber of the night to hit the final hold. For the ladies, maybe the grading standard will have to increase next round?? Four girls topped out on the lead route, so the winner’s podium was shared by Slovenia, Korea, Austria, and France! At least the locals went home happy this way!

Early rounds of speed climbing competition

Bonne weekend from all of us!

Mara, Pelle, Paul & your Jagged Globe Alps crew

Here are a few photos from the Arolla Alpine Introduction Course last week. We had a very sucessful week with an interesting (Read that however you like!) and keen team.!

This is a photo of the guide Mac’s team on the way up the Pointe de Vouasson in stunning weather with the Dent Blanche and Matterhorn behind. The snow conditions were not quite as good as the weather….argh!

Here we are on the Summit of the Pigne d’Arolla. Yes it was a little chilly!

Catching up with some of the team in Chamonix on Saturday afternoon I confirmed that there is no need for further training when it comes to socialisation and partying skills ( Someone was heard to blame the polish!). Though perhaps Mac’s Yoga skills need some refining(Location, location,location!)

As I’m writting this I’m expecting to hear how Ruth, Dan, Justin, Chris, David and Gareth did on Mt Blanc. It is a gorgeous day in Chamonix today.

Cheers Caroline

Hi Simon, we have had some mixed weather, but a nice morning today saw us on the summit of the Tour Ronde, Alan and Mark doing a good job of climbing independently, after spending yesterday on the Aig du Enreve, looking at moving together and efficient use of the rope, with some pretty comprehensive crevasse rescue practice in the zero visibility of the morning.
Photos attached are of the Entreve and then Tour Ronde,
Cheers, Andy.

Alpine North Faces

Andy Owen has just sent in this email:

Just down from the Torino Hut, N Face of the Tour Ronde this morning,  in pretty good nick,  with deep crusty snow on the exit slopes. Stuff high up looks pretty white from the recent bad weather.
Did the Cascade Cosmiques yesterday (WI 5) – really beautiful if somewhat fragile. Took a large block on the shoulder, but the drugs are working

So all in all we have had some use out of our Axes this week, more snow tonight and tomorrow.
3 photos of cascade cosmique, 2 more of tour ronde n face attached.
Cheers, Andy

No sooner had I blogged that the season had started and in came an update from Andy Owen:

Hi Tom, weather here is pretty crap, warm and mild with rain/hail etc, thur, fri looking better but a big dump of snow expected tonight, which frankly the Alps need if the snow is going to last the summer,
  Managed to get zapped by static 15 mins into the 1st day of the season, and so with a cry of lets get the **** out of here, the summer began!

Good climbing on the Chere this morning, with a very snowy Cosmiquesridge yesterday, all good fun, photos attached.
  Andyout.

Our first Alpine Course of the summer is underway this week.  Jagged Globe Guides, Andy Owen and Jim Kerr are leading our Alpine North Faces course, based in Chamonix. It’s not a great forecast http://www.chamonix.com/weather-forecast,11,en.html , but we’ll report how they got on erly next week.

Next week we have courses running in Arolla (Alpine Intro) , Mont Blanc Summit (1 place left!) and Chamonix Climber.

Here’s a video of climbing the classic Difficile, the Frendo Spur, made by Guide, Ross Berg:

The clouds break as we reach the Alphubeljoch.

The Zermatt 4000’s team last week reached the summit of the Alphubel despite the inauspicious day and rather difficult weather! The course was directed by Dave (A story for every situation) Cummings and the participants were Sophie, Ben and Graham. Caroline Ogden joined the team for the last few days.
The first 3 days were spent climbing the Breithorn, Castor and Pollux in superb weather. Then with a deteriorating forecast we decided some rock climbing on the Rifflehorn was in order. Serious coffee consumption was needed the next morning before we decided that the Alphubel provided the most realistic chance of a 4th 4000er (not that anyone was counting!)with the rather grim weather forecast. So at 4am in the morning we breakfasted at the Tasch hut and set off at such a time that despite the forecast and it being Friday the 13th the clouds broke just as we reached the Alphubeljoch.

The ever smiling Ben near the Summit of the Alphubel

 The other teams had turned around just before so we ended up making a trail in new snow to the summit!

We are sure that we reached the Summit!

The mad Chamonix weather continues this week! This time around the temperatures have finally dropped, to the relief of all of us out here in the Alps. Which means that the couloirs are starting to stabilize, snow is starting to stick once again, and the rock fall isn’t in such constant motion!

On the other hand, it was a thundery, wet system that’s brought in the cold and as a result our Mont Blanc climbers this week headed instead for stable and non-electric conditions over in Italy instead! So it was to the Gran Paradiso for our Introductory Mont Blanc team: Nick, Becky, Matt, Sam and Stephen.

After a foggy week in Switzerland with Andy Owen the previous seven days, the team was hungry for some summit views! Nick provided the steady balance and ambition for the group — reading up on the illustrious history of our Mont Collon base in Arolla on our drive across. Turns out it was Mallory’s first Alpine launching point as well!

Stephen, Sam and Matt had all been briefed on the famed speed of our legendary guide Jo and were variously plotting and planning their attack methods to challenge the swift Swiss guide. Stephen’s running prowess proved most impressive on day one keeping a lock on Jo’s shoulder all the way up the tamarack forest trails to the Chabod hut (a mere 900 meter ascent!).

From there it was a clever match against the weather gods striking a decent weather window before the rains and snow tore through. Tomaz had the team up for a leisurely 4.30 breakfast only to return for a short siesta while another system of rain blew through. By 5.30 the team was back out the door and topping out in good fashion three hours later. Fast times team!

Becky kept it all eventful with a few “side tours” en route and Matt and Sam  continued to make it all look easy breezing into dinner checking out forecasts for some sunny rock the rest of this week.

Congrats guys on 100% success! Soon as they decide to come back in from the crag, we’ll add some photos!

This summer we’ve scouted a new trek in the deep in the heartland of the Swiss Bernese Oberland. Resident world-explorer Alun led our first exploration deep into this remote valley. No leisure stroll here but the effort was rewarded with silent mountain views of the towering Monch and the Jungfrau and some serious climbs high into the glaciated peaks.

Alun, Adrian, Andrew and Dom headed out for a seven-day hut-to-hut climb which proved to be both a scenic tour of the Oberland wilds and a demanding trek of hills, grassy trails, glacial traverses and some epic 1000m + ascents. Meeting up at the dam on the final day out on Saturday had a bit of a survivalist aura about it.

Welcome back to civilization guys! And thanks to Alun for some stunning shots.

Climbing the Ebnifluh.

Trail above Lauterbrennan.

Sunset view from Mutthorn Hut.

Last days’ descent back down to Grimpsel Pass.

Here are some pics taken by Chris Jones from last week’s Alpine Introduction:

You can see the rest of Chris’s photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/beingchrisjones/sets/72157624592904548