Busy times. Still, I need at least 1 day/week to step away from the computer and go be in nature.
There hasn’t been much in the way of new snow, but at least the snowpack is stable (1 out of 5 avy danger in all of CH). So, we decided to take advantage of the condtions to get up something steep.
It was a really fun day of enjoyable suffering, huffing our way up this high alpine cooler: http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/45929/fr/pointe-d-orny-couloir-du-glacier-d-arpette 1
Thanks to Sam, Lucas, and Victor for hanging tough and making the climb with me… “just 10 more minutes to the top”, I swear2!!
I’ll let the photos do most of the talking.
From a distance, the line is just visible left of center:
Now, getting a bit closer:
Heading up:
A couple hours later, we finally top out:
And, for the descent?
It’s got a decent pitch:
Fairly variable conditions over all, but there were some pretty nice spots. Just nice to be able to get out on a line like this and enjoy a beautiful day in les hautes montagnes.
And, finally a little bit of artistic license to portray the ride out of the valley:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_81l4DXlwM)
- Yes, in complete juxtaposition to many places in the US, beta is widely shared on the internet on sites like these. Many of these lines are also in official guide books and maps. It works here, not sure it would work so well in New England (# options vs number of participants, the nature of the terrain, access, etc). I’ll refrain from commenting on it further, just stating that’s how it is.
- Just gotta remember, it’s a long way to the top, if you want to rock and roll