Chulilla and Visit to Costa Blanca

Hi folks, thanks for stopping by. I have just returned from a highly enjoyable two week trip to Chulilla and the Costa Blanca with my friends Haydn Jones, Sam Hamer and Jose. We spent 9 days in Chulilla over New Year and then travelled south to stay at Gaz Parry and Kate Mills' house near Oliva in the Costa Blanca for a further 4 days. For the last couple of days, we visited Jose in his home city of Murcia.

After the obligatory enforced layoff over Christmas it took a couple of days to find our feet but we soon acclimatised to the style of Chulilla, which generally offers long, vertical to gently overhanging wall climbing with most pitches being up to 30m or more in length. It seemed that half of Sheffield was visiting the area and it was cool to spend time with friends from familiar home crags. We lucked out with our accommodation and managed to get rooms in the same apartment as Matt Segal, of Progression fame. Most evenings were spent arguing the toss over grit highballing ethics with Matt and his mates. They cooked us up a proper banquet on New Years eve (see pic) as well, result!

 

News Years Eve banquet with the Yanks

The ancient village of Chulilla with arabic castle

So, what about the routes? I was psyched to spend some time on-sighting for a change and tried to be disciplined to move onto another route without redpointing it if I fell off. With whole sectors sporting endless 30m lines of 7c, 7c+ and 8a, who needs a first redpoint when there are onsight dragons to be slain! I was pleased to get two 8a onsights and some 7c+'s as well. My attempt to onsight an 8a+ called La Buena ended at bolt 5 of 18 unfortunately, you can't win 'em all ;0). We only took one rest day in 9 days which made a refreshing change to the many double rest days taken before redpoints on home ground. I am looking forward to spending more time on this style of climbing in the future, the other side of the coin to sieging. Here is my ticklist of 7b+ and above:

Chulilla Ticklist

8a+ 

La Buena (El Balcon) - Redpoint

8a

El capataz incapaz (El Balcon) - Onsight
El agente naranja (El Balcon) - Onsight
La boca de la voz (Pared de Enfrente) - 1st redpoint

7c+

Plantea Namek (El Algarrobo) - Onsight
Ramallar (Pared de Enfrente) - Onsight
La quebranta (Pared de Enfrente) - Onsight
El rey de la palanca (El Balconcito) - Onsight
El Bufa (El Balconcito) - Onsight
Tequila Sunrise (El Balconcito) - Onsight

7c

Hipotermia (El Algarrobo) - 1st redpoint
Nivelungalos (El Algarrobo) - Onsight
Bricopaco (El Algarrobo) - Redpoint

7b+

Nikita (Competition) - Onsight
Andromeda (Competition) - 1st redpoint
Ca La Marta (El Algarrobo) - Onsight

La Buena 8a+

El capataz incapaz 8a

                                        

  Tequila Sunrise 7c+

In fairness, New Years eve in Chulilla had been a relatively tame affair so when the opportunity presented itself to party a bit in Valencia with Jose and his friends, we duly obliged. After a few beers, it seemed like the evening was heading to a close at midnight but then the cocktail bowls and bottles of spirits were busted out and an impromptu visit to a local club took place. The Spanish tend to stop out a fair bit later than us English folk, all I would say is sometimes you need more of a siesta than a fiesta! ;0)

With the party scores now settled, it was time to crank again and we were all excited to check out Gaz's local crags. Gaz and Kate very kindly put us up at their home just outside the small town of Oliva, which is not far from Alicante or Valencia airports. Situated amongst orange groves in some beautiful countryside just south of Gandia and a stone's throw from the Penon d'Ifach and Sella, this would make an ideal base for anybody looking to explore the Costa Blanca. I know Gaz has a room to rent so drop him a line if you are looking to spend time in this superb climbing area and soak up some rays!

Another grim day on the Costa Blanca

Gaz and Kate are both animal lovers and have a stable with some horses as well as some very friendly cats and dogs. The dogs include those unlucky animals who are unfortunate enough to have suffered an injury or simply have no home to go to. One of the dogs was my namesake which guaranteed some moments of confusion each morning before coffee had been consumed.

Some Spanish podencos

Feeding time

We were all excited to check out Gaz's local crag 'Sector 45' where his now ex-project Supersonico 8c+ is to be found. David Petts joined us to film the ascent with the aid of his awesome 'quadcopter' or drone which was buzzing around the crag filming the action from all sorts of angles. The days of hiring a helicopter for filming for £10,000 an hour are now a thing of the past. We were all very impressed with the gobsmacking hanging arete line of Supersonico and indeed the futuristic 9a+ project to its right, which is currently being worked by Spanish hotshot Primo. We all took the opportunity to tick the classic 7c 'Luz de Sol' that Gaz bolted along with the quality 7c and 7c+ tufa lines to the left with their tricky traverses on slopey tufas under the massive roof.


                         
                             Haydn on Luz da Sol 7c                                                                                                                                                         Jose on Adios Sol 8b

Is it a bird, is it a plane?

On the last day of my stay, we had spent the morning resting and arrived at the crag at half 3 to take advantage of the cooler evening temps. Conditions definitely felt a lot better than the previous days of working routes and after Gaz did a massive link from low down on the route to nearly the top, I knew a send was on the cards. It was very inspiring to see Gaz on his ascent which was obviously the culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication.

Gaz post crux on Supersonico 8c+  

Haydn on the7c+

After Supersonico went down, riding on a wave of psyche, I managed to redpoint the third ascent of the excellent 8b 'Adios Sol' of Gaz's which has some cool Oliana-like tufas on the bottom section leading to a rest before the final, very thin wall. In fact, this section is so thin that it very difficult to stop and clip on the final moves, perpetual motion upwards being your only hope! There is significant potential left at this crag not to mention the other crags littering the surrounding area, those after a new route fix need look no further.

Not a bad view from the crag

Celebrating that night involved a mega 'all you can eat' chinese buffet complete with sushi and a chocolate fountain dessert, washed down with some San Miguels, after all we were on holiday! The next day, I took the coach to Murcia to rejoin the lads who had travelled down a day earlier with Jose. After a further night out, including a visit to a club in an old bullring, we lapped up our last rays of sunshine at the quality crag La Boveda near Orihuela. After the crag cooled down at around 5, I managed a flash of 'El Grinch' 7c+ as my final send of the trip and we were airport-bound. What a trip, I hope you all enjoy your own Spanish adventures soon!

El Grinch 7c+ on the last day around Murcia

Hajj attempts and new Mecca Linkup

Now seems a good time to pause and reflect on the last 2.5 months of effort put in at the mighty bastion of peak crimping, the Tor. As September gave way to October, I went back into project mode on Hajj, the left hand extension to Mecca, which I had put on the back burner as a project while I put in the hard yards on Cry Freedom. Now the latter route was ticked, I could focus all my efforts on this beast and I was keen to get stuck in. Having found a good sequence using an improbably small left foot hold earlier in September that allowed a massive reach for the left hand to be made off a good, flat hold for the right, I knew it was on and I had made the crucial link from the Mecca belay to the top. While evening sessions were no longer possible with it getting dark at 7, 6:30, and then by the time November rolled around, 4:30, I was still going out to the crag after work for bouldering sessions, trying to keep the edge with laps on Bens Roof, attempts at Powerband (I have a goal at some point to link this into Pump up the Power - the training linkup 'Pump up the Powerband, which is a meaty 8c) and other boulder problems such as Kristians direct start to Wild in Me 7b, Powerhumps 7b+, Out of My Tree 7b and various linkups/ circuits on Weedkiller and Basher's problem. A keen band of lantern session boulderers kept psyche levels high, after all, what could be better training that busting out moves on real rock?

The Crux move of Hajj (Photo: Jon Clark)

At weekends, I followed my routine of Saturdays on the project followed by stamina days at Malham. In October, I made some good gains on Mecca, getting up it 3 times in a session for the first time ever. However, Hajj is a very tricky customer, with a desparate move off a small, flat undercut for the right hand proving to be stopper on all of my redpoints. The set up moves into this are hard but manageable and I got to the point where I never fell off them, even from the ground. As soon as my fingers bit into the first crimpy undercut for the left hand and then I slapped into the crux right hand undercut, it was like hitting a brick wall. When doing these moves from the shake on Mecca Extension, you seem to have time to stand up into the undercut with the outside edge of your left foot on a big flat hold (that you have previously used as a hold for your right hand). However, once you are a bit pumped, it becomes much harder to stand up into the move. On almost all of my attempts from the ground, I would end up jumping up and out from the crag into the inevitable 20 footer down to the Mecca belay instead of reaching up in control to the tiny left hand crimp which allows you to match on an intermediate and then slap into the big right hand gaston that spells the end of the crux sequence. These last moves are exciting as you are a fair way above the last quickdraw (the last dogging bolt unclippable off to the right) and would be on for a fair old whipper! On one of my redpoint attempts, I got partially stood up into the undercut and within 3 inches of the final left hand crimp. Alas, although close to the move, I knew I was never going to make it although it was my best go of the season. Still, this was a window into doing the route and got my psyched.

Just past the crux on Mecca (Photo: Jon Clark)

Unfortunately, after this good attempt, on my next go I split a tip on the left hand rat crimp on my third redpoint of the day. I had been trying the link into the Whore of Babylon as a consolation prize and had the moves worked and was in two minds as to whether to go for this of have another go on Hajj. I decided on the latter and the tiny sharp crimps decided I had outstayed my welcome. This meant I had to take 10 days off the route.

                                                                                           Mecca linkups and projects

It was at this point that I started trying to bag the Whore of Babylon link. This is the red line on the above topo I have drawn of Mecca links and projects. This is a cool linkup that Steve McClure had first done but which I think finished up Crucifixion. The moves from where it leaves Hajj (after the first independent move) are not too hard and the whole 2 bolt sequence before it joins Proud Whore is probably 7b+. The moves are not trivial but way easier than those on Hajj. The finish up Proud Whore, although probably 7b+ again, was steeper and more physical and on my link attempts from the base of the groove on Mecca, proved to be very pumpy indeed!

As late November arrived, me and the ever dwindling band of regulars started to get hit with unreliable conditions as, even though the crag was still essentially bone dry, as soon as the temperature rose above about 6 degrees, the dreaded condensation came on. On Saturdays in a row, this happened, which resulted in frustrating enforced rest in the hope of better conditions the following day. Basically, opportunities for successful redpoints were dwindling fast. Even when the crag was dry, as December rolled around, it unsurprisingly became bitterly cold as the sun now didn't rise above the hill opposite the crag and Mecca got zero sun. One day when I failed to get up Mecca via my usual method in the dusk due to a late arrival at the crag, I decided to experiment with the different ways of gaining the base of the groove, managing to climb it via the classic right hand to the horn method and then, the following week by the Egyptian way method. What I was after was an easier, more reliable method and I hope that I have now found it with the Egyptian way. After all, if Steve and most other people do it this way, there must be a good reason!

As the end of the season approached, I wanted something to show for my efforts and on last session before the Works party, the Whore of Babylon link went down. Unfortunately (or fortunately!) I discovered a really good rest in the Creamteam break before the finish up Proud Whore which took the edge off it, although at the end of the day, this section still has to be climbed and is no pushover. The direct version will be even pumpier. So, with the Tor season ended for 2014, I have been getting stuck back into some plastic training and some much needed new moves. I'm psyched for what the New Year may bring and will be back for Hajj, and other projects, in the Spring! For now its off to Chulila for 15 days of bolt clipping heaven, some onsighting and change of scene, venga bichos!

A classic 8a route from around Chamonix earlier this summer, can anyone guess which one?

Update

I hope you have all been getting out and enjoying the mostly still dry crags. To update you, I am excited to be working with Scarpa from now on. I have been wearing Instinct VS's recently and have been very impressed with the edging power, stiffness and downturned toe which has been awesome on some of the small footgrips at the Tor. In particular, on Mecca you need to be able to stand on some pretty poor, polished edges on the crux section gaining the base of the groove and I have noticed the moves feeling easier due to more weight going through my feet, which is a great thing!

The Tor season is still hanging in there, I have to keep pinching myself thinking the crag is bone dry and it is 23 November! It is a bit of an effort to stay warm enough and avoid the dreaded hotaches or 'numbing out' as it is called across the pond. Sprinting up and down the road 5 minutes before climbing seems to work but then all the blood can go to your legs and away from your hands. Handwarmers work for some. Maybe the Spanish trick of a heated rock in the chalkbag might be an idea...or better actually move to Spain!

Right now I'm trying Haaj, the left hand extension to Mecca which is a cool piece of climbing with some V8 or even V9 moves on the crux on rat crimps and two gnarly undercuts. Fortunately there is a half decent rest after leaving Mecca Extension. I'm also trying a long link of Mecca into the Whore of Babylon, which is easier but will still be a stout 8b+. It adds a 9 bolt 8a on top of Mecca and is very pumpy!

For inspiration, here is a shot of warmer climes from March this year and one of the most classic 12d's or 7c's at Smith Rock, USA taken by my friend Tom Wright. Can anybody guess which route?

Stay tuned folks and happy climbing!

The Year of Malham

It has been a vintage season for Malham Cove this year. I have enjoyed experiencing the different seasons at the crag from the cool temps of spring, the heat of summer (which can be avoided by climbing superlate at the crag), the send temps of autumn to where we are at the moment in the cold conditions of early winter.

I have been going to Malham ever since I was at university in Manchester and still have my Rockfax 1990 guide which has been a source of continuing psyche. Seeing Cry Freedom in the guide next to the other classics, I always wondered whether I would ever be able to climb this historic line. I actually tried it in 2011 with James Riley for a couple of sessions but was way off the level back then. This year I was excited to use some of the fitness gained from trips away and plenty of time spent at the Tor to try some of the legendary staminafests the crag has to offer.

After coming back from the Alps in August, it took a couple of weeks to get my sport fitness back but it returned pretty quickly. I was pleased to do Totally Free 2, which was totally awesome (linking The Groove 8a+ into Free and Easy 7c then into the final roof of Breach of the Peace). This must be one of the best challenges at the grade in the UK even though there are quite a few good rests at key stages. Having frustratingly fallen off the last few moves in the wet before going to the Alps heaving up over the final barrel once stood up over the roof, the key to doing this was taking the trouble to first tick 'An Uneasy Peace 7c+' which starts up Free and Easy to its last bolt. Instead of going up and left to the belay of Free and Easy, Uneasy goes straight up via a runout section to finish up Breach. I reckon the roof of Breach must be 7c in its own right as it is burly and a tough finish to Totally Free 2 after 25 bolts of climbing, despite the hands off rest below Breach. Definitely save yourself the trouble of climbing all this way without having the top ruthlessly wired...and try not to attempt it in the rain either like me! I couldn't believe it when the heavens opened on my successful redpoint. Luckily I managed to bear down enough on the final wet crimps to avoid getting spat off into the void below. Here are some pics.

 The lower crux of the The Groove

Bridging rest on The Groove

Strenuous moves leaving the rest

Starting the hard section of the second half of The Groove

Keep on trucking! Just past the crux on Free and Easy 7c

After this, I had a couple of sunday sessions on Cry Freedom second day on and sorted out all the moves but it was only when I started trying it fresh that I managed to make some breakthroughs. Linking from the undercut rest at the end of the initial 6 bolt 7c to the top was a massive buzz as it includes the first crux bulge which has some baffling V7 moves. The upper crux on its own must be about V6, depending on your reach. I know that climbers of shorter stature really struggle on this last section but I was lucky enough to be able to just reach the crux crimp with my right hand from the big undercut at the end of the final 'corner'. Getting fully crimped on this hold and having a little bend left in your arm while your right foot remains on a small spike foothold at the back of the bulge is crucial. You then place a tenuous heel/ toe cam in a big hole out left and take a grim little slot/ sidepull for your left hand. Releasing the heel/ toe is the real crux whilst remaining pasted to the wall as the next moves are a little easier and you are soon stood up over the bulge on small crimps eyeing up the belay. 

Here is a video of the send. I would encourage anybody to try this route who may be having second thoughts given the many stories of last move failure out there. This is a stonking route with a real sense of history. I even managed to get a decent kneebar rest below the last crux which with a 5.10 pad is not far hands off if you can tense up your core enough. Unlike Bat Route or Unjustified, the crux is right where it should be, at the top!

Cry Freedom 8c - FA Mark Leach 1988

A short word on the grade of Cry Freedom compared to Unjustied and Bat Route. I reckon it is harder than either of these two routes overall although of a different character. On Bat Route, while the moves individually are often desperate, particularly the roof section, the hard bits tend to be broken up by really good resting jugs and a bomber kneebar. Unjustified by contract is the opposite having virtually no rest but with moves which are perhaps not quite as hard with the exception of the crux bulge. I have gone with Mark Leach's original grade of 8c for Cry Freedom as this is apparently the grade he gave it initially after his 46 day siege, which has become part of climbing folklore. I hear it was only after the first few repeats that it got downgraded. Jibe Tribout apparently thought it was easier than Mecca but was going well at the time!

After Cry Freedom, I got my guide out and sussed out the remaining doable ticks I had left on the lower catwalk. Twisted and the Well Dunne Finish were obvious gaps and I was stoked to be able to tick both after a spot of spring cleaning of some very dusty holds. I would definitely recommend both of these routes. I would not say Twisted was much easier than Well Dunne but see what you think. Hopefully these two videos are useful for beta.

Twisted 8a - FA Mick Lovatt 1988

Well Dunne Finish 8b - FA John Dunne 1988

So the crucial question, which of GBH or Zoolook is it best to start up when trying Well Dunne? Zoolook of course! To me, its a fair bit easier than GBH with a bomber rest at the fifth bolt that GBH doesn't have. So, get it while you still can, the crag is still dry I hear, see you out there!

Alpine Interlude

In August I took a two week trip to Chamonix to attempt a long term ambition of trying the Grand Capucin, an immaculate spire of golden granite near Mont Blanc rising above the Glacier du Geant to a height of 3,838m. Ever since I went to Chamonix on trips as a student in 1997, 98 and 99, I had a dream of climbing the Grand Capucin. A trip out in the summer of 2010 with friends from Jersey was blighted by poor weather and another chance slipped by. So maybe fifth time lucky! This trip, the dream team comprised of my good friends John, Ryan and Duncan.

After a few sessions at Stoney, Millstone and Gogarth dusting down the wires following a lengthy absence from traditional climbing, we began to get a bit of the trad flow back and it was time to practise these skills on the larger canvas that the mountain routes on the granite peaks around Chamonix offer. For me, while I had been doing a lot of sport climbing lately, I have been on a fair few alpine trips in the past, including a successful trip to the Dolomites in the summer of 2009 when Ben Heason and I managed to free climb Attraverso il Pesce or 'The Fish', a classic 14 pitch E6 on the south Face of the Marmolada. Big peaks like the Grand Capucin don't climb themselves and I realised that if I was ever to achieve my goal, it had better be right now!

                                                      Pre-alpine training - London Wall E5 6b at Millstone                      

                                                                                                                                                                                                  The Cruise E5 E5 Gogarth Upper Tier

After a solid 18 hour journey from Nottingham (nice one for driving us all there non-stop John!), we set up base camp in the Ile des Barrats campsite just outside Cham. The next morning we caught the first 'phrique up to the Midi Plan intent on bagging the Aigulle du Peigne via its famous slabby north face. Unfortunately the first day up in the hills brought it home how wet the summer had been. The slabs were completely soaked and we had to abandon this plan in favour of the Red Pillar of the Aiguille de Blatiere. John and I bagged 'Deux Goals' 7a, a cracking, short 5 pitch line that involved plenty of jamming in wet, strenuous cracks!

 Deux Goals 7a, (pitch 1), Aiguille de Blatiere

Next up was an expedition up to the Envers Hut above the Mer de Glace. This was the only time we stayed in an alpine hut and it was a true pleasure to spend 3 nights in such a remote shelter perched precariously on a little rock shoulder under the towering granite needles of the Aiguille de Roc and the Pointes des Nantillons. I suffered mightily on the 3.5 hour walk in up endless iron ladders with my sport climbers pigeon legs! Routes bagged here by John and I were 'L'Age de Homme', an 11 pitch 6c ending on the 1st Pointe des Nantillons which was a warmup to the distinctly stiffer 'Pyramide' 7a, a more well known Michel Piola classic on an asthetic buttress right of the seminal route 'Children of the Moon', which Ryan and Duncan did on the same day.

Pyramide offered a short, sharp crux section followed by some 'meat and potatoes' jamming work in some straight in hand jamming cracks following by a delicate, exposed step out left onto an arete on the second hardest pitch, which John fired off despite the wet conditions. At the base of  the second tower, a burly hand and fist crack graded a stern 6b+ led to easier ground and the summit.

 Classic pose at Montenvers

 The Mer de Glace

 View towards the Deant du Geant and the Seracs du Geant from L'Age de Homme 6c, 1st Pointe des Nantillons

 Pyramide 7a (pitch 4),  Aiguille de Roc

  

Pyramide 7a (pitch 5)

 

 Poco Locos in Chamonix, a calorific feed!

 

Back in the valley, some rest and recuperation followed after 3 hard days in the hills and a raid to the excellent valley crag, Gietroz, which is just inside the Swiss border during which I managed to bag the classic 'Reve de Singe' 8a before a massive thunderstorm. One of the local guides actually said it had been the worst July for 30 years. Next came a run up 'La Fin de Babylone' on the South Face of Le Brevent in the Aiguilles Rouges (opposite from the Mont Blanc massif), an 8 pitch 6c on a dodgy weather day. This provided some good mileage purely on bolts while we were waiting for a 3 day good weather window towards the end of the second week. I even jogged down from the summit of Le Brevent to save the 8 Euro cable car ride down, must have been getting fitter!

'La Fin de Babylone' 6c (pitch 5), South Face of Le Brevent

We were so pleased to have a chance at getting a go at the Grand Capucin as the weather seemed set fair but were initially apprehensive as it looked very wintry up there and by all accounts there had been fresh snow down to 3,300m and the climbing is well above this altitude! We ummed and aahed and had many debates over leisurely beers and coffees in the campsite over whether to go for it or leave it for another year.  Finally we were galvanised into action after meeting a German team who had just done the Swiss route the previous day and said it was OK to climb although a bit snowy on ledges high up and pretty wet in many of the cracks. Sounded worth a punt! 

  

We were all pretty apprehensive heading down the snow arete to the glacier below the South Face of the Aiguille du Midi but excited at the same time, this was finally it, after months of waiting, planning, buying new kit and psyching up for the route, our chance was finally here. We trecked for a couple of hours down the Glacier du Geant roped up as a four and set up camp on the glacier a few hundred metres below the Capucin, which briefly loomed out of the mist before darkness fell. We could all feel the effects of the alitude as we were a fair bit higher up than our previous forays. It was bloody freezing in the night and despite buying a brand new top of the range sleeping bag before the trip, it was difficult to sleep in temperatures that must have dropped below minus ten.  

 

Home for 2 nights! Base camp on the Glacier du Geant below the Grand Capucin

 Early start for the Capucin (v cold!)

We set off as soon as it was possible to warm our fingers and were at the base of the route, having cramponed up the approach gully at 7:30am, while all the loose rock that tends to funnel down this later in the day was well frozen in. Temperatures rapidly rose until we were climbing in T-shirts. John and I had initially planned on doing the Swiss Route but as this was quite busy, we decided to branch off left onto O Sole Mio, a slightly harder line which involved some pretty burly jamming. It was a joy to plug in cams and solid nuts and move quickly over some very high quality, golden granite. The crux 8th pitch was an awkward, bolt protected wall and maybe it was the alititude but it felt a good 7a to me!

 O Sole Mio 6c (pitch 5), South Face of the Grand Capucin

 O Sole Mio 6c (crux pitch 8)

The air temps became distinctly colder later in the afternoon and time was marching on as we battled with some sustained crack work. All our layers came on and we presssed on to the summit even though it was getting towards 5pm, this was too good a chance to miss, how many times in your life do you get this close to the summit of the Grand Capucin? Finally we topped out and took in a breathtaking view across the entire Mont Blanc range. We only had 10 minutes to spare before beginning the 10+ abseils back down to base camp, which took longer than planned due to the (inevitable?) rope jams. At 8pm we crawled back into camp and had several revitalising brews and a tasty meal in the bag cooked on John's jet boil for supper.

 Summit of the Grand Capucin 3,838m, the highest I've ever been!

 View towards the Aiguille Noire de Peuterey from the summit of the Grand Capucin

 A long way (500m) straight down from the summit to base camp!

 Endless, cold abseils. Le Trident (3639m) in the background

The next day we were all quite tired so despite the excellent weather, we took it easy and walked back up the glacier to set up camp below the south face of the Aiguille du Midi. We had one more day of alpine climbing left and managed to put this to good use in bagging the classic 'Contamine Route' 7a on the right side of the south face. I had actually seconded this 15 years previously on a trip here with Andy Pedley and still remembered most of it. Duncan did a barnstorming lead on the crux pitch, probably E4 at sea level - anybody's guess up at 3,700m! We just made the last 'phrique down after busting a gut powering up the arete with monster rucksacks packed full of wet ropes, tents, stoves and gear, probably 70lbs plus each! I think our record time was 39 mins from the glacier up to the ticket station! We were definitely all feeling fitter. 

 New base camp below the south face of the Aiguille du Midi

 Contamine Route, 7a (2nd pitch)

 Mont Blanc du Tacul (plenty of tents pitched)

 Dunc's big lead! Contamine Route 7a (crux 6th pitch)

So to sum up, we had an awesome time out in Cham - it was great to get away from familiar haunts back in the UK and do something different for a change. It has definitely inpired me at least for a return visit in the next few years. The Bonatti Pillar on the Capucin awaits, now that is a king line!