The Grand Montets ridge is an unmistakable feature of the Chamonix skyline, an inviting and jagged tentacle of the Aiguille Verte splitting its northern slopes. High on our previous success, Tim and I were motivated to climb something bigger, longer and more committing. We were certainly served that up in spades, but what was disappointing was the awful quality of the route.
After the ascent of the Petite Aiguille Verte, you traverse on vague terraces, carefully scrambling over detached blocks and fins of shallow seated friable rock in effectively, wet gravel. Famously, knowing when and where to change sides of the ridge is difficult to anticipate, and we weren’t fortunate enough to navigate it without a few route finding errors on the way. After 7-8hrs of intense death-roping choss management you are awarded two cracked slab pitches on compact rock. The enjoyment of these pitches exceeds their actual quality and is only enhanced thanks to the previous ‘climbing’ achieved.
Tim touching the start of good rock.
The forecast had changed for us since the ‘turbo’ text. For the first time ever I uttered a panicked sentence involving the word ‘rescue’. Trapped at the end of the ridge with a storm approaching, the easiest way over the top, retreat difficult. It would be safer for all involved to be lifted off while the weather was fine rather than get truly snookered in a storm. But these where just panicked thoughts, thoughts that had swirled around a scared brain during a dangerous unenjoyable day of mountaineering. Unjustified thoughts. Idiotic. Nothing was wrong and we were prepared. I hated that those words escaped my lips.
The hand crack pitch.
The diagonal cracked slab.
How do you like your Verte in the morning? I’ll eat mine by head torch, probably better that way.
The bivi is known to be 5*. The few spots are palatial but just sitting somewhere safe probably has something to do with them being enjoyed so much. With enough whisky any bivi can be 5*. We drank ours and bedded down.
Gulp.
The summit slopes were in good condition. Tim tackled the gaping bergschrund that patrols the center of the face. Needing the two technical axes he did well to traverse the thin snow-board and mount the arm leading to the upper slopes. An ice axe belay and two toy axes got me through the same section. I was really hating the position at this point. There were plenty of places I’d rather be at 5am. The final few hundred meters had my calves burning, and as snow started to fall I had resolved to counting 100 axe swings to push through to where the angle eased, and we joined the Sans Nom arete.
Tim, the guard, and the darkness.
Sat upon the summit in a cloud, underwhelmed, deflated. They say never meet your heroes and maybe it’s not essential to achieve your dreams. Since laying eyes upon this ridge in 2011 I have always wanted to do it. It was a better dream than reality.
The descent ridge is again famed for proving long and arduous. We had voiced this from the comfort of the sofa in Chamonix in a bid to mentally prepare, but what we hadn’t digested was the amount of time spent in truly dangerous positions. Hours upon hours spent on loose rock. By the end we weren’t good partners anymore. Just two shells wanting the day to be over. Tim was exploding with frustration and I was smoking too many cigarettes to care.
If a route takes on anything like this, in no way is it classic, enjoyable or recommended.
Ending up at Montenvers in time for the train was the best thing that happened this day.
Day 1: 9hrs 15 GM-bivi.
Day 2: 13hrs Bivi-Summit- Montenvers.
Gaston Rebuffat famously stated that you are not a mountaineer until you have climbed the Verte. After this I think that only a poor climber would truly enjoy this journey. It’s one for the glory, the photos, and the hat tip in the bar as your ego swells pointing out the pile of choss you just negotiated. Ego plays a certain part in motivations to climb whether you admit it or not, and during the 31hrs thinking time I had up there I gave mine a good talking to. I will not do things just because ‘its there’, I will aim to do the type of climbing that I whole heartedly enjoy. If your reasons are in any way half-hearted, those demons do remind you that you chose to be there, so swallow it down and deal with it. If you enjoy movement over rock, and achievements in overcoming technical difficulties, then choose one of the 1000’s of better rock routes in the Mont Blanc massif.
UpSlideDown 