High Mountain Report July 2016

The recent high-pressure window has brought some superb climbing conditions in and around the Chamonix Mont Blanc area.

July and August are usually the busiest months for alpine climbing here in the Chamonix valley. This year saw a late start for many routes due to the bad weather and unusually high amounts of snow in late spring. However, after a recent spell of good weather, many of the classic routes in the Mont Blanc massif have now been tracked.

In the areas around the Aiguille du Midi and the Skyway Monte Bianco there has been a lot of activity on the Cosmiques arête, Point Lachenel traverse, Triangle du Tacul and the North Face of Mont Blanc du Tacul with the route to Mont Blanc established along the Three Monts. With the large amounts of spring snow many of the 'usual' routes are experiencing different conditions than those that we would normally expect. For example, the rock crux of the Cosmiques is now a snowy ramp instead of a blank granite wall. More recently the South Face of the Aiguille du Midi has been teaming with climbers enjoying the high altitude granite with the hot July sun on their backs.

As you move over to the Italian side you pass many other climbs that are in perfect conditions. The Pyramide du Tacul, the Grand Capucin and the Kuffner arête have all been climbed, along with most routes on the Tour Rond, the Aiguille d’Entreves and the Marbrees.

Moving east, and away from the easy access of the Aiguille du Midi, the Couvercle sector has seen many climbers over the recent weeks. There have been tracks in the Whymper Couloir on the Aiguille Verte and also on the Courtes traverse and the Ponte Isabelle.

In the Argentiere basin there has been activity on the Aiguille d’Argentiere normal route and the Arete Fleche Rousse. There have been no reports so far of any activity on the north faces, although there is a track up the Petit Aiguille Verte.

The Le Tour glacier has been a hive of activity with many climbers on the Aiguille du Tour normal route and the Aiguille du Chardonnet via the Migot Spur. The glacier is still very snowy and many of the crevasses are still covered by a large amount of snow.

With the good weather set to continue until the end of the week and over the weekend this could be a great time to head into the mountains and take advantage of the superb conditions.

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Joel Evans is a Skier and Mountaineer based in Chamonix

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NB: Mountaineering is dangerous. The opinions expressed in these articles are very much time and condition specific and the content is not intended in any way to be a substitute for hiring a mountain guide, undergoing professional mountaineering training and/or the individual's own back country decision making.