I have wanted to climb the Dent du Geant since first seeing the spire of rock on my first trip to the Alps several years ago.We’d heard that the peak can get extremely busy and even queuing can take place as teams advance up the fixed ropes. We definitely didn’t want to get caught in a queue. Once again there was a forecast for strong winds but good weather for the day. We made an early start from the hut, leaving at 4:30am, with only one team ahead of us. The approach across the glacier was short and well tracked as we ascended a steep snow slope which led to a mixed slope with several short steps.
 |
| Dent du Geant from the Torino Hut |
We left our crampons and axe at the base of the pillar, it was time to call on our rock climbing skills. The wind was strengthening, and this quickly chilled me to the bone as we slowed down to pitch a couple of sections. I was originally reluctant to don my down jacket knowing that I didn’t have any other additional warm clothing, but I was cold now in this wind and couldn’t stand for long. The warmth was instant, and spirits were immediately raised. We alternated leads on the lower section and were quickly passed by one team and continued to leapfrog their second as we continued. We quickly built a relationship with this pair as we shared belays with them, Paulo a guide from Courmayeur and Peter from Scotland.
 |
| Pier on the lower section of fixed ropes |
 |
| Joining the belay higher up the slabs |
The huge fixed ropes raised above us, guiding us up the upper slabs. I had never quite experienced mountaineering like this, yarding our way up the fixed ropes, clipping the odd piton as a runner, trying our best to keep up with Paulo who is a beast. The fixed ropes had been described to me by others as Disney climbing, how they would depict mountaineering in one of their animated films. I was toasty warm on the belays, and almost too hot whilst climbing, but I definitely wasn’t complaining. We swiftly ascended the ropes, almost forgetting that we were nearly at 4000m and I definitely hadn’t done this amount of arm training before the trip, it was definitely taking it out of me.
 |
| Making progress up the Dent du Geant |
 |
| The upper ridge section before the summit wall. |
The fixed ropes stopped, and it threw us a bit as we had to think again, our previous pitches becoming almost automatic. I had to climb on the rock as we climbed a ridge towards the final summit wall, the frost covered rock numbing my fingers as I placed protection for Piers across a traverse. Piers lead up the short summit wall as we met Paulo and Peter up there for summit photos. Then the weather changed.
 |
| Summit picture with the Madonna |
 |
| Peter and Piers on an abseil belay |
We had seen the cloud approaching from the Aiguille u Midi and it started snowing. We coupled up with Paulo and Peter on the abseils back down to crampons below. We rolled down the abseils using our three ropes and three abseils later were back at our gear in a near blizzard. We kitted up again and said our goodbyes as we headed back through the whiteout towards the Torino Hut and our lift back to the Midi. Once again the Alps reminded us of what it is like to be in Scottish winter.
 |
| Back through the snow to the Torino Refuge |
No comments:
Post a Comment