Year 1, Meet 2. Summer Trip: Young Alpinist Group in the Écrins

 

This August, the YAG headed south to the Écrins for ten days of climbing, alpinism, bivvying and paragliding, with a fair amount of choss along the way. Based in Ailefroide, we had a good base for exploring the wide variety of climbing and alpine terrain in the area. For many of the group, it was our first time in the Écrins, with plans ranging from classic alpine routes and long multipitches to valley climbing and ridge traverses.

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The trip got off to a busy start. James Kelly and Tom de Csillery climbed Soleil Glacial on La Sagnette, while Aimee Hogg, Poppy Hole and Louis warmed up on Le Snoopy, a valley HVS/6b.​ On 30th July Iain Innes and James Kelly climbed the South Pillar of Barre Noire, while Tom de Csillery and Louis Kennedy took on the North Ridge of Mont Pelvoux. Their route turned into a 17-hour day, including the descent of the Roches Rouges. Meanwhile, Poppy, Aimee and Tom Livingstone headed towards Sialouze to attempt Attaque à la Main Armée.The Sialouze team climbed around ten of the fifteen pitches, including the cruxes, before a thunderstorm forced them to shelter in a cave. With the weather deteriorating, they decided to retreat.

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Over the following days, the group spread out across the valley and mountains.

 

Iain and James climbed the Pierre-Allain route on the Meije, while Aimee, Poppy and Louis headed for the Aiguille Dibona. Their first attempt on Lady Bona was cut short when Aimee became unwell, but after a rest day Louis and Poppy returned and completed the Voie Madier. ​​Tom Livingstone and Tom de Csillery attempted the South Face of the Doigt de Dieu. A navigational error put them onto the wrong start, resulting in a few wet slabs before they retreated to the glacier. They then climbed L’Horreur du Bide, an 18-pitch 6c on the southwest face of the Meije. The following day they climbed the West Arete of the Pointe des Aigles before descending towards the Pavé and back to the valley.

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There was also plenty of valley climbing. James Milton climbed several routes around Ailefroide and Tête d’Aval, including Dogged Mort sur Cheval Blême, Voie du Pierrot and Le Gris qui Tue. He and Tom de Csillery then teamed up for Unchi Maka on Sialouze, a 400m ED involving 7c climbing, slabs, roofs and an offwidth. The group also made good use of the shorter valley routes. Aimee climbed at Tête du Turc one afternoon, completing 6c, 6b+, 7b and 7a after a morning of rest. Poppy and Tom Livingstone climbed Draye Way to Hell, including the steep 7b pitch, before being caught in a storm near the top.

 

On 5 August, Tom Livingstone and Louis Kennedy climbed Aurore Nucléaire on the Pic Sans Nom, while Iain headed into the mountains with Ry Philipps. They climbed Soleil Glacial before climbing Pets de Rupricaprins the following day, finishing with a paraglider descent. The next day, Iain and Ry climbed the North Arete of Mont Pelvoux before again paragliding back to the valley.

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James Milton and Tom de Csillery followed their Sialouze outing with a traverse of the Ailefroide, a 1.5km ridge route involving easy scrambling and loose rock. They bivvied before returning to the valley the following day.

 

Not every route went to plan. James Kelly and James Milton encountered loose rock and route-finding difficulties around Tête d’Aval and the Bans, while Poppy and James retreated from an attempted link-up after deciding that the second route was not particularly appealing. As with any alpine trip, changing weather, conditions and route-finding all played a part in deciding what was possible each day.

 

Across the ten days, the group climbed everything from HVS valley routes to 7c multipitches, 1100m alpine faces, classic ridges and longer mountain traverses. There were bivvies, storms, wrong starts, wet slabs, loose rock, long walk-ins and descents, as well as plenty of swimming, tubing, bouldering and pizza. For many of us, the Écrins was a new area, and it provided a good mix of climbing and mountaineering in a relatively wild setting. The trip gave everyone the chance to explore new routes, climb with different people and experience a different part of the Alps together.