NSW Nordic Ski Club
Attempt At The Haute Route, or, Guess Who's Coming For Dinner?
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Reprinted with permission from The Sydney Bushwalker
Ian Wolfe's Haute Route Ski Mountaineering trip from Chamonix, France to Saas Fee, Switzerland attracted eight enthusiastic souls who converged on Argentière (10km from Chamonix) on 13/4/97. The trip was to be for 10 days from 17/4/97. We enjoyed a few days of lift skiing before meeting the organiser, Peter Cliff (Scottish mountaineer) and our two guides, Richard and Alan.
A mass of gear - skis, poles, skins, crampons, ski crampons, ice axe, avalanche beeper and harness - was provided for each person. In addition there was rope, first-aid kit, repair kit, tent, shovels, spare skins, etc to be shared.
The first day of reckoning with our guides followed. Some intense skiing, rope, crampon and ice-axe work, resulted in despondency for some and elation for others. At the end of the day, only four of the party were approved as having the technique required, two were doubtful, whilst two were informed they did not have the necessary skills.
There was another day of "training" with the guides. Our party of four "enjoyed" a steep snow climb, a very exposed icy traverse over about 1 to 1-1/2km, climbed another col and then had a very rough descent of about 1200m on more icy, bumpy snow. This was followed by about 4km on a "combat trail" - narrow ski tracks through rocks and trees just above a creek to the small village of Le Buet. Life improved as we sat in the hotel garden enjoying a beer whilst waiting for our train back to Argentière.
That evening we were informed the other guide, Alan, was prepared to set off on the trip with the other two "doubtful" members, but would probably turn back.
The weather had been beautiful and continued for our 8:00am start on the morning of 18/4/97. There was 6cm of new snow on the high tops. Two cablecars took us 2055m to the summit of the Grand Montets at 3295m. A descent of 700m was made on new snow at first and then the usual icy, bumpy surface to the Argentière Glacier. Skins and ski crampons were fitted for the 900m ascent to Col du Chardonay. Shortly after setting off, our guide, Richard, decided crampons and ice-axes were required, in addition to roping up. When the slope eased it was back to skis and skins.
The altitude took its toll with one of the four, Bill being badly affected. Ray, who had started with the other guide, Alan, was also affected. As a result they both returned to Argentière with Alan, whilst Kenn joined the first party. This was the first of the surprises for the two girls remaining in Argentière - Ray and Bill were back for dinner.
The descent from Col du Chardonay was steep and icy and involved negotiating a bergschrund (large crevasse between mountain and glacier). We abseiled down on 80m of rope and then traversed around to the Saleina Glacier. There was a further ascent of about 250m to the Col d'Orny. This provided access to the Trient Plateau and Glacier. The snow plateau is 3-4km across and rimmed by jagged peaks. It was then about 3:30pm with a slight descent followed by about 100m climb to our destination, the Trient Hut (in Switzerland). There were many photographic stops in an attempt to capture the magic of this area.
The catered Swiss huts we stopped in were similar - accommodation in dormitories for 80-120 with breakfast and dinner (3-4 courses) being provided at a cost of about $40. The huts were of 2-3 levels, of stone construction and all had a great ambience. The food was plentiful and excellent but breakfast in most consisted of bread, jam and hot drinks (standard fare for the Swiss and French). In most of the huts water was obtained by melting snow. As a result it was necessary to purchase water for drinks at about $1.80 per litre. Beer, wine, chocolate and health food bars could be obtained at inflated prices, (the huts are provisioned regularly by helicopters). Some form of salad was provided with the evening meals.
All the huts, including the Trient, have extensive balconies where visitors soak up the afternoon sun. (France and Switzerland had commenced two hours of daylight saving and it was light till about 9:00pm.)
We were away by about 8:00am the following morning for the 1700m descent to Champex. Arising from the problems on the previous day, the repair kit had been left with Bill and it was to be delivered to us in Champex by Peter Cliff. During the descent of the Trient Glacier, about 10 minutes after leaving the hut, Kenn fell and slid about 25m into a crevasse. He did not respond to calling. Our guide, Richard, set up a ski belay and the 50m rope was lowered. Richard went down about 8m and made verbal contact but could not see Kenn. Fortunately, he had landed on a snowbridge about 20m down. He was able to remove his skis, attach these to his pack and then secure the rope to the body harness which we all wore. He was slowly pulled up out of the crevasse.
Kenn was obviously shaken and very quiet, as were the rest of us. Initially there were no apparent injuries, but a rescue helicopter was called by radio. A doctor was lowered and it was decided to take Kenn to hospital - Martigny - in Switzerland. It was later found he had 5 broken ribs, a contusion to one lung and bleeding around the spleen. He remained in hospital for a week.
Ian had organised membership of the French Alpine Club. This included insurance cover for rescue, medical and hospital expenses, otherwise the costs for Kenn could have been in the order of $8-10,000.
We continued down the glacier, somewhat shaken, and were then faced with about a 50m vertical descent in a steep icy chute, with a bergschrund at the base. This was negotiated by careful side-slipping and stepping. Thankfully this ended the drama for the day and we relaxed on a pleasant ski down a non-glaciated valley to Champex. The organiser, Peter Cliff, met us and after he conferred with Richard, it was decided we should not continue the Haute Route. It was back to Argentière and we were together again for dinner, minus Kenn. (The girls didn't guess this one!)
It was snowing the next morning, so six of us had a part-piste day with one guide. We did some trekking but visibility was poor for a few hours. It improved and we remained at the resort for some brilliant powder snow skiing. There were only about 10 skiers on the slopes and we carved tracks all over the mountain - it was a great afternoon.
The next day we went to the Great St Bernard Monastery/ Hospice in Switzerland for two days and nights (we had intended to stop at the Monastery for one night on the planned trip). Transport was by taxi to the roadhead, followed by an 8km ski in to the Hospice. The large 300 bed, 16th Century building, has recently undergone extensive internal renovations. It was the most luxurious accommodation for the trip - very comfortable single beds instead of bunks, excellent food and fantastic hot showers. On the second night "The Treasury" was opened for inspection. This contained all the significant jewellery and other items donated since the 13th Century.
We climbed a 3,200m snow peak the following morning. Strong winds overnight had changed the snowpack to mainly crust and ice and it was almost all "survival" skiing on the run down.
The following day three of the party skied back down the road, whilst four of us went over a high col for an 800m descent on reasonable snow and met the others. Three then returned to Argentière by taxi and three accompanied the guide, Alan, on a 4-day trip from Verbier to Arolla in Switzerland - this is one of the small variations on the Haute Route.
Fortunately we were able to climb almost 2000m by 3 cable cars, to about 3000m and then ski down to the Mont Fort Hut, at about 2700m. This was another charming, 2-level stone hut with a superb panorama to the south which we enjoyed from the extensive balcony. The interior finishes of all these huts are timber with a slightly rustic feel, creating a delightful atmosphere. The food was again of a high standard. All the catered huts were in spotless condition.
A 7:00am start saw us climbing on icy snow to a col at 3200m. This was followed by a short descent and traverse, then a further lengthy climb on an extensive glacial plateau to 3400m. From this point we had one of our better ski runs over 2-3km in about 15cm of new powder snow. This was followed by a steeper descent over firmer snow to Prefouleri Hut at about 2600m.
It is the practice in the Alps to depart early - between about 4:00am and 7:00am and arrive at the huts about midday or in the early afternoon - to avoid the risk of avalanche and softening snow bridges over crevasses. We arrived at the hut at 11:45am and then had a long afternoon of inactivity broken by reading and card games. The guide had advised against further skiing because of the steep slopes in that area with the associated avalanche risk. This timber hut was a self-catered one at the site of an old quarry and not of the same high standard as the others.
The following day there was another 7:00am start, followed by 5 hours of climbing and traversing on mainly icy surfaces, to gain 900m and the Dix Hut. This was another beautifully-constructed, 3-level stone structure perched on a pinnacle above two glaciers, with outstanding views of the wall of Mont. Blanc de Cheilon. We arrived just before midday and then enjoyed an extended lunch on the stone balcony, soaking up the sun and panorama.
It was back to work that afternoon for a 600m climb of an adjacent snow peak and our maximum height for the trip at 3550m - the Matterhorn was visible from the summit. I was certainly slightly breathless for the last 50-100m. The slopes had seemed reasonable for an exhilarating downhill run but did not live up to expectations with breakable crust, difficult powder and some icy surfaces. Near the base we were rewarded with some typically Australian spring snow and were able to relax with some easy turns.
The hut could accommodate about 100 and the numbers gradually built up to about 60 with some parties arriving at 6:30-7:00pm. One Japanese group with a guide included a ski-mountaineering beginner. They had had a very long slow trip, having made a 4:30am start. It was no wonder the poor man just laid on the snow without removing pack or skis for half an hour after arriving at the hut.
There had been high cirrus cloud throughout the day and a change was expected. Our brilliant weather came to an end and we woke to 10cm of new snow, wind and limited visibility. There was no option but to exit to Arolla by the shortest route. A short ski across the glacier was followed by a 35m ascent of a cliff-face by way of steel ladders. Then it was off into the murk for a cautious downhill descent until we reached an established piste, where there was reasonable skiing for the last 2-3km to the village. We arrived about 1-1/2 hours before the scheduled time for our transport and enjoyed a leisurely cup of coffee. It was back to Argentière for a reunion with the others. Kenn had been discharged from hospital the previous day and it was great to be all together again. Those who had remained at Argentière had been enjoying some wonderful day tours with Richard, in that area. He joined us for our final night out at a local restaurant.
Those contemplating this type of trip need advanced downhill skiing skills plus a determination to plod up the long ascents with considerable weight on your feet - downhill gear with skins and ski crampons for icy sections. Unfortunately one is not always rewarded on the downhill descents. Some of these involve survival skiing and require no-falls technique. I often found myself thinking of our great spring snow conditions in Australia. I believe these are the best in the world.
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