7/24/14 - Petite Verte

Today we hired Adam, our guide from two years ago, to take us up on some steep snow faces and ridges and help us get more comfortable with how to protect ourselves on such faces.  The original plan was to do the Midi-Plan traverse, but after waking up at 0600 to a downpour we had to call that off.  We woke up again at 0800 to find the rain had stopped and the clouds were beginning to break.  After jumping in Adam's car and driving up to Argentiere we decided to tackle the much less complicated Petite Verte route (I/PD).  Bucky and I were certainly hoping for a bigger challenge for our day with Adam, but sometimes the weather just does not cooperate.  The route did provide us with some challenges with how to move quickly together while staying safe along the knife ridge.  I think it was a very good practice day and Adam gave us some very helpful tips on rope management and when to move together versus pitching a section out.  We should now have the skills to tackle the Midi-Plan ourselves.  On the descent back to the Grand Montets, of course, it started to sleet once again.  I guess that is just how we should be expecting to round out our days in this atypically wet summer, soaking wet.