7/27/14 - Contamine Route

Traffic jams on the Contamine Route

Today Bucky and I explored the Vallee Blanche a little bit further to the South East.  The Contamine is a trad route 250 m (9 pitches) tall with a crux pitch of 6b.  This was going to be our first experience this trip leading 6b on trad, but we were confident that we were ready.  We got to the tram at 0730 and hoped that the route wouldn't be too busy since it is about an hour and a half hike from the Midi.  When we got there, however, there were two teams already on the rock and two teams waiting for their turn below the bergschrund!  We waited out turn and ended up behind a team of two Polish people who were very friendly, but ultimately very slow climbers.  We weren't all that concerned because we thought we were going to have plenty of time.

Behind us came a French guide and his lone female client from Finland.  I have to admit that she was a very attractive woman, but more about that later.  As the climbing went on, the time went on faster and we knew that if we were going to make it back to the Midi for the last tram down we were going to have to pass the Polish team.  We pushed through an intermediate belay station that the Pols stopped at and made the pass.
At the next belay station I looked back down the route to see the French guide and his Finnish client making out.  Not just making out, there was petting and caressing going on as well.  I was very impressed.  I have never seen anyone engage in a spontaneous make-out session 150 meters off the ground, clipped in to the side of a cliff!  Bucky and I had a pretty good laugh about it.  Anyway, Bucky led the 6b and 6a+ pitches, but I did lead one 5c pitch, which was my first for trad, so I was pretty stoked on that.  The French guide and Finnish client decided to bail after their make-out session and rappel back to the bottom.  We made it to the top of the route at about 4:30, leaving us only an hour and a half to get back to the Midi.  As we crossed the Vallee Blanche we kept looking back to see if the Polish team had topped out yet and at around 1715 we still hadn't seen them.

Random cloud hovering around the Aiguille du Midi

There was no way by that point that they were going to make it back to the Midi in time, so I am very grateful that we were able to pass them.  We ended up getting back to the Midi at about 1740 so we only made it with about twenty minutes to spare.  Otherwise we would have had to pay 60 euros each to sleep at the Cosmiques hut!  All in all, it was the hardest route we had done this trip, and a very fun one at that.  I was happy to have a very good challenge after the Aiguille d'Index two days ago.