9/11/14 - Plan de l'Aiguille challenge!

In honor of Bucky's last day in Chamonix we decided to take one last run up to the Plan de l'Aiguille.  If you remember from previous posts, Bucky's PR is 1:06:00.  My PR is 1:15:23, on a slightly different route.  We took a quick lap around the parking lot to get our legs warmed up a bit and off we went.  I took the right fork this time, and it resulted in a longer, but less steep route.  Bucky started pulling away from me really fast.  My calves felt really stiff and there were a few moments where I thought for sure they were going to cramp up.  Luckily, that did not happen, and once the steepness of the trail started to mellow out a little bit I started feeling much better.  I did not wear a watch this time, which I think hurt me a little.  When all you have to compete against is the clock, it really helps to actually have a clock on your person.  Bucky pulled further and further away from me and it didn't take long before I was running solo.  Once I made it to the refuge I knew I only had about five minutes to go so I poured it on.  I made it to the top, dripping sweat, in 1:16:45.  Bucky had made it in 1:06:22.  Today marked the first time that Bucky had completed the run without setting a PR.  I think my calves were still a little worn out from the Frendo Spur ascent, and that's why my time was slower, but maybe not.  Maybe the left fork of the route is just over a minute longer than the right fork.  This time I was smarter and condescended to take the tram down.  My quads will be thanking me tomorrow!  We got back to Cham and Bucky finished packing up his last few items, bought some souvenirs, and got on the shuttle to the airport.  This will probably be my last blog post for awhile.  Without Bucky here I will be biking and swimming and having the standard sorts of adventures I have every day.  If by chance one of these biking days turns in to something epic I will be sure to write about it.  For now, however, I am saying goodbye to the blog until the backcountry skiing in Colorado gets good!  This summer in Chamonix has been everything I could have hoped for.  So much so, that by the end I was totally sick of rock climbing!  I have a few more days here in Cham, and I will be making the most of them in my own personal way, but I am looking forward to getting back to the States!  Colorado, will have to wait another week as I will be reuniting with Bucky in NYC to go climb the Gunks, and with some friends in D.C.  I am looking forward to good Mexican food (and crappy Taco Bell), Old Chicago's, speaking English, Mountain Dew, a full suspension bike with 6" of travel, American football, Moab, my cousin's wedding (anyone want to come as my date/dancing partner?), friends, family, and working (and not necessarily in that order)!  Can you believe I am looking forward to working?  Granted my work day involves skiing for 8 hours, but still!

9/10/14 - Catyoucha Man!

Bucky and my final day of climbing in Chamonix!  Somewhat sad, but man we got a lot done this summer!  With a variable weather forecast I voted to climb on the Brevant side because the routes are shorter and fully equipped with pro.  We picked a route that we had looked at in the guide book all summer, but hadn't gotten to yet.  It was relatively short, 6 pitches, but it looked sustained.  Three pitches are rated at 6a in the book, one at 6a+, one 5b, and one 5c.  As we were getting our packs set I wanted to bring the two double ropes so we could bail easily just in case it rained.  Bucky only wanted to bring the single rope.  Bucky won this debate and we got on the gondola with one single 60m rope.  As we rode up the gondola Bucky read the approach description and we realized that the route started at the top.  It was designed to be rappelled to the bottom and then climbed back up, but we had no idea if we could do the rappel with

a 60m rope!  We debated whether or not just to loop the gondola ride and go back to the flat to get the two doubles, but we thought we could find a way to hike down around the cliffs.  If anything we thought we could leave some carabiners and rappel off of one bolt down the route we were going to ascend and then we could gather all our equipment on the way back up!  There is a grassy ledge/escape route in the middle of the climb so instead of hiking to the top we decided to hike to the middle and rap down from there; thereby minimizing any gear that we might have to leave behind.  The grassy ledge escape route was no easy task, we quickly discovered.  There were some fixed ropes, thankfully, but getting across the ledge necessitated some pretty technical moves.  We arrived at the belay station for the route we were

planning on climbing and started the rappel.  Luckily there were rappel stations set up perfectly for a 60m rope and we didn't have to leave any gear behind!  As we rappelled I noticed that the route was not nearly as steep as I was expecting, but it looked very slabby.  I decided to take the lead on the first pitch (6a) so that Bucky would have to take the lead on the second (6a+).  After leading 6b and following on 6c my confidence was shaken in the Dolomites leading what I am guessing was a 5c/6a route so I have been taking it easy.  I nearly fell at one point doing a tricky traverse move, but managed to pull it out.  Bucky led the 6a+ just fine.  The next pitch was 5c and I expected to cruise up it no problem, but I was mistaken.  About two bolts in to the pitch I was flummoxed!  I had no idea how to get through the undercling/slabby/wide crack mess that I was presented with and actually grabbed onto my draw

to get through!  On a 5c!  That embarrassment behind me the rest of the pitch went swimmingly.  I decided to combo pitches 3 and 4 since it was less than 60m and pitch 4 presented no problems.  Bucky led pitch 5, which was graded as 6a in the guide book, but both of us agreed that it was easier than that.  It was a steeper pitch, and there weren't great hand holds, but there were foot holds everywhere!  Really solid ones!  I took the lead on the last 6a pitch to the summit and found it much easier than I was expecting again.  There were a few tricky moves, but they didn't take too long to figure out.  When Bucky met me at the summit I just said, "maybe it is 6a, but the pitch perfectly coincided with all of my strengths as a climber, so that's why it felt so easy!"  When we got to the summit the weather seemed to be holding steady, despite the forecast of rain, but it was about 2:00 which is really not enough time to go for another route, so we called it quits early and headed back to Cham.

9/8-9/14 - Frendo Spur

We said goodbye to Luke and Laura yesterday and with a favorable weather forecast we decided to try to cross off one of our biggest goals of the summer, the Frendo Spur (IV, D+, AI4, 5c).  The route can be completed in one or two days depending on the parties and the conditions of the snow on the route.  Considering it was going to be our first time, and we lost two hours on the day because of the changes to the tram schedule, we decided to carry bivy gear with us and do the route over two days.  We started day one with a nice hike from the Plan de l'Aiguille tram station up to the glacier.  Bucky and I slightly disagreed about how to best approach the climb.  I thought we should go straight up the gut of the extinct glacier trough to where the snow began and then straight up from there to the rock.  Bucky,

however thought the best route was to go around up high on the trail and traverse across the glacier to the beginning of the rock.  We went with Bucky's preferred route in this case, and in this case we both agreed it probably would have been a little faster to make a more direct approach.  The route we took necessitated crossing a heavily crevassed section of the glacier with sketchy snow bridges.  At one point, while Bucky was crossing one snow bridge we heard and felt the glacier whump and crack below our feet.  Bucky looks at me, startled, and says, "was that the bridge I am on?"  I said, "I think so, you should probably hurry!"  Luckily we made it though without having to use any of our crevasse rescue gear, but it was a little time consuming.  The bergschrund at the base of the rock was filled in very nicely, which was a big change from the way it has looked from the tram all summer.  Once we got to the rock we continued moving together up a 4th class diagonal ramp up the cliff face.  We continued to zig-zag through class 4 and easy 5 terrain while moving together until we came to a corner where the route description said the "real" climbing started.  We exchanged our boots for rock shoes, extended the ropes to full length, and started pitching it out.  We soon came to see that none of those precautions was really necessary, but better safe than sorry.  After climbing two pitches we decided

that the terrain was easy enough that we could go back to simul-climbing, which is not quite as safe, but it is much faster.  After about six hours from the tram station we came to the crux pitch of the rock section (5c, 5.10a).  Both Bucky and I breezed through it, even with our heavy packs, and agreed that it did not seem like 5c.  We continued to pitch sections out after the crux as the climbing became much steeper and exposed until we arrived at the bivy site after about 9 hours of climbing.  Even though the day had started out with glorious weather, when we got to the bivy site the wind was whipping and the clouds had descended so that we couldn't really see anything.  Since we had about two hours of daylight left I was thinking that maybe we should just push through to the Aiguille du Midi and sleep up at the tram station instead of bivying out in the rain/snow.  Bucky said he would rather sleep out on the sweet little bivy platform than in the tram station so we started setting up camp.  I had just bought the cheapest bivy sack I could find the day before, and I wasn't too convinced about it's waterproofness, so I was sincerely hoping the rain/snow would hold off.  Unfortunately we were not so lucky.  Just a little before sunset we could look down into the valley and watch a massive thunderstorm going on.  I have to say, it was one of the coolest things I have ever seen.  Hanging out

on a mountain, above the clouds, watching a thunderstorm below you is sweet.  As the sun went down the clouds came up, and although the lightening and thunder stayed down in the valley (thankfully), the rain did not.  It wasn't a torrential downpour or anything, but it was enough to make sleeping very difficult.  Not to mention that the thunder was so loud at times the entire mountain would literally shake.  I don't know if it was because of the thunder, the warm temperature, or a combination of the two, but we could hear avalanches tumbling down the mountain all around us.  At one point the ledge we were sleeping on was shaking so much from the thunder I was a little scared that our ledge was going to start sliding!  After a night full of tossing and turning and intermittent rain, I was very grateful to see the sun rise.  When I got out of my sleeping bag and pulled it out of the bivy sack I noticed it was very wet.  Luckily none of that water soaked through to the inside of the bag and I stayed warm, but I am not sure how much the bivy sack helped!  After a quick breakfast we began the snow and ice portion of the spur.  The beginning is a really exposed, really beautiful S-curving knife ridge.  Enough people have climbed the route through the summer that the ridge is very stepped out, making it easy enough for Bucky and I to move together.  After moving up

the ridge for about an hour we came to the base of a gendarme and where the real climbing (80° ice) starts.  The route was very stepped out, even on the ice, making the climbing fast and fun.  We were also ascending next to the rock so we were able to use a combination of ice screws and rock pro.  As we were topping out the final (near) vertical pitch on the ice the clouds decided to make another appearance, but luckily we didn't get rained on.  The last pitch was an easy traverse across the snow to where the cornice at the top was virtually nonexistent and we were there!  We shortened our ropes back up and hiked the ridge up to the Aiguille du Midi.  We arrived at the tram station in about four hours, making our total climbing time about 13 hours.  In hindsight I was very grateful that we didn't push for the summit.  The climb up the ice took a lot longer than I was expecting.  We would have been climbing for about two hours in the dark!  We arrived back at the Plan de l'Aiguille station about 27 hours after we had left it the day before feeling very satisfied.  The Frendo Spur was the last of our three major goals coming in to the summer (the other two being the Mont Blanc summit and the circumnavigation of Mont Blanc via MTB) and we got it in just under the wire!  I would have to say the Frendo spur was one of my favorite routes of the summer.  The rock was all very fast and easy climbing and the ice was elegant and beautiful.  When I come back at some point in the future I can't really think of a lot of routes I would want to repeat, but the Frendo Spur is certainly one.

9/5-6/14 - Venice, IT

Like I mentioned in yesterday's post, Venice is freaking sweet!  We added Bucky's little brother Luke on to our party yesterday and started the day with walking across the Accademia bridge (one of only four bridges that have ever crossed the Grand Canal) and catching a water bus at the entrance of the Grand Canal.  The architecture and ambiance of this city is really indescribable.  There are boats everywhere, canals everywhere, and every narrow alleyway is potentially a major thoroughfare!  We got off the water bus at the Rialto market and explored the produce stands for awhile, but I didn't find it all that intriguing.  After a bite to eat we got back on the water bus and went down to the Piazza San Marco.  Bucky, Luke and I got in line to tour the Basilica San Marco and when we turned around Laura was nowhere to be found!  We looked around for her, but to no avail, we entered the church one member short.

 There are no photos allowed in the Basilica San Marco, but you would be surprised at how many people break that rule.  At the entrance, right next to a sign that says no photography, there were about seven people clicking away!  Out of respect for the sanctity of the cathedral, we managed to refrain.  The Basilica is one of the oldest churches in Europe and is very beautiful.  From the Basilica we managed to meet back up with Laura and went to the top of the Campanile di San Marco, a bell tower and the tallest structure in Venice.  From the top of the Campanile we enjoyed unparalleled 360° views of the city.

Looking down on the Basilica San Marco

Doge's Palace

After our tour of Piazza San Marco we headed back to the flat to recharge our batteries.  Then we wandered around the city for awhile trying to find a good place to watch the sunset.  Unfortunately we left the flat a little to late and wandered around a little too long and ended up missing half the sunset, but it was still a nice place to hang out and drink some wine while dark fell.  On the way back to the flat we found a gondola driver and decided that we couldn't in good conscience leave Venice without taking a gondola ride, even though it costs 100 euros for 35 minutes.  To round off our trip we decided to go to Lido island and swim around in the Adriatic Sea.  Lido island is apparently the ritziest part of Venice, but it has a nice public beach and there is a public strip of sand 9 meters from the edge of the water across all the private beaches as well.  Sitting in the sand, swimming, and reading for a day was

a nice change of pace from everything we have done the rest of this summer, but it didn't last long.  At around 2:00 we had to grab some lunch and drive back to Chamonix so Luke and Laura could make their flights home the next day.

9/4/14 - Dolomites - Tre Cime de Lavaredo

Bucky's nights have been getting better and better.  Today he decided to try going for a hike again.  Hopefully for longer than fifteen minutes!  We drove up to the Tre Cime de Lavaredo area which is supposed to contain the quintessential Dolomite landscapes.  Unfortunately everyone knows this so you have to pay 24 euros just to drive up to the parking area!  The original plan was to climb a 14 pitch route called the Yellow Edge.  When we got to the base of the climb, even though we knew we weren't going to attempt it, Bucky just had to hike up to the base and get a closer look.  We split ways with Laura and headed up to the base.  It looks like it would be a really sweet climb, that's all we can really say, and hope that maybe, some day, we can come back and try again.  With Laura off taking pictures, Bucky

and I just went exploring.  I saw some people hiking up to a cave high on the hillside and thought we should go check it out.  The cave exited on a ledge and we realized we were on a "via ferrata" trail.  The via ferratas are like extreme hiking trails that some people wear harnesses on and clip in to iron cables through the exposed sections.  Without our harnesses, though, Bucky and I just went for it.  We didn't have any issues, but we did get to see some serious views.  And leave the beaten path a little bit.  The trail ended up crossing through a tunnel to the far side of the ridge and descended into the wrong valley.  We found a saddle that looked like it might get us back to the right side.  It certainly did, eventually, but there was a short sketchy downclimb and some serious scree surfing down a couloir before we met up with a trail again.  We continued out to a Rifugio, hoping to run into Laura, but she was not there.  Bucky

bought some food; which was a pretty big deal, since he hadn't really eaten in three days, and we headed back toward the car.  We decided to hike through some boulder fields around the South side of the Tre Cime formation rather than going back the way we came.  The Tre Cime area is certainly gorgeous, and, despite my limited experience, the quintessential Dolomite landscape!  We had to make it back to the car early to meet Bucky's little brother at the Venice airport and spend the next few days exploring the unique city.  Upon arriving in Venice we tried three different parking areas before we finally found one that wasn't a blatant rip off.  We walked to the flat we had rented for the next two nights and all of us got really excited to explore the city more the next few days.  Sometimes you see a city so much in the movies and they just pick out the really cool or pretty places so it looks like a cool city, but it isn't really (ie. Las Vegas; total crap hole of a city, but looks cool in the movies).  Venice is not that way.  Venice is freaking sweet!

The Tre Cime Formation, with cloud between the Grand and Oest towers

9/3/14 - Dolomites - Tofana di Rozes

Bucky went through another long night, but said he felt a little better this morning.  He didn't feel strong enough to climb, but he did feel strong enough to go to a hike, or so he said.  The original plan for the day was to do an 18 pitch climb up to the summit of Tofana di Rozes.  I thought this might be a little too much for Laura and I to tackle by ourselves so we all went for a hike.  Two minutes in to the hike Bucky told Laura and I to go on ahead and he would follow at his own pace since he was still feeling pretty weak.  We found out later that he turned around after about fifteen minutes and went back to sleep in the back seat of the car!  Laura and I had a very nice hike however.  The clouds were very low in the morning, but as the day progressed the clouds receded and we got to see some pretty fantastic views.

 After we got back to the Rifugio Dibona we headed down to the town of Cortina d'Ampezzo to grab some dinner and maybe find a place to stay the night.  Cortina reminded me a lot of Vail or Aspen, it was obviously a playground for the wealthy.  We managed to find a cool and reasonably priced place for dinner, but decided to head North to stay the night.  We drove up to the town of Misurina and found a nice place situated at the end of a beautiful lake.  Bucky was feeling stronger, but still not great.  That is now two straight days of sleeping in the back of a car for him!

The Tofana di Rozes.  One day we will have to come back and try again!
Hopefully without any illness!

9/2/14 - Dolomites - Cinque Torri

Bucky, Laura, and I drove for about 7 hours yesterday from Chamonix to the Dolomite area of North Eastern Italy.  Today the plan was to go climbing up in the Cinque Torri area.  Unfortunately, last night Bucky came down with a stomach bug.  Bucky was feeling terrible so we spent the morning looking for a doctor.  The doctor's (or doctor) in the area only work for about two hours a day in each little town we drove through.  After the third attempt we finally found a doctor present at the office.  Bucky got some medicine and we headed on our way.  Bucky was feeling too weak and tired to join us on our hike, so Laura and I left him sleeping in the car while we took the chairlift up to the Cinque Torri.  The rock formation is made up of five large towers and there are climbing routes all over the

Rappelling back down after a successful summit

place on all of them.  Laura and I had never climbed together before so I wanted to look for a short sport route that looked relatively easy.  After wandering around a little while I found what looked like a two pitch sport route of about 5.8 difficulty.  The first pitch went really well, except that the rock was freezing cold and my fingers were promptly numbed!  This made the route much more difficult to climb.  The second pitch was probably about 5.9 but both Laura and I had some issues.  We both made it to the top successfully, however, and after walking around a little longer we decided to go check on Bucky in the car.  Unfortunately, with our late start and wandering around, we missed the last lift down for the

day.  Luckily this hike down was no where near the distance of a hike down from the Plan de l'Aiguille so it was actually pleasant.  When we got back to the car Bucky was sleeping in the back seat and was not yet feeling any better.  We still trekked on with the original plan, however, and headed for the Rifugio Dibona and the Tofana di Rozes.