UKH

Hi, 

Going on first climbing trip around Chamonix/ Aosta/zermatt area for 3-4 weeks and we were hoping anyone could give us some ideas for some multi pitch routes/areas? 

Ideally looking at grades up to ~5 or severe if trad and accesible from ground level with a short to medium walk in . Dont mind getting cable cars up ocassionally but on the most part, stuff close to road would be best.

Thanks

What about Les Cheserys in the Aiguilles Rouges. If you believe Piola it is a 30min walk in (allow 45mins). Lovely climbing (all bolted), mainly on slabs, up to about 6 pitches. Views over the Mer de Glace and the Dru.

If you are in Aosta, you could do worse than visiting  Lillaz. It's about a 10-15 min walk from the parking in Lillaz village, and has slabby bolted routes of 1-3 pitches.

Steve

I did a trip to Chamonix / Switzerland last year with the objective to do some long multi-pitch sport routes in the mountains. The Swiss are particularly big on this sort of thing and there is a good guidebook series called Schweiz Plaisir that covers moderately graded (up to mid 6s) routes – would recommend the Chamonix-region version. If you haven’t done many mountainous multi-pitch routes (we hadn’t) the guide is good because it has a lot of detail: precisely how well bolted the route is, exactly what gear you need (precisely how many quickdraws, single / twin rope, which cams and nuts, etc if any). Maybe takes away some of the adventure, but makes it more of a pleasurable day out if that is your objective. Quite an expensive book btw, ~£30, but we thought it was worth it.

In Chamonix we did Cacao Girls which is down the road in a neighbouring village, Barberine. 6a but felt reasonable for the grade plus by the road. We also did Frison Roche in Chamonix (6a), which felt more serious for the grade but was good fun and apparently a classic. Various other bits and bobs from the guidebook. One thing to have in mind, the guidebooks give you a sport grade e.g. 6a and then an aided grade e.g. 5a 2pa, which means if you cheat by pulling on a quickdraw/sling in a couple of places (“2 points of aid”) the route becomes 5a, if you want to cheat that is. Depending on your objectives, we found it more fun to focus on moving efficiently in the mountains rather than obsessing over freeing every pitch, so pulled the occasional QD and didn’t worry about it in order to speed things up.

If I went back miroir d’argentine looks fun, albeit a more committed day out on a more sparsely bolted face. If your budget allows it and you find yourself in Switzerland there is a lot of good climbing in the alpine passes of Grimsel / Furka. The grading in the interior of Switzerland seemed ~1-2 letter grades harder on average than the French-border grading (perhaps just us). And the routes we did had a more ‘sporty’ approach to bolting, i.e. lots of bolts after the runout crux. We also did some fun routes in the Oberland (Hintisberg) and Simmental (Mittagsfluh).

LMK if further tips would be helpful! Have just had a baby so living vicariously through others for the foreseeable…

Some suggestions in this thread: https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/expedition+alpine/chamonix_mountain_trad_...

Another "roadside" day out is the Traverse of the Perrons. It's a big exposed ridge scramble rather than a climb, but an excellent mountain day that doesn't require cable car access.

Thanks for all the advice and sorry for taking so long to reply, been driving a lot the last few days and haven't had a chance to reply. Finally arrived in Geneva though! 

Have already read quite a few good recommendations for Aiguilles Rouges, so will defo be going there.

That guidebook sounds great, £30 aint bad nowadays. Cant even get a decent one for the lakes for less than that haha. 

We've got about 4 weeks so got lots of options for exploring other places. Although the gf demands some touristy things as 'we're not climbing everyday'🙄🤣 

Ah, that guidebook got split into two expensive guidebooks recently. If you get hold of the vertical life app though you could get it through the subscription.

Coming to the end of two weeks in switzerland and we've hardly saw anyone at the crags we visited. You'll not be alone on the Aiguilles Rouge.

For Aosta Valley you want a blue Italian guidebook called Mani Nude 2 (f knows why it's called that, perhaps they are into 3 by now). It's in Italian but with maps etc so I've always managed.

Try corma du macaby. It's about 20mins south of aosta just off the motorway on the east side (left as you drive south). Its got several quite long multi pitch bolted routes (quite toughly graded i remember) with a cafe at the top. 

At the bottom is some single pitch stuff and if you go to the sector about 500m in an up valley direction from the parking is probabaly one of the best single pitch of bolted climbing I've ever done and it's only 5c and swallows a few cams too.

Aosta Valley is often dry when chamonix is wet.

From same guidebook I found a sector a bit further down the main valley then on the other side (after the castle and pinch point in the valley which is just south from macaby crag) about 1000m drive up the other side of the valley (cooler up there) and we wild camped at the crag  and saw a wild boar and the climbing was decent too, again it was bolted. I think it probabaly all is in that book but good to take a light rack especially small cams and nuts.

Second la cheserys, it's a lovely crag. And the aiguillette d'argentiere.

Mani Nude means 'bare hands'. 

It's been superceded by Valle d'Aosta Sport Climbing. Hugely improved and very good English 

I think you're right about the grading and there is often a thrilling distance between the bolts. I usually carry a small trad rack as well. I use twin ropes. You need 60m as some of the stances are set for this. Wear a helmet, there is always loose rock somewhere. 

Other info,  I wouldn't exceed the speed limit anywhere. They have mobile cameras in every village and they move them around. Carry your car documents everywhere. There are lots of police stops in the summer. 

For those confident at 6b and above Pilastro Lomasti is one of Italys best multi pitch areas. It's a longish walk or you can stay at the 

Santuario di Machaby, quite beautiful. 

Have fun. 

And here was me thinking about naked blokes on multipitches. .

Vallorcine slabs near the Swiss border is about half an hour from Chamonix - free train access. Ten minutes walk in, lots of multi pitch and also single pitch with lower offs at your grade. Shady in the morning. Can get busy at the base so go early in the day. 

   Chesery is great as others have mentioned, walk up in the cool of the early morning. Aiguilles Rouges can get busy. If possible get a cable car up early afternoon, climb into the evening and bivvy /camp ( spots 1 minute from Index chairlift so luxury and awesome views ) then get up with the sun and get onto routes before the chairlift starts. That way you get more climbs in for your chairlift money and quiet routes!

'You'll not be alone on the Aiguilles Rouge.' That's not strictly true, we did a route on the Aiguille de Praz Torrent recently and didn't see a soul all day. In fact it was a bit scary!

Ah, that doesn't have a lift up it though. Parat-Seigneur (TD- 6a)?

Just back from 2 weeks in switzerland. Three crags where there were other climbers. One team were on an adjacent route. Another crag they were a pitch or so ahead then walked round the good bit. The final crag the team in front bailed due to some marital dispute over the climb being too hard.

We were at Vallorcine a few days ago, absolutrly heaving. Started a route and within about 30 seconds of reaching the 1st belay there was a guide asking to squeeze in to set up another top rope to add to the 10 that were already there 🤣 

That sounds like a good shout about bovvy7ng at index! Pretty much accepted that everywhere in Chamonix is busy now haha