UKH

Hi I am planning on going to Chamonix at the beginning of April until sometime mid month, it’s the first time I’ve been to the valley this early in the year. Hoping to get a bit of skiing in, a couple of mountain routes and maybe some valley climbing days.

ive checked the cameras online and looked at the log books on here to see if anyone has done ascents of routes this early on, and although they have, it varies from year to year. I will get specific conditions and recommendations on arrival from the mountain hut, however I thought I’d ask on here first. 

Routes I was thinking we’re along the lines of chevalier couloir, Dômes de Miage, tondu normal route, flèche rousse, Glacier Du milieu and Mallory porter on the Midi. 

Im guessing at this time of year I will need snow shoes or skis for approach? Or could I get away with crampons? I know this is dependant on conditions. But if anyone has personal experience/advice of approaching these routes at this time of year, that would be great.

Also I was wondering if the crags in the valley are dry, if not where out of the valley is dry? 

Thanks

Ant and Jess

Hello,

In general you definitely want skis for approaching most things right now, certainly for all of the routes you've listed there. The Milieu on the Argentiere is in great condition at the moment, I know a guy who summited with his two dogs a couple of days ago after a 2800m climb from the carpark. The Mallory was climbed very recently, I don't know what the conditions for climbing it are like right now but after a couple more storms people are most likely going to be skiing it. Alex Pittin and Tony Lamiche skied it a couple of weeks ago and encountered (and released...) a few sections of fairly serious windslab. Now, it's one thing to find a bit of slab yourself when climbing up, it's another thing altogether to have someone else drop a few tons of it on your head from above...

About two weeks ago a friend of mine skied the Fleche Rousse from where the snow slopes end and the real climbing begins, so if you time it for good spring snow then your approach should be pretty easy, but keep in mind that we've got well over 50cm of snow arriving over the next week, so the harder rock higher up might be a little bit buried. Then again the winds might strip it completely bare again, as a lot of rock at that altitude and aspect currently is.

I skied the Chevalier a week ago from just below the col, having never seen it before in such fat conditions in a decade here, but then the bise wind stripped it bare and the top 2/5s are rocky again. I really cannot recommend the Chevalier as a climbing route these days, as you will more than likely get people dropping in on skis from above. If you really want to climb an easy snow gully on the Grands Montets ridge, you'd be better off walking another fifty metres further on and climbing the Gigord Couloir instead, or at least until the rocky step near the top. This does, unfortunately, require a downclimb, rappel, or ski descent back down the couloir, instead of an easy stroll down the front face of the Petite Verte. But at least you won't be drowning in skier-released sluff, because everyone gets in and out of this couloir the same way.
EDIT - just to add, if you really, really want to climb the Chevalier, stick to climber's right of the couloir (so, skier's left...) until you are underneath the big tower of rock just below the col. This side gets a fair bit of morning sun so the snow is generally more transformed, making it a bit better for climbing and a bit worse for skiing, which should help to alleviate any traffic problems. When you are just below the big rock tower to looker's right of the col, you'll be close enough to communicate with any skiers who might be waiting to drop in, and you'll be able to discuss who is going to go where.

I can't comment on the Miages or Tondu, wrong end of the valley for me I'm afraid.

Valley crags... Servoz is dry, much of Gaillands is dry and I saw a team of three climbing there just three days ago, but a significant portion of the crag is currently buried by a 20m high cone of avalanche debris, and there is still something of a warning for potential avalanches to occur in that area. Stay well away on a hot, sunny day.

In Cham now. Loads of snow and more to come. Snow shoes or, better, skis are pretty much essential. Some gully type climbs are in decent nick (though the fresh snow over the next few days will need to settle down) - Rebuffat Terray (I did it on Sunday), Eugster Direct (friends did it on Sunday, crux was thin and hard), Pas d’Agonie (friends did it on Sunday, can’t remember which one of the three), Madness Tres Mince (I am told looked thin but good in photos). No doubt there will be others. 

The routes you mention aren’t really suitable objectives for this time of year - too much snow. When Pete says the Milieu was done recently, I assume he means on skis (up and down). 

Anyway, this is all academic as the weather outlook till the end of next week is so-so (more snow!). I’d opt for skiing or move your trip back by a couple of months or go sport climbing in Spain instead...

I was at that end of the glacier on Sunday, in the Aiguilles Rouges du Dolent. That whole wall that Tres Mince goes through looked as uninviting as ever, a stark mess of grey and black, but I have to stress, I am not a winter climber, so my opinion is pretty meaningless. There were definitely skin tracks going to the bases of various routes there.

Obviously, Milieu on skis, but the two dogs seemed to cope just fine on foot, with their keratin crampons... it has to be said though, I doubt any human would have the same energy levels on the way back down, and I think a bit of quadruped speed helps with slightly-softened spring snow.

Did that Aig Rouges de Dolent tour week before last. Nice little tour but sort of doesn’t go anywhere as there’s no Col!

Some great touring in the Vanoise last week by the way. 

Ah, we were actually up in the rocks between Pointe Kurz and the Aiguille de l'Amone, on the slopes to the right of the red line in this topo:
https://www.powderlove.com/system/event_entry_pictures/imgs/000/026/596/big...

...but you are right, the ARD glacier has some nice skiing, and it's a shame that it doesn't really top out anywhere. But at least you get to hang out under those mini-Patagonia style towers.

Re Dome des Miages/Mont Tondu,

I went up to Tre le tete refuge last weekend. I walked there and back (just!), but beyond there skis are a definite must. The Conscrits hut is also open. Upper conditions to the Domes de Miages looked pretty good from what i could see, with lots of ski touring tracks in evidence, but generally pretty quiet. There was also evidence of some full depth avalanches lower down. I couldn't see Mont Tondu however. 

This said, as Misha's post points out, the weather has changed here in Cham. It's raining lower down and dropping 30-40cms higher up over night. The next 5 days or so also look to deliver pretty turbulent foehn conditions, and that tends to mean high winds at altitude (so closed lifts), lots of drifted and wind impacted snow, and so also heightened avo risk. In short, these are not conditions to be too adventurous in.

Hope this helps.

John C

Thanks guys, I often put off posting on forums with questions like this as I don’t like the keyboard warrior responses that often come my way. As it turns out this has been really helpful, so thanks to everyone who has posted. 

We are coming up from Spain and picking a friend up in Chamonix, so the location is a must on our route home. That said it looks as though there is some options open, I’m happy to ski the whole time, with a couple of crag days to break it up! I will check in closer to the arrival time to get an update.

Thanks again!

It needs to clear for skiing to be enjoyable. Been pretty clagged in the last three days. Went on the GM this pm as was meant to clear but hardly any vis above about 2,500m. Top cable car effectively shut anyway due to wind presumably (it must have been open earlier as there was a cabin coming down with people in it at a glacial pace - I did several runs off the Herse lift and it still hadn’t reached the mid station. Pity the people inside...

Some half decent fresh snow though above about 2,200m. Getting heavy below that. 

So keep an eye on the forecast and good luck!