Jon Mellor
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- Created: Tuesday, 07 January 2025 14:27
We have recently learned of the death on 14 December of Jon Mellor. He was a member for more that 50 years.
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New Study Helps Quantify the Risk of Developing Acute Mountain Sickness
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- Created: Tuesday, 07 January 2025 13:12
New Study Helps Quantify the Risk of Developing Acute Mountain Sickness
A new study by Johannes Burtscher and colleagues at the University of Lausanne has gone some way to helping us estimate the chances of developing acute mountain sickness (AMS) when we ascend quickly to high altitude. Jeremy Windsor explains.
The human body has an incredible capacity to adapt to its surroundings. Nowhere is this more obvious than following an ascent to high altitude. But if you try to rush the process you’re likely to be left exhausted or in some cases, faced with a bout of acute mountain sickness (AMS). But it's not always the case. There are plenty of people who drive out to Chamonix, spend their first night at the Torino Hut (3375m) and climb the Dent du Géant (4013m) the next day. But at the same time there’s quite a few others who spend the night awake and descend exhausted and disappointed the next day. So is there any way to estimate the risk of developing AMS? A new study has attempted to do just that.
Last year, a group of high altitude experts scoured the medical literature and identified 12 studies that quantified the risk of developing AMS at a given height. In seven studies the volunteers ascended slowly over 2 or 3 days, whilst those in the remaining five studies ascended in just a couple of hours.
In those who ascended over 2 to 3 days, the chances of developing AMS increased steadily with height. Whilst noone developed AMS at just over 2000m, 52% of those who ascended to 4559m developed the condition. Meanwhile, those who flew directly to altitudes of between 3350m and 3740m saw their chances of developing AMS range from 39 to 84%. Put simply, the study found that there is a 4.5 times greater risk of AMS if you fly to your high altitude destination compared to if you take a little time and walk to it.
The 12 studies are divided into 2 groups - those who ascended in hours (orange) or 2 to 3 days (blue). There are often several data points for each study.
The numbers beside the data points are references to the studies identified by Burtscher and his colleagues
For me, this is all much clearer if you take a look at the graph. There are two lines of “best fit” that make it possible to estimate the chances of developing AMS at any given altitude. Using the trip to the Torino Hut (3375m) as an example. If you drive a minibus with ten passengers to Chamonix and jump straight on the Pointe Helbronner cable car, there’s a good chance that almost half of you will develop AMS by the next morning. If instead, you spend a couple of long days cragging on the Brevent, it’s likely that only 1 or 2 will encounter symptoms at the Torino Hut.
The difference is even starker the higher you go. Rapid ascents to 4,000m or more seem to all but guarantee a bout of AMS. However, even short periods of time spent acclimatising at lower altitudes can reduce the risk dramatically.
All of this seems to confirm what mountaineers have known for a long time, that ascending more slowly reduces the risk of Acute Mountain Sickness. However, having clear probabilities for different altitudes and rates of ascent is of great help with decision-making, particularly for groups who have not previously been to higher altitudes and do not know how they personally cope. It also confirms that even a day or two of acclimatising at lower altitudes is not wasted time, but a way of making a real difference to your risk of developing AMS.
Johannes Burtscher's paper can be downloaded here.
Jeremy Windsor is the director of the Centre for Mountain Medicine at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)
Report: 3 January 2025
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La Chamoniarde mountain conditions report for 3 January 2025.
Happy New Year 2025 to everyone! We wish you lots of adventure and happiness at altitude!
Skiing
In the last 24 hours, around 30cm has fallen at La Flégère, 20cm at Planpraz, 20cm at Vallorcine, 20cm at Les Houches and 40cm at Loriaz. There was some wind during the storm, and weak layers (frost) resulting from the anticyclone at the end of 2024 may have been buried: so be careful as there may be a danger of avalanches over the next few days!
All the valley's ski areas and lifts are open!
Before the storm hit, conditions for ski touring were pretty good, especially on the slopes that don't get much sun at this time of year, where the snow remained powdery and pleasant to ski. As is often the case, there were still sections of ice and hard snow (ski and boot crampons and ice-axes are rarely too much when you go out hiking in this area). Snow cover in the woods and lower down is OK for the time of year, but not exceptional either: you can ski from the car parks (Plaine Joux, la Flatière, Le Tour, Le Buet, Finhaut, Col de la Forclaz...) but you have to take it easy on the way down. This is also the case at higher altitudes, where stones are sometimes not far away!
The signposted ski touring uphill track in Les Houches now starts from Maisonneuve. You can take the line 7 from Le Prarion to Maisonneuve.
The Vallée Blanche and its variants offer great conditions, with pleasant snow for most of the route. As with the other glacier itineraries, this is still early in the season and is reserved for experienced mountaineers (remember to call in a professional if you're not!) who knows how to tackle this type of terrain. Some of the technical sections, particularly under the Requin and in the moraines, require caution, vigilance and a good level of skiing.
The Montenvers cable car and train are open for business. The descent via Les Mottets is a possibility for experienced skiers looking for a bit of adventure (quite a few ascents/descents etc). The refreshment bar is open and ready to welcome skiers for a well-deserved break. The descent to Chamonix is possible despite a few rocks and trees in the way.
Climbing
The conditions of the gullies vary according to the itinerary and sector. There is sometimes a lack of filling, making certain technical passages difficult to protect and/or exposed.
There's a lot of activity, for example, in Micro-Goulotte on the Col des Montets, in Marie-Noëlle on Pointe Farrar, in Mini-Blast/Rebell Yell (For the two photos above, beware the rimaye has collapsed), in Beyond Good and Evil and Rebuffat-Terray on the Aiguille des Pèlerins, in Fil à Plomb on the Rognon du Plan, in Super Couloir, in Laratoune and Valéria on Petit Capucin, etc.
In winter, the Cosmiques arête, the Marbrées traverse, Petit Flambeau and the pointes Lachenal traverse are all possible when the weather permits.
The ice climbing season is gradually getting underway! Sectors at the bottom of the valley are still often thin and difficult to protect, such as the Crémerie (practically nothing has been formed, making climbing impossible for the time being) and Berard (only a few lines are beginning to be climbable, but only top-roping: there's no need to rush there! Remember, online booking is compulsory:https://
Conditions are good on the Loriaz sector, on the left bank (the ‘dents de la mer’ wall) and the right bank (the ‘Grand Bleu’ wall) of the Argentière glacier.
Snowshoeing
For snowshoeing and walking, the routes at the bottom of the valley and at altitude are practicable and pleasant. Please remember that dogs are only allowed on the Montenvers train and the Tramway du Mont-Blanc.
Translated with kind permission from an original report by La Chamoniarde.
Readers are reminded that conditions in mountain environments are prone to (sometimes rapid) change and that they should use their own best judgement when visiting them.
Report: 27 December 2024
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La Chamoniarde mountain conditions report for 27 December 2024.
Here's our last weekly update for this year, which is coming to a close in style!
Snowshoeing
We are off! The recent snowfall means that we're enjoying some great winter walks, even at the bottom of the valley. The various trails are open and signposted.
There are signposted high-altitude itineraries off the lifts in Les Houches (La Charme and Prarion loops), La Flégère (La Raverettaz and Tête Aubuy loops) and Vallorcine (the Posettes loop).
Apart from these signposted itineraries, you can also consider going to the alpages at Chailloux, Charousse and Loriaz (the refuge is open and guarded - booking required).
The Vallée Blanche (Petit Envers and to the right of the Rognon) was skied after the heavy snow and wind at the start of the week. The arête is not equipped, and the snow cover is that of the start of the season, particularly at the salle a manger (it's only December!), a good sense of the route and how to read the terrain is needed. At the start of the season, the Vallée Blanche is a more alpine activity than later in the winter.
Lots of people in the Pelissier gully today which has cleared much of the snow.
A boulder came loose on the last pitch and apparently hit one of the two bolts on the belay below. Repeaters, we're happy to receive photos!
The Cosmiques and Marbrées (S-N) ridges have been done. Mixed and wintry conditions!
Ski touring in the Aiguilles Rouges. The classics, Crochues Bérard, Pointe Alphonse Favre, Brêche de Bérard, Col de Salenton, Belvédère and Beugeant have all been done. Watch out for sections of snow that have stayed cold and have been packed by the northerly wind, as well as recent purges on the sunny slopes.
You can ski back down the Bérard valley. Once again, it is December, watch out for roots, stones and other hikers arriving in the other direction!
Le Buet looks as though it has been blasted by the recent wind.
Argentière, there were plenty of people on the Col des Rachasses, the Col des Grands Montets, the Passon (a trip report can be found here), the Col d'Argentière and the Col du Tour Noir. No info on the Col du Chardonnet and the Glacier du Milieu for the moment. The Argentière glacier descent is on the left bank.
It may be useful to have ski/boot crampons for all the sections which have been wind affected.
Ice climbing: some people on the left bank but no precise information. It looks like it's still a bit thin on the right bank, but the Grand Bleu wall seems possible.
In the Crèmerie sector, it sounds a bit hollow in places.
Loriaz (the refuge is open and guarded) , you'll need to be vigilant and a good skier. The forest track is narrow and tracked. A few trees are in the way and watch out for hikers coming up the track.
Higher up, at the Col de la Terrasse, there are a few cornices to watch out for.
The refuge is open and guarded!
The Bérard ice climbing crag is not yet open. Ice in the making!
Translated with kind permission from an original report by La Chamoniarde.
Readers are reminded that conditions in mountain environments are prone to (sometimes rapid) change and that they should use their own best judgement when visiting them.
Rod Smith
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- Created: Monday, 30 December 2024 11:37
It is with great sadness that we report the death of Rod Smith following a fell walking accident in the Lake District.
Rod served as Alpine Journal Obituaries Editor until last year and the Club is deeply indebted to him for his long and diligent service.
Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this difficult time.
Report: 20 December 2024
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La Chamoniarde mountain conditions report for 20 December 2024.
Welcome to winter!
It's official: it's coming on Saturday night, with its procession of snowflakes. Get out your skis and scrapers, and let's get started!
Last night, around 20cm fell at Lognan, 30cm at La Flégère and 30cm at Montenvers. On the other hand, the strong winds at altitude have also been doing their bit, increasing the risk of avalanches (the département is under yellow alert, so be careful!).
The first layers of snow are not very deep, so if you venture off-piste, it's best to stay light on your skis.
Some routes are already in good condition, such as towards Bel Oiseau or in the area around the Refuge des Prés, which opens tomorrow. Be careful, though: you'll need a good level of skiing for some of the final sections, such as the Bérard valley, the return via Point de Vue or the bottom of the Posettes.
In Les Houches, the marked itinerary for ski touring has been modified by decree: it is now compulsory to start from Maisonneuve. Departures from the Prarion are only permitted between 5pm and 9pm.
On the Argentière glacier, the Col du Tour Noir and Col d'Argentière have better snow cover than the Col du Chardonnet, but beware of crevasses that are only just covered.
The good news is that all the ski lifts will be open from tomorrow, including the Aiguille du Midi. The snow up there is in good condition, but the crevasses are still wide open, so be careful.
For fans of ice climbing, some waterfalls and gullies have already formed, such as on the Aiguille des Pélerins, under the Chardonnet and on the left bank of the Argentière glacier. The Bérard waterfall is still forming: it's too thin to climb, so we kindly ask you not to play!
As far as hiking is concerned, it's the winter truce: avoid the heights and keep your hiking boots inside. The Charme loop at Les Houches is already open, and the Index and Raverettaz loops at La Flégère will be open tomorrow. The valley floor circuits should be ready after Sunday's precipitation.
Enjoy your skiing!
Translated with kind permission from an original report by La Chamoniarde.
Readers are reminded that conditions in mountain environments are prone to (sometimes rapid) change and that they should use their own best judgement when visiting them.
2025 Rick Allen Skills Award: APPLICATIONS OPEN
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- Created: Tuesday, 03 December 2024 12:45
2025 Rick Allen Skills Award: APPLICATIONS OPEN
The Rick Allen Skills Award (RASA) is now accepting applications for the 2025 programme.
Established in 2024 with funding from a generous bequest left to the Club by former vice-president Rick Allen, the RASA is designed to help competent young alpinists to progress to longer and more challenging multi-day routes in the Alps and Greater Ranges.
Over seven days, course attendees will climb with guides in a 2:1 climber to guide ratio and complete at least one bivouac. The emphasis of the instruction will be on helping climbers to develop the independent decision-making skills that will allow them to progress to more adventurous and committing routes.
The instruction is subsidised, with the AC covering 75% of the cost. The course also includes a training weekend in the Lake District which applicants should ensure they are able to attend.
Applications are open to established teams of two climbers, of comparable ability and fitness, both of whom are full members of the Alpine Club. Applicants should be in the process of developing competence on alpine routes of AD+, and multi-pitch rock routes of VS/HVS, and have a resumé which reflects this.
Applications will close on 21 March 2025.
You can learn more about the course, including how to submit your application, via the Rick Allen Skills Award Page.
Report: 29 November 2024
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La Chamoniarde mountain conditions report for 29 November 2024.
Well it started OK!
But as the weather warmed up, the snow disappeared at valley level and is also retreating on southerly slopes. It rained on Thursday 29/11 up to around 2,000/2,300m and the snow cover is waterlogged below that altitude.
Higher up, there was a little snow: around 10cm at around 2,500m and around 15cm of wind blown snow in the high mountains.
The snow cover is now generally poor and very patchy, with a total of 35/40cm at 2,000m, and around 70cm at around 2,500m.
You can hike up to around 1500m, provided you are well shod and equipped with poles (the paths are still very slippery in the shade and sometimes icy). Small hiking crampons may be useful at the bottom of your rucksack, depending on the slopes.
A few ideas: petits balcons nord and sud - Bérard - Chapeau - Dard - Cerro - Floria - Les Granges chalets - Charousse chalets - Lac Vert and Ayères chalets ...
If you go higher, put on your snowshoes or crampons as you hike to the Chailloux or Loriaz chalets.
In the Le Tour sector, theres a lot of skis on/skis off. In a word, "marginal" below 1,800m.
So you can see that the marked ski touring and snowshoeing routes are not yet up and running!
The ski lifts are still closed for the time being. Only the Montenvers train will open tomorrow, Saturday 30 November.
As far as alpine activities are concerned, Beyond Good and Evil has been visited over the last few days without any further information. No other recent feedback!
Translated with kind permission from an original report by La Chamoniarde.
Readers are reminded that conditions in mountain environments are prone to (sometimes rapid) change and that they should use their own best judgement when visiting them.
2024 Boardman-Tasker Winner: 'Headstrap' | Review
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- Created: Wednesday, 27 November 2024 11:39
2024 Boardman-Tasker Winner: 'Headstrap' | Review
At the 2024 Kendal Mountain Festival, the jury of the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature announced Headstrap by Nandini Purandare and Deepa Balsavar as this year's winner. The book explores the lives and legends of the Sherpa community of Darjeeling who have long been associated with mountaineering in the Himalaya.
The book was reviewed for the 2024 Alpine Journal by artist and author Heather Dawe who found it to be a deeply empathetic work which goes far beyond the contributions of this community to famous expeditions, to examine their lives and culture in rich detail. You can read Heather's review below.
Headstrap
Legends and Lore from the Climbing Sherpas of Darjeeling
Nandini Purandare and Deepa Balsavar
Mountaineers Books, 2024, 423pp, £23.61
The land mass of the Himalaya is such that its Indigenous peoples are spread across an extensive area of the Asian continent. While the religions and wider cultures of these peoples vary, common threads run through their stories – reverence for the mountains above them, strength born from the hardships of living at altitude in a landscape of extreme geographies and weather patterns, a deep connection with their families, friends and the landscapes around them, to name a few.
Headstrap is a book focussed on the Darjeeling Sherpas, the community of people who, centuries ago, first migrated from Tibet to Nepal and then to the foothills of the Himalaya in northern India, becoming renowned for their skills as expedition porters from the turn of the 20th century. The content of the book is based upon oral histories collected by its authors: Nandini Purandare, economist, Honorary President of the Himalayan Club and editor of The Himalayan Journal and Deepa Balsavar, a writer and illustrator of children’s books and adjunct associate professor at the Industrial Design Centre, IIT Bombay.
These histories were collected during the extensive time the authors spent with the Sherpas in their homes in Toong Soong, the Sherpa village in Darjeeling. Hundreds of hours of interviews were recorded in Nepali, Hindi and English, each of which was then translated and transcribed prior to being distilled into the narratives of Headstrap.
In their introduction Purandare and Balsavar note how they came to recognise that, more than oral histories, they were collecting memories, making the important point that sometimes these memories, whilst believed to be fact by the person(s) retelling them, were not always wholly accurate.
‘It took time to understand that it was memories, personal and intimate, rather than the written accounts, that should be the focus of our work – after all, memories let us into people’s hearts and minds.’
While the authors made every effort for these histories to be based completely in fact (detailed further research into any available archives for example), their observation also reflects the significant gap in the literature Headstrap fits into. Despite the Sherpas’ major role in many of the world’s greatest mountaineering achievements (of which many books have been written), their complete history has previously been reliant on being passed down the generations by word of mouth. Such tales are likely to become changed and perhaps embellished as they begin to pass into legend.
The blurb of the book’s back cover describes Headstrap as a ‘culturally rich and evocative narrative’. This richness in observation and writing was a key takeaway for me; the book tells stories of the Sherpas’ strength, courage and achievements in the mountains but, even more than this, it shines a light on their lives. Their families, support networks, pride in educational achievement and more, all with a backdrop of the mountains above; entities that drive them spiritually as well as offering them physical challenge and the means to make a living.
The stories in Headstrap recount the backgrounds of those Sherpas most famous for their mountaineering achievements. Tenzing Norgay of course, but also Nawang Gombu, Nawang Topgay and many more, including Ani Daku Sherpa, one of the earliest woman porters. While the mountaineering achievements of these Sherpas are both impressive and important to write of, the empathy with which Purandare and Balsavar recount their wider lives – the tenacity the Sherpas showed to achieve, their relationships with friends and family, having to cope with tragedy and the ways they lived - bring the reader to the Sherpas’ lives in new ways.
The Sherpa climbers of the 1953 Mount Everest Expedition - The Royal Geographical Society
The history of mountaineering in the region and its far-reaching influence are explored and discussed as a backdrop to the Sherpa tales – the introduction of the Tiger Badges as a means for Sherpas to prove exceptional high altitude and expedition experience and so justify higher rates of pay, the beginnings of The Himalayan Club and its continuing influence, the 1954 establishment in Darjeeling of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI). The list goes on. As such, the reader is shown important developments in Himalayan mountaineering through the eyes of the people who, behind the scenes, facilitated and played a huge part in many of the first ascents of the 8000ers and other major peaks.
As the children and grandchildren of the first generation Darjeeling Sherpas grew, an increasing number of them moved away to pursue their education as a route to safer, more stable careers. This led to a second wave of Sherpas coming to Darjeeling from Nepal. This more recent history is embodied by Phurba, Purandare and Balsavar’s trekking guide during some of their visits. Phurba and his peers continue to advance their guiding skills in the most progressive ways available to them, learning the basics from the HMI and then more modern techniques from their contacts in Nepal.
The stories of the Sherpas progress through to recent decades and the present day, and it becomes apparent that the client base of supported expeditions is changing, along with the roles of the Sherpas. There are now many more Indian and Chinese mountaineering parties, reflecting the significant economic growth of these two countries and perhaps the waning influence of Western countries on the leadership and outcomes of Himalayan mountaineering. Today Sherpas play a far more active role in the planning, guiding and climbing aspects of commercial expeditions. They are also, of course, making their own expeditions and developing new routes. Headstrap shows us these changes through the modern-day stories of a new generations of Sherpas, including Lhakpa Tsering and Dawa Norbu Sherpa.
Mountains and mountaineering have for a long time inspired literature, and we should not be surprised that the increased autonomy of the Sherpas and their contemporaries in other parts of the Himalaya is also bringing forth new work. Headstrap is one of a number of recently published such books.
It can be argued that Western mountaineering literature has reflected the narrow, rationalist view of mountains as being there to be scaled, conquered in some way. Headstrap is something quite different. While of course it discusses the Darjeeling Sherpas’ mountaineering achievements, it goes broader, telling us of their lives and culture, making for a rich and absorbing read. As Katie Ives writes in the book’s foreword:
‘This collection – along with other books by or about expedition workers – represents far more than a crucial way of filling gaps in the historical record. It is also a call to action for more writers, editors, publishers, and readers to join a larger reckoning and reenvisioning of what mountain literature has been, should have been, and might yet become.’
As mountain literature continues to diversify, books such as Headstrap are more than playing their part, they are showing us the way.
Heather Dawe
This review originally appeared in the 2024 Alpine Journal. The Journal contains reviews of many mountaineering and mountain-related books from the past 12 months, including a number of other Boardman-Tasker nominees. Copies of the 2024 Alpine Journal are available to purchase via Cordee.
Report: 22 November 2024
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La Chamoniarde mountain conditions report for 22 November 2024.
It's here! In the space of a week, the landscape has been completely transformed and we are now almost fully into winter.
The storms of the last few days have deposited more than 60cm of very wind blown snow around 2,000m (gusts of 125km/h recorded overnight in the Flégère sector and near the village of Le Tour).
There was around 90cm of snow around 2,300m (difficult to measure) with large accumulations and areas of scoured snow. The wind has wreaked havoc in all directions and the snowpack looks set to be very patchy...
Don't forget to take a look at the webcams!
The ground is just whitened at the bottom of the valley. So you'll have to walk (or pedal) to get on your skis, as all the lifts in the valley are still closed for the moment. But just enough to have a ski at Le Tour (before the forecasted thaw). On that subject, watch out for the coming sudden rise in temperatures.
So we are gradually getting going but with no base depending on the altitude (bring your pebble skis ;)
Hiking is coming to an end (you need to stay below 1,500m and be well equipped). We can see you coming with your snowshoes: it might be worth taking them with you if you want to go up to Chailloux or Loriaz.
There is still not enough snow on the marked ski touring/snowshoeing routes.
Translated with kind permission from an original report by La Chamoniarde.
Readers are reminded that conditions in mountain environments are prone to (sometimes rapid) change and that they should use their own best judgement when visiting them.
Up Close with Father-Son Climbing Team Michael and Tom de Csilléry
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Up Close with Father-Son Climbing Team Michael and Tom de Csilléry
Father and son climbing team Michael and Tom de Csilléry have climbed together all over the Alps. This summer, the pair both completed the 82 4,000m peaks, with Tom likely the youngest completionist in history. We sat down with them to hear about their highlights from this journey and to find out how their partnership works.
Tom 'enjoying' soft and unconsolidated snow looking back to the summit of the Grand Pilier d’Angle
First of all, huge congratulations to you both. Can I kick off by asking how you both felt completing your respective 82 peaks?
Michael: Kind of relieved! My last two summits were on the Peuterey Intégrale and we’d actually had an abortive attempt the year before and in 2022 as well. And so to actually get it done was quite special. Obviously I finished when I got to the top of the Grand Pilier d'Angle, but when you get to the top of that it doesn't really feel like the end of the route because you’ve still got 600 meters more and it's serious.
Tom: There'd been lots of snow because there'd been a storm when we were in the Craveri bivouac. So when we got towards the Grand Pilier d'Angle, we were bashing through knee or waist-deep snow at points and we were on heavily corniced ridges. So it felt quite serious and it really didn't feel like it was over when we were on top of number 82 for my dad. But getting to the top of Mont Blanc at sunset was quite special. There was nobody else there. The sun was this big red ball in the distance, the light was amazing and we knew we were safe.
Michael: If I'm honest, I wasn't thinking that Tom would finish this summer. After climbing the Peuterey, he had 14 peaks left and we had 17 days before my wife came to join us and we turned into pumpkins. But when we finished it was great being on top with Tom and sharing that moment with him.
A lot of people are introduced to climbing by a parent, but not that many carry on with them as a partner. How does your partnership work and how do you share decision-making?
Michael: It's sort of a family thing. My dad introduced me to the mountains and then I introduced Tom and his sister to the mountains. We started out doing via ferrata and
easier things before I got Tom and his sister some formal instruction through introductory courses at the ISM. And then we sort of morphed from doing those earlier routes with guides to climbing as just the two of us and getting into more and more adventurous stuff.
Tom: I've never done any alpine climbing with anyone else. Partly because I haven't met anyone in my age group who's got a similar amount of experience to me. I've been on lots of rock climbing trips with my uni friends and done a little bit of Scottish winter, but in the Alps we've always climbed together. There was one route we did where we invited a couple of my uni friends who are both E1/E2 rock climbers and have a little bit of alpine experience. But even though they're very fit and strong, they weren't used to moving at the kind of pace that that you have to go at in alpine terrain.
Michael: I'm just happy that he still wants to climb with his dad! I think we're a pretty good team. We tend to share the decision-making and it's nice agreeing stuff together and deciding what routes we're going to do. To begin with, I obviously had a lot more experience and I was generally taking the lead on route finding, but it didn't take long for Tom to get very strong and more experienced. He’s a much stronger rock climber, so he's my rope gun on all the technical rock stuff and I tend to lead the mixed pitches because I've got more experience on that sort of stuff. So we sort of complement each other. [To Tom] Although I tend to be the one that has to kick you out of bed in the morning.
Tom and Ella plus dad Michael on the Weissmies summit in 2012 - Tom's first 4000er
Michael powering up Pointe Hélène on the Grandes Jorasses traverse with Pointe Marguerite behind
You’ve climbed a lot of the 82 multiple times and you’ve often done them by less popular, longer routes and link-ups. Can you talk a little about the motivation behind that?
Tom: We've never really been interested in “summit bagging”. Even the 82 is only something we started thinking about in the last couple of years. We were always more motivated by doing certain routes than climbing mountains. Martin Moran's guidebook is a bible for the 4,000ers and it's got lots of great routes up to TD-.
Of the ones that stick out, I'd definitely say the Zmutt Ridge on the Matterhorn, especially with the newly constructed Lonza bivouac hut. It's amazing having that ridge to yourself.
Michael: It's just a lot of fun being on a wild ridge or wild face and feeling like civilisation is a long way away. I don't like climbing if somebody's right behind me, and I also don't like climbing behind other parties in case they kick rocks down. In fact, this year I had one of my scariest moments when a party ahead of us on the Täschhorn kicked a big rock down which smashed into my head and knocked me off the mountain as we were short roping a steep couloir. Luckily, thanks to Tom holding me and my Petzl helmet, it all turned out okay.
You’ve both had fairly prolific seasons, Tom in particular climbing 26 of the 4,000ers this past summer. What advice would you offer people who want to climb more during a trip to the Alps?
Tom: I think good acclimatisation is key. I hadn’t been doing much training because I’d just done my finals and had a week of partying at the end of the year. So I was quite hungover and exhausted when we drove out to the Alps and there’s nothing like going straight up to 4,000m to sort your system out! And I guess knowing the Alps quite well geographically and working out where the best weather is. MeteoSwiss is your friend!
Michael: I’d say also not coming out with too many fixed objectives. You often hear people who say: “All right, I want to climb the Matterhorn this year,” and they book a Matterhorn week. And then they get disappointed because the conditions aren't right. So just going with an open mind.
Tom surveying the way ahead on the Lauteraarhorn grat traverse from the Schreckhorn
On top of the Grand Pilier d'Angle with Mont Blanc’s Peuterey rdige behind - summit 82 for Michael
So what’s next for you both? Do you have plans in the Alps or maybe farther afield?
Tom: We're both planning on training hard on our rock climbing and then having a look at things like the Frêney Pillar on Mont Blanc and the Bonatti-Oggioni on the red pillar of Brouillard. There's a lifetime's worth of climbing on the south face of Mont Blanc which I want to explore.
Michael: There's a lot of big routes in the Alps, a whole multitude. But the Walker Spur for one.
Tom: Hopefully Morocco at some point this year. I studied Arabic at university, so I spent a year living in Cairo and climbed in the Sinai. So desert rock is very appealing.
Michael: I’ve been walking with my wife in Georgia and the mountains there are absolutely amazing, so we’d love to climb there. Particularly a mountain called Ushba. But it’s quite wild out there!
Both Michael and Tom spoke about the inspiration they drew from Martin Moran’s The 4,000m Peaks of the Alps, Ben Tibbetts’ Alpenglow and Pause & Winkler’s Extreme Alpine Rock.
Report: 31 October 2024
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La Chamoniarde mountain conditions report for 31 October 2024.
The anticyclone has waited until winter to come back! Even though the days are getting shorter and shorter, it's nice to be able to enjoy this late Indian summer.
This is an opportunity to give you some brief information on the eve of the long weekend.
All high and “moyenne” mountain huts are now closed, with the exception of the Torino hut (closing this Sunday, November 4).
As far as lifts are concerned, now is the time to take advantage of the Montenvers train (free all weekend) and the Aiguille du Midi, which will close this Sunday. The Flégère gondola will remain open until November 11.
Hiking offers incredible colours and contrasts at the moment. There's no snow below 3,000m, so everything's going well. Bear in mind that all the refuges and most of the ski lifts are closed. For those planning to bivouac, the nights are cool (frost is forecast right down to the valley floor), so pack a good sleeping bag! In general, remember to pack warm clothes (it's hot in the sun, but it cools off quickly!)
High mountain activity has picked up! The bad weather of late summer/early autumn has given the mountains a chance to recover. The glaciers are relatively well filled in, but beware of the potentially still fragile snow bridges (ditto for the rimayes). We're still able to get around fairly well on foot. The faces, couloirs and gullies are on the whole well filled, even if it's sometimes unconsolidated snow/sugar and little ice.
Around the Aiguille du Midi, the N face of Le Tacul was retracked yesterday (steeper and more technical than usual, especially on the descent, keep right to avoid the ice). Not very attractive for skiing.
Midi-Plan looks tracked as far as the Rognon! Excellent conditions on the Cosmiques arête!
On the triangle du Tacul the Chéré, Perroux, Infidèle are all being climbed, on the Lachenal, Pellissier and M6 Solar are in good condition. One team found the right window for the Afanassief-Bodin (report in our logbook). Modica-Noury with summit exit also in good conditions (previous attempts had resulted in a difficult rimaye). Pinocchio also climbed, with lots of snow but little protection. No information on the more distant goulottes, but don't hesitate to check them out to avoid overcrowding. In this respect, the Simond shelter looks set to be packed for the weekend.
The south face of the Aiguille du Midi and the eperon des Cosmiques (mixed exit!) can be climbed again.
Good conditions on the traverse of the Dômes de Miage from the Aiguille de la Bérangère. Ditto on the Bionnassay traverse. The Conscrits footbridge will be dismantled (entirely) in the course of next week.
The Mont Blanc normal route via the Aiguille du Goûter is seeing traffic (particularly in alpine/paragliding combo). Snow starts at the Tête Rousse. Good snow conditions for the ascent of the Goûter and for the rest of the route (no information on the passage of the mauvais arête).
Moulin "de la caméra” on the Mer de Glace is still dangerous (cracked and threatening ice blade).
Teams on the Colton MacIntyre on the N face of the Grandes Jorasses: couic snow (squeaky snow!), little ice in the gullies, inconsistent snow in the mixed exit section. An attempt on Rêve Ephémère was abandoned after the first pitch (inconsistent snow and bad ice). Descent via the couloir on the left bank of the serac. Reminder: Mont Blanc tunnel closed!
No news from the Couvercle sector (Whymper couloir on the Aiguille Verte) or the Argentière basin, but we're keen to hear from you!
The Le Tour glacier basin is busy. Access to the Albert 1er refuge is snow free. The Aiguille du Tour normal route is busy, but we have no further information. Several teams on the Migot spur, said to be in good condition (some descent belays hidden under the snow). Watch out for crevasses on the approach and descent below Col Adam Reilly!
Don't hesitate to send us your trip reports!
Translated with kind permission from an original report by La Chamoniarde.
Readers are reminded that conditions in mountain environments are prone to (sometimes rapid) change and that they should use their own best judgement when visiting them.
2025 Alpine Club Calendar Goes on Sale
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- Created: Thursday, 31 October 2024 13:17
2025 Alpine Club Calendar Goes on Sale
The Alpine Club’s calendar for 2025 brings together a selection of stunning mountain paintings from our collections. The calendar includes works by the likes of ET Compton, Edward Whymper and John Ruskin depicting iconic peaks such as the Aiguille Verte and the Matterhorn.
Alongside key celebrations and holidays, the calendar also lists iconic dates in mountaineering history, allowing you to mark some of alpinism's most important achievements.
The calendar is on sale now via our web shop for the price of £16 (including UK postage and packing).
It can also be purchased in person at Charlotte Road lecture evenings or by sending a cheque for the correct amount, made payable to 'Alpine Club', to Office Manager, Alpine Club, 55 Charlotte Road, London, EC2A 3QF.
John Cleare
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- Created: Thursday, 10 October 2024 08:55
The Club is deeply saddened to announce the death on 6 October of John Cleare, a previous Vice-President. John was an Alpine Club member for over 60 years and his contributions to the club are legendary. A Memorial event at Charlotte Road is being planned and details will be announced in due course.
For more information please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Report: 27 September 2024
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- Created: Saturday, 28 September 2024 09:38
La Chamoniarde mountain conditions report for 27 September 2024.
Summary
We have autumn down here, high up it's already winter. The north faces are well plastered, unfortunately the freezing level has risen. A wind speed of 180 kilometres per hour was recorded on the Aiguille du Midi! The good news is that the snow and wind have filled up the rimayes, the bad news is that it has also camouflaged the crevasses. The story (of this wintery weather) is not finished so we will update you more asap.
Hiking
The ground is now unusually slippery for hiking even in anticyclonic periods. It's recommended to be well equipped for this.
Huts
It's the end of the season for the mountain huts, we wish them a good holiday! In the area the only refuges open from next week are the Torino, Plan de l'Aiguille, Loriaz, Tré la Tête and Les Prés.
Uplift
The Mont Blanc tramway and the panoramic close on Sunday. The Montenvers train, the Midi and the Skyway stay open until the end of October / start of November.
Bonne raclette!
Translated with kind permission from an original report by La Chamoniarde.
Readers are reminded that conditions in mountain environments are prone to (sometimes rapid) change and that they should use their own best judgement when visiting them.
Banff Mountain Book Competition Category Finalists Announced
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- Created: Tuesday, 24 September 2024 09:41
Banff Mountain Book Competition Category Finalists Announced
The Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival have released the list of category finalists for the 2024 Mountain Book Competition. Among the shortlisted titles are three books by Alpine Club members.
Graham Zimmerman's A Fine Line is shortlisted for the Jon Whyte Award for non-fiction mountain literature, while Heather Dawe's Dreams of Lost Buttresses and Ben Tibbetts' The 4000m Peaks of the Alps, Volume 1: West have been nominated in the Mountain Fiction & Poetry and Guidebook categories, respectively.
Reviews of A Fine Line and Dreams of Lost Buttresses feature in this year's Alpine Journal.
2024 AGM & Annual Dinner
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- Created: Sunday, 15 September 2024 15:15
2024 AGM & Annual Dinner
Date: Saturday 23 November 2024
By popular request of members, we are returning to The Castle Green Hotel, Kendal, LA9 6RG. The hotel is 2.75 miles from Oxenholme station.
This year's event coincides with the 2024 Kendal Mountain Festival, allowing those members with an interest to take in a talk or film screening during the weekend.
The order of events is:
15:00 AGM in the Kendal Suite.
16:30 - 17:30 Presentations:
Cathy Woodhead on the release of Denise Evans' autobiography 'Reaching Beyond'
Tom Davis-Merry 'Andean Adventures - Greater Ranges Meets in South America'
18:30 Cash bar open in the Function Suite (where the dinner is taking place. Cumbria's finest real ales will be available.
19:30 Dinner. Our principal guest is Tom Livingstone.
Livingstone and climbing partner Aleš Česen on the summit of Gasherbrum III following the first ascent of the west ridge
Tickets for the three course dinner are £45.00 per person, reduced to £30.00 for those under the age of 40 on the date of the dinner.
Tickets will be posted to members in the two weeks before the event.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Report: 13 September 2024
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- Created: Friday, 13 September 2024 17:49
La Chamoniarde mountain conditions report for 13 September 2024.
After autumn we get winter!
This morning, the ground was white down to 1,600m. Yesterday's snowfall of 20cm at the Aiguille du Midi and 40cm at the refuge du Goûter was caused by a strong northerly wind that has been blowing since yesterday (and is expected to continue until the beginning of next week). Beware of the risk of avalanches and precarious snow bridges.
Aiguille du Midi Web Cam, 13 September 2024Hold on for rock climbing in the Mont Blanc massif and the Aiguilles Rouges. With the current temperatures, climbing (in the sun) in the Arve valley, the Aravis or down south could be a good idea!
As far as mixed routes are concerned, it's still too early, even if these snowfalls will improve conditions on some of them (the Cosmiques arête, for example).
As far as snow routes are concerned, some are still possible if the weather conditions are favourable. As a reminder, the commitment at this time of year is greater (ski lifts and refuges closed, shorter days, cold, low numbers of visitors, etc.) and getting out into the high mountains requires a solid experience of the high mountains. Don't aim for weather windows that are too short or unpredictable.
Mont Blanc via the Goûter: The Goûter refuge closed early due to a technical problem (the winter room is now open). Fresh snow, a northerly wind forecast at 80/100km/h at 4,000m (the wind feels like ice up there): the climb looks serious.
The wintery blast is also slowing down hiking activity (which should improve as soon as the sun returns). For those of you who are keen on snowshoeing, I'm sorry, but you'll just have to wait a bit.
An overview of the status of refuges:
Massif du Mont Blanc
- l'Envers des Aiguilles closes on Monday 16/09
- The Argentière, Charpoua, Couvercle, Leschaux, Requin, Grands Mulets, Goûter, Durier and Plan Glacier huts are closed.
Aiguilles Rouges
- Pierre à Bérard closed (no winter room)
Remember to bring gas, water and food if you plan to go to an unguarded hut.
Index Web Cam, 13 September 2024As far as ski lifts are concerned, this is the last weekend for the Brévent ski area (closing on Sunday 15/09).
The Flégère ski area remains open (closing on 22/09), as do the Montenvers train, the Aiguille du Midi + Panoramique cable cars and the Mont Blanc tramway.
Translated with kind permission from an original report by La Chamoniarde.
Readers are reminded that conditions in mountain environments are prone to (sometimes rapid) change and that they should use their own best judgement when visiting them.
2024 Boardman Tasker Award Shortlist Announced
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- Created: Wednesday, 11 September 2024 09:35
2024 Boardman Tasker Award Shortlist Announced
The judges of the 2024 Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature have announced a shortlist of six books. Among the nominees is AC member Graham Zimmerman for his book A Fine Line.
The other shortlisted titles are Alpine Rising by Bernadette McDonald, Behind Everest by Kate Nicholson, Mountains of Fire by Clive Oppenheimer, Headstrap by Nandini Purandare and Deepa Balsavar and Royal Robbins: The American Climber by David Smart. Both McDonald and Smart are previous winners of the Boardman Tasker for their biographies of Voytek Kurtyka and Emilio Comici respectively.
The winner will be announced at a special event at this year's Kendal Mountain Festival.
Report: 6 September 2024
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- Created: Saturday, 07 September 2024 09:26
La Chamoniarde mountain conditions report for 6 September 2024.
Our first taste of autumn in the high mountains and the first snow report!
The brief but intense storm on Thursday 5 September deposited 25/30cm of snow on the Aiguille du Midi (it was white and beautiful this morning!). As a result, conditions have improved a little on the arête. The normal route on the Tacul doesnt look very inviting. A large slab has released on Maudit. Some snow on the ledges on the south face of the Aiguille du Midi (see photo below). The traverse of the Vallée Blanche was retracked this morning. Be careful, this snow hides the dryness of some routes and the fragile snow bridges on approaches.
The brief but intense storm on Thursday 5 September deposited 25/30cm of snow on the Aiguille du Midi (it was white and beautiful this morning!). As a result, conditions have improved a little on the arête. The normal route on the Tacul doesnt look very inviting. A large slab has released on Maudit. Some snow on the ledges on the south face of the Aiguille du Midi (see photo below). The traverse of the Vallée Blanche was retracked this morning. Be careful, this snow hides the dryness of some routes and the fragile snow bridges on approaches.
The rock is dry around Plan de l'Aiguille!
Goûter
"Winter is back up here, snow up to the Tête Rousse, and it's freezing. The grand couloir and all the way to the top is fine! Great conditions’.
Albert 1er
A little snow above 3,200m. The Arête de la Table is white but the snow will melt quickly. Good conditions on the route. On the other hand, the rimaye on the normal route is very technical and challenging (see photo below).
The Col Supérieur du Tour is dry and sandy.
Teams on the normal routes of Tête Blanche and Petite Fourche (a few crevasses opening up on the route).
Leschaux
You can climb on the rock routes behind the refuge but its all over for the Grandes Jorasses, which is plastered.
Some Early Autumn Logistical Information
Huts:
As a reminder, the Requin - Argentière - Charpoua refuges are now closed.
The Durier and Plan Glacier huts will close tomorrow evening, Saturday 7 September.
In the "moyenne montagne", the Pierre à Bérard hut has been closed for a week.
Ski lifts:
The Vallorcine cable car is closed. The Le Tour and Prarion lifts will close on Sunday evening, 8 September.
Tramway du Mont-Blanc: the autumn timetables have been put in place, but there are still special trains for mountaineers with reservations in the refuges (departures at 7.00am - 12.00pm - 3.00pm and returns at 8.12am - 1.12pm - 4.12pm).
Aiguille du Midi: autumn timetable with the first departure at 8.10am and the last descent at 4.30pm.
Translated with kind permission from an original report by La Chamoniarde.
Readers are reminded that conditions in mountain environments are prone to (sometimes rapid) change and that they should use their own best judgement when visiting them.
