Sending Heavy in Chamonix with Olivier: Grandes Jorasses Traverse

Olivier and I have been scheming about a week of climbing together for about a year, and stoke levels were very high going into our trip. We kicked things off with the Arête Forbes on the Aiguille du Chardonnet, and managed to smoke the book time with a 6-hour round trip. After a rainy day of reading topos and drinking espresso, we decided that it would be a good idea to embark on an ambitious traverse from the Dent du Géant straight on through to the Grandes Jorasses.

Our plan was to do an open bivy the first night at the beginning of the Arête Rochefort, sleep at the unstaffed hut at the Col des Jorasses the second, sleep on the summit of the Walker our third night, and then bang out the long descent first thing in the morning on the fourth day. All of this we did, but not without major struggle. In part due to lots of lingering snow, Day 2 was longer and more stressful than we anticipated, and Day 3 was probably the most demanding day I've ever spent in the mountains. As the sun set and the route was far from over, we both acknowledged that perhaps this time we'd bitten off a bit too much. Even if we were slow, I will say that we succeeded in taking the time to make things as a safe as possible and also in keeping spirits high. We were all positive energy, swopping leads and sharing the difficulties 100%, and I couldn't have asked for a more solid climbing partner up there.

Day 1: sunset cruise up the Dent du Géant (4013m).

The massive fixed rope draped over perfect, protectable rock was a bit weird -- given that we started
climbing at 5pm I didn't hesitate at times to haul away in the name of making quick headway. 

The latest in a growing collection of religious undertone mountain shots on our blog... the Virgin Mary presides from the summit of the Dent du Géant over the ridge that would occupy us for the next two days: Arête de Rochefort in the foreground, followed by the Grandes Jorasses and Point Walker at the far end.  

Olivier psyched on the last rays of sunshine at our first bivy. 

Day 2: Starting a long day of standing on big cornices and hoping for the best... beautiful and terrifying all at once. 

Steep snow on the way to the summit of the Dome de Rochefort (4015m).  

 First guests of the season at the mythical Canzio Bivouac at the Col des Jorasses (3825m).

On the way to the summit of Point Young, the first of seven 4000m peaks on the Jorasses ridge.  Later on
we missed a right-hand turn off the ridge and ended up embarking on a 4-hour detour... fait chier!!

Lots of lingering snow explained why we were alone on route, and also slowed everything way down. 

Endless tricky arête wrangling...

Soup break at 10pm, after 14 hours of non-stop climbing. We kept at it until 2am, when finally we arrived at the end of the difficulties at the col between Points Whymper and Walker. I will never forget the surreal feeling of being gripped on a knife edge snow ridge at 1am and hearing the sound of base and partying wafting up from Courmayeur...

After three hours of rest, dawn at the bivy looking southeast into Italy.

Taking it to the summit of the Walker on the morning of Day 4.

Looking back on our tracks from the night before, with the Aiguille du Midi in the background. 

Seven hours down the regular route of the Grandes Jorasses and back to Courmayeur. 

Just another weekend for Olivier, bien sûr!!