The Big Pretty: Voie des Lézards - 5.9, 1150'

This route is not in the 100 Plus Belles, is not a particularly well-known or prized objective, and actually wasn't our initial pick for the day. The 3-hour walk to the refuge de la Selle in mountain boots and ensuing ankle pain prompted a last minute decision on my part to change plans from the Râteau to an objective that was closer to the hut, the voie des Lézards on the south ridge of the Pointe Thorant. Armed with a single photo of a framed topo on the wall of the dining room, we embarked on what turned out be a good-sized adventure: 1 hour of approach + 5 hours of climbing + 2 hours of descent + 3 hours back to the car and I had myself the gentle ankle rehab program I was hoping for!

This outing helped to confirm my growing appreciation for the obscure, for nooks and crannies and for routes that nobody has heard of or cares if you've done. I think these spaces can often provide the best opportunities for adventure, i.e. getting after it on your own far from the crowds. I'd say over the past few years I've been on a slippery slope of first being completely focused on the "liste de courses" for the aspirant guide program, to recently replacing those blinders with the routes cited in the Gaston Rébuffat collection, to now being increasingly unconcerned with tick lists and embracing general stoke for big days out in the mountains. Maybe this reflects the conciliatory prose of a far from cutting edge climber, or lack of staying power and perseverance for following through on long-term goals, or perhaps a more balanced motivation closer to the heart of alpinism. Either way, a lot has happened since 1974 and I suspect that the 100 Plus Belles collection could benefit from some updating and renewal from outside the margins...

p.s. the hut caretaker informed us on the descent that the route was scheduled to be bolted a week after our ascent (today), so we got there just in time!!