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Base Camp
Up
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- Statistics:
- Date Hiked: September 7, 2011
- Miles Hiked: 8.0
- Elevation Gain: 3,500'
- Hiking Partner(s): Brian Kooeinga,
Scott Momburg, and Kevin
Smith
- Description:
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Continued from the Cosmiques Arete.
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Video Trip Report
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After staying in Italy Monday night, we drove back to Chamonix on
Tuesday, September 6, 2011, rode the lift back to the mountains, and
hiked to the Cosmiques Hut again. We had taken a couple days off from
climbing and heard the weather was clearing, so we wanted to be in
position to take advantage of better conditions. The four of us got up
early Wednesday morning and left the hut at 2:00 am to attempt Mont
Blanc. Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe,
and the European Union at 15,782’. Our goal was to climb the Three
Monts Traverse route.
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The weather was less than ideal and seemed to deteriorate as the morning
passed and we climbed the mountain. We dropped from the hut to the Col
du Midi and then began up the north face of Mont Blanc du Tacul. We
made fair progress on the headwall negotiating steep snow and two major
crevasses before topping out on the Epaule du Mont Blanc du Tacul at
approximately 13,450’. From here we descended about 200’ to the Col
Maudit where the wind really picked up. The two parties ahead of us,
which included a guide and his client, turned around and made their way
back to the hut. We quickly followed suit as weather conditions were
simply not acceptable to continue.
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After reaching the top of the headwall, I suggested we at least continue
to the summit of Mont Blanc du Tacul as a consolation. This mountain is
one of the main summits of the Mont Blanc massif at 13,937’. We had
climbed the Chere Couloir on the peak, but did not summit so it seemed
like a reasonable idea. The initial slopes on the western shoulder of
the mountain were fairly easy. However, as we neared the summit the
wind became increasingly strong and maintaining your balance was
remarkably hard. We fought our way up a narrowing ridge in the strong
winds and gained the summit by scrambling up some exposed rock. It was
still dark because of our early departure from the Cosmiques Hut, so the
only thing to enjoy was the satisfaction of climbing a peak in miserable
conditions. The blowing snow continued to sting our eyes as we quickly
made our way back down the mountain and to the top of the steep snow
that would lead us to the glacier below.
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As we made our way back to the Cosmiques Hut, several parties were
heading out for the day after sleeping in throughout the morning. Our
impression was that many of them were hiking to Mont Blanc du Tacul or
simply stretching their legs because conditions were not improving.
After taking a break at the hut, we thought we would have a casual hike
back up the snow arete to the Aiguille du Midi and then down to
Chamonix. Unfortunately, the weather remained relentless and the four
of us ended up fighting our way up the narrow trail in limited
visibility with extremely strong winds. Although we made it safely back
to the climber’s tunnel and cable car station, it was definitely a
challenging climb with considerable exposure and costly consequences if
a fall occurred.
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The winds were strong enough that the Telepherique was not running and
we had to wait several hours to get back to Chamonix. We checked back
into the Hotel Richmond for one more night to contemplate the rest of
our trip. We made a strong effort to climb Mont Blanc, but ultimately
didn’t get within striking distance. It was alright to have at least
made the summit of Mont Blanc du Tacul, but we were all still
disappointed after having to turn around in our pursuit of Mont Blanc.
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Continued to
Mont Blanc.
- Maps:
- Photographs:
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