The Hard Way up Club: A test of strength and nerve

The Team

Gianni Carbone UIAGM
We met Gianni, one of our guides for the Haute Route, in Courmayeur on the BBCap ski trip in January 2008 and skied with him for 4 days. He’s a great character as well as guide, ski instructor and mountaineer of great experience. He has some nice expressions which you’ll have to ask about – not repeatable by public transmission. (“Snow, she is like a woman, ….” “Don’t **** on the mountain, ….”)
Gianni also enjoys lunch.

Philip Pascall
I’ve occasionally thought about doing the Haute Route but decided it would use up too much valuable downhill time. But once we started talking about it, the challenge became irresistible. It is with some trepidation, thinking of the long climbs carrying a heavy pack and the degree of fitness required that I take it on. The thought of the lack of creature comforts and sleeping at close quarters with a lot of other smelly people in the huts is not all that appealing either – but perhaps it won’t be worse than five days non-stop on a boat!

Ion Appuhamy
During previous climbing trips to the Alps over the last 17 years I have often felt, whilst breaking trail on foot through knee deep snow, that travelling on skis would be far more efficient and stylish! But I've always had doubts whether I would be a good enough skier to carry a heavy rucksack and at the same time cope with the ever changing snow conditions encountered when off piste skiing in the mountains. Well there's nothing like throwing yourself in the deep end, particularly in support of a good cause. We'll all have to dig deep to pull this off and every pound that is pledged will help to motivate us. Please give generously for NCH. I wonder if I'll be able to climb the odd mountain along the way .....

Gary Best
I am not looking forward to this. You know when you are on the chair lift and you look down to see someone walking uphill on skis and you think “why on earth”, well that’s always been my reaction too. Add to that 5 nights spent in isolated huts without any entertainment and you understand my apprehension. But I rarely do anything for charity and the match funding by Balfour Beatty together with the 28% gift aid tax break (£20 sponsorship becomes £51) is superb value for NCH. Plus I was persuaded by Chris Arthur that we needed some northern representation, Chris later withdrew after researching the route I mean injuring his back.

Cyril Gatinot
Although I’ve grown up in the “other” French mountains (the Pyrenees), I always had an appeal for the majestic treks of the Chamonix’ region, and on the top of all, the Haute Route is surely the most impressive one. When Philip came up with the idea a few months ago, I did not hesitate long! Completing the Haute Route while raising some money for NCH is definitely a challenge that worth sweating for! En route…

Rachel Martin
I was delighted to be asked by Philip to join the BBCap team who were planning to do the Haute Route for charity, I sort of know what I am letting myself in for as I have done the Tour du Mont Blanc on foot, which was 8 days of walking up and down hill, carrying a heavy pack! However, spending six days on skis, with even more unpredictable weather, is another story! I have heard that only 60% of people complete the Haute Route, as weather and a number of other factors can bring the trip to an early end, but we will do our very best…..

Sean McLachlan
Having experience backcountry skiing back in Canada I understand the challenge of climbing up through the mountains negotiating varied landscapes covered in snow and ice. With only 50% who start this journey finishing, the Haute Route is renowned around the world for its physical and mental challenge which to me epitomises the spirit of the NCH. The Hard Way Up Club is committed to achieving success, even if Cyril has to carry each one of us the entire way. We look forward to your support in raising enough cash to fill one of our loaded rucksacks for NCH.

Stewart Orrell
This sounds like great fun to me and too good an opportunity to miss. I love the fact that there are enough fit and crazy people in the company to make this kind of adventure possible. I’m told there’s more uphill skiing than downhill, so hopefully I will survive (those who have seen me pointing downwards on skis will know what I mean) and at the same time, raise some money for a very good cause.

Thursday, 17 April 2008

A test of strength and nerve

We're in Cabane de Dix at 3000 m rather remote and hard to get reception. We've had a really hard day starting from Mont Fort hut at 0645 arriving here 1730 after 3 long climbs totalling 1250 m with the highlight being an ascent of Rosa Blanche at 3325m (about 11,100 ft) around mid day - it was a hard climb taking about 3 hours of steep, non stop slog . The weather and visibility on top, and indeed all day, was superb with stunning views all around and of many peaks including Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. Then we had to get off the top and needed to be roped up to ski/abseil down an incredibly steep and narrow slope bounded by sheer rocky cliffs....definitely a tough test of nerve.

But that was only the first half of the day.....after a couple of hours of hard traversing, including across nearly a dozen remains of big avalanches, and some great powder skiing we had the pleasure of starting our second major climb of the day to get us up to the refuge for the night. We were told it would take us about 1.5 hrs and be about 300m. But it wasn't - it turned out to be about 2.5 hours hard slog for some and 3.5 hrs for others, and was 660m of ascent. Each of us, and perhaps especially Gary, would be challenged to describe the feeling after rounding each bend or topping constant false summits to see the path continuing up and up. But each description would include lots of unprintable words. It was seriously hard. Anyway, we're all here having a well earned dinner and looking forward to sleep.

Weather for tomorrow is not promising. Lots of mares' tails cloud formations this afternoon - so we may get stuck!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: Well done guys for completing such a hard stage! I'll keep my fingers crossed that the weather holds up enough for you to keep on going. Good luck and see you soon!
Grit; 17 April 2008 at 01:56

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The Challenge

The Route
The Haute Route is arguably the most famous ski mountaineering tour in the world, passing some of the highest and most dramatic peaks of the Alps from Mont Blanc in the west to the Matterhorn in the east. Established by members of the Alpine Club in the 1850's, the route was first traversed on skis in 1911. Skiers stay in high mountain huts, mostly above 3,000 metres. Each day starts early , sometimes before dawn, in order to cover the substantial distances in the best snow conditions and to mitigate avalanche risk. The route crosses numerous cols, takes in the odd peak and follows some of the major glaciers in the Alps. With up to 6 hours climbing per day carrying heavy packs at altitude, it is an arduous and serious undertaking. The equipment needed includes ice axe, crampons, skins (for walking uphill on skis), harness (in case of falling into a crevasse), and shovel, probe and transceiver (for avalanche rescue).

Our plan, day by day
Day 1 Sunday 13 April
Telepherique from Argentière to Grand Montet. Ski downhill and short walk uphill to Argentière Hut (2,771metres). 1½ to 2 hours (short day for acclimatisation).

Day 2 Monday 14th
Over the Col du Chardonnet 2 ½ hours; Fenetre de Saleina 1½ h; total day of 6 to 7 hours with 961 metres of ascent. A strenuous day involving steep climbing, several changes from skiing to skinning and, possibly, some abseiling. Night in Trient Hut (3,170 metres).

Day 3 Tuesday 15th
Col des Escandies, Val d'Arpette, Champex. A magnificent descent if the conditions are good. Transfer to Verbier by road and lift. Ascend to the Mont Fort Hut to stop overnight.

Day 4 Wednesday 16th
Over Col de Chaux and Rosablanche 3,336 m and up to the Dix Hut. 8 to 10 hours with 1,225 metres of ascent. This section traverses known avalanche territory.

Day 5 Thursday 17th
Over the Pigne d'Arolla 3,796 m to Vignettes Hut; 5 to 6 hours climbing, 868 metres of ascent. A magnificent ski mountaineering day and one of the best stages on the route.

Day 6 Friday 18th
From the Vignettes Hut, over Col Mont Brulè and Col Valpelline, then a long descent under the north face of the Matterhorn to Zermatt. A very long day of 8 to 10 hours regarded as the highlight of the tour, 24km long crossing four cols and seven glaciers. Arrive in Zermatt exhausted but hopefully elated. The party begins.......

Why we're doing it!

Last summer, Ion asked Philip what the BBCap off-piste skiers could do to match the recent accomplishment of a number of our colleagues who had recently completed the Three Peaks Race (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon) in well under 24 hours. Philip’s first thought was the Luttman Johnson race, a fun event run in Zermatt by the Ski Club of Great Britain each year. (The object of the race is to spend as long as possible in specified mountain restaurants spread around the resort’s extensive ski areas, skiing as fast as possible between them). Ion felt a more adventurous challenge was needed and, having a bias towards mountaineering, wondered if tackling the Haute Route would be a suitable target.

Hence was born the idea, which has now become a firm commitment. The guides, huts and flights are booked, we have bought or arranged to hire the specialist equipment, and some of us have tried getting everything into our rucksacks. Some of the party are very good skiers (Philip and Sean), one is an experienced Alpiniste (Ion) and two are extremely fit (Sean and Stewart are competing in the Ironman France endurance triathlon in Nice in June); the others are trying to get to the gym at least occasionally.

This is not a venture to be undertaken lightly! Please think of us when we are climbing steadily uphill for hour after hour, stuck in blizzards, abseiling down frozen couloirs, sleeping (or trying to – ear plugs are on the kit list) cheek by jowl in the mountain huts and seeing double with altitude sickness.

The Hard Way up Club