Page Type:
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Route |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
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45.85511°N / 6.90079°E |
Route Type:
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Ice Climbing |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
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Time Required:
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A long day |
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Difficulty:
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Ice to 4/4+ |
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Number of Pitches:
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4 |
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Overview
A nice day trip from the Midi or Torino rufuges. A pure, non-mixed ice climb with a couple long sustained pitches. Received a lot of traffic.Climb 250mH of 45-50 degree snow which funnels into a couloir walled with high rocks. A single pitch of technical ice follows, then more snow traversing always to the left until you reach a long steep vertical ice couloir that comprises the climb proper. 2-3 long, sustained ice pitches gets you to the top with the final pitch being the hardest.
Rappel back down the route using fixed anchors.
Getting There and Away
You can access in winter/spring by the Aiguille du Midi first bin. Down the arete, a short ski past the Rongon and bearing right, then a short (100mH?) ski tour up to the start of the climb.When finished, rap down the route and then ski down the Vallee Blanche all the way to Chamonix or halfway and using the Montenvers train.
Alternately, as a non-ski venture, you could stay the night at the Cosmiques or Abri Simond refuges and do the trip round-trip from there and take the Midi cablecar back down.
Do not underestimate how long it can take to wade through deep snow without skis, even if you have snowshoes.