Last stop - Buoux ***

As snow and rain caught up with us, we headed seawards again and found ourselves in Buoux for the last days enjoying sunlight and scenery. After Spain's low season and a rather solitary nature enjoyment, we got directly into the Provence high season. Disgusting visit to Fontaine de Vaucluse with thousands of merchants at Petrarka's temple, not as disappointing sight of Rousillon the ocre one and Notre Dame de Senanque abbaye.


Climbing in Buoux is superbe though - quality, not too many people, and lots of projects!!! Place to come back to.

El reino de los Mallos de Riglos ***

Looking for a friendly kingdom to visit for a couple of days? Here is a plan for you :

This is a kingdom of an old old king that decided to live in the mountains to escape his enemies and keep his faith. But most of all he enjoyed looking at the towers from his palace - the angry birds flew around them, but sun peacefully washed the hatred away each morning, and the river made things smooth and cozy. One day, the kind died, the queen went away, the ruins and the towers stayed.

Than a thousand years later, climbers showed up. They looked up the towers with the same eyes as did the king. But they had equipment, prowess and a daring mind. Thus the place went crazy, and now you not only see birds, sun and river play games with the stoned giants, but also white lines through overhangs that make for a surreal impression from afar, and prove to be chalk from close-by. Yes, this is a crazy overhanging multi-pitch jug-hauling climber's paradise. Slowly loosing the wild feel, Riglos village is getting more traffic and some boring construction sights - go there while the magic is still around and maybe you will meet the king in some abstruse and humid crack or chimney gaping out at you in wonder.

Aiguille d'Ansabere

Cirque of Lescun is one of the most beautiful and wild valleys I have seen (yes, despite like 20 hikers that passed gaping under our route and the five Galsworthy Englishmen inhabiting for two weeks the Ansabere cabins below - btw they were very nice and ofered us perfect coffee with rom - apparently called Jamaican coffee - boiled in an Irish storm kettle!). Here is the view from the parking lot at our objective - the climbing happens on the very vertical pillar to the right.



We actually tried for the proposed route (Spigolo on Petite Aiguille d'Ansabere) twice, the first attempt finished in rambles as Renaud decided to have stomach ache at 6 am.

The second attempt proved successful although we had to do the 7b pitch through aid and nearly missed a thunderstorm on top that made me enjoy much less the last 2 pitches. Exposure and view from the place are perfect - although climbing-wise we were a little bit disappointed (maybe getting out the aiders had smth to do with that...).



This is me following the 7b pitch, and here is Renaud in the middle of an easier traverse after that.

Finally, the thunderstorm got us just before we joined the five Englishmen for coffee - and here is what we got :

Gorges de la Jonte ***

Awesome place where we spend the next 2 days and even meet the nababs Petje and Paul working their projects in Tarn. After some beer sharing, we fall into the high grades mood and try a route up la Cathedrale the last day. Fearesome undertaking with a first 6c off-width-chimney-mummy-i'm-being-born pitch, second oh-my-god traverse with a humble 5c, and a third powerful 6c+ a1...The easiest up this surreal face. Rappelling down is also fun - partly due to a look you get on all those other climbs.

Here is another cool picture of Vase de Seve and me toproping the final pitch.

Seynes or Colonettes Paradise

First stop, after a very welcome night and breadfast at Thomas' place (best man for croissants and a smile in the morning) we head to Seynes, one of the rare places without rain for the start of our vacation.

After a fun initiation sector, Renaud goes for his project - very photogenic and polished neural tube. Looks like a bridal veil and is more about chimney climbing than real colonettes fun. Unfortunately other colonettes climbs around look too hard, we move to more crimpy right side to finish the day.

Vacation Times

Finally i got my long week of vacation for climbing and tourism.

Destination - south and west.

Means - car and enthusiasm.

Starting the trip on Wednesday, may 16th, back to work on tuesday, may 29th. Will follow parts and pieces of this europe circumventing.

Let the journey begin.

Koln Cathedral, symbol of our times

It took over 600 years to build (Segrada Familia in Barcelona still has to grow up!), 14 bombs destroyed it during the 2nd WW, leaving it nevertheless one of the only buildings standing in the city. And now, visiting Cologne, it is the ugliest building around, black and pollution-eaten.

Hopper and an Art minute

Another American influenced by Europe but back to create his own world. Solitude and civilization be its name.

The Light Side or Envers des Aiguilles

After a failed ski touring project to Grand Combin we changed plans from all to all and went climbing rock in the sun at Envers des Aiguilles. The new Piola topo was certainly worth a try - confirmation received, it is full of gems. They are long, sustained, and pure - 'Little Yosemite' or some of France's best granite - you can call it what you want, but Envers des Aiguilles climbing is superb.

Although early for the season, we found 2 other dare-devils at the Envers refuge, full of food, fuel, and even a wine and a grappa bottle. The dare-devils were nice enough to leave us their Nutella, for witch we are immensely grateful! Despite the snow on the approach and totally wet shoes, climbing prooved doable and pleasant. Some problems to start, but than the way to the top goes smoothly as long as the muscles keep it up.

Here is the Patagonian challenge - 20cm between rock and this snow cork at the start of Tout va mal - don't breathe and reduce the butt size to a minumum exercise - an interesting experience to say the least.

Routes are long, sustained and difficult. This 5c, a perfect diedre pitch on Subtilites Dulferiennes, without a bolt or anything else except some pinky flowers to match the rope in the flaring crack, is a wonderful challange for any dedicated sport climber.

If limestone is not always my favorite, crack climbing prooved as tiresome and challanging - but beautiful nevertheless. Certainly an area to go back to.

Routes done (or almost as each time we left a couple of pitches before the top, due to numerous excuses such as darkness approaching, snow storm or just the old beaten 'i'm tired' one...) - Piege, Tout va mal/Subtilites Dulferiennes mix, Guy Anne.

Fil a Plomb and goulotte fun

This planet is going to explode...seeing the summer temperatures we are having around Europe, ski touring is over for this year, and goulottes are getting there too - this april conditions are similar to last June or July.

Why not use them and do another classic - Fil a Plomb, a reputed goulotte finishing on Col du Plan in Cham? It actually prooves to be very worthwhile with interesting climbing and challenging ice. First 500m go through the snow, and than 7 pitches of ice follow. One thin crux, and everything else around 3+ - just get the tools in and go! My only problem being acclimatisation and totally screwed up breathing - oh well, my partner, Christian, is strong and willing, so following becomes more and more comfortable for me. The scenery is awesome and we are almost alone on this N face.

We are slow too, and are ready to start the Midi-Plan traverse at 8, with sun going down and disappearing tracks in the snow. After some rappels and a good scare about being off-route we manage to get to the arete and finish at Cosmiques this long long day.

Afterwards it's my first time in Aosta valley, than some rain in Orco where we do the sightseeing of the famous Disperanza Fissura, and than a route in Boursin valley to finish the stay with a train back from Briancon. Thanks chtur for this short-notice outing!

Presles or Paques Celebration

3 days - and what better spot to visit than Presles, this Vercors gem? I fell in love with the place since my first time there last year. Some people might think the routes repetitive, but i am almost certain this is my type of paradise on earth. So much rock, all hard, all demanding, and than the moment you turn your nose 180 degrees from the rock, happiness gets a hold of you with the ocean of grean and stone and cows below.

My loving Presles certainly didn't stop it from kicking my butt - starting with the first route, Pillier de Charanches. We noticed it in Petit's book and decided to give it a try with all our good cams and nuts. The descent down the Choranche ramp was pretty bad. First pitches were good though, with cracks and cracks and cracks. Second half was harder and more overhanging - less fun IMHO. Underestimating routes has always been my problem - sure we were at the last traverse pitch as it became pitch dark. Surprise surprise, to get back to the trail we still had around 150m of scrambling to do up crappy terrain with rocks, trees, bush and all...Back at the car at 11 calmed down our enthusiasm to try another route recommended by Petit, but a bit harder - Cons qui s'adorent.

We opted for a more classic Coucou nous revoilou the day afterwards. Very nice climbing with awesome pitches at the top and pretty hard 6cs in the middle. A short storm scare, and we were in time for Ezio's lasagne.

Last day we wanted to do shorter, easier climbing to be ready to leave quickly enough in the afternoon. Something i wanted to do since last year - Supercouloir, seemed to be a good idea. The approach with the new Tapis Vert rappels was pretty comfy - but unfortunately we went down too much and had to start with a strenuous 6b to get to the beginning of Supercouloir. This one proved a very nice route - last surprise being the difficulty to get back to the trail - a 7b chosen randomly finally let us out after hard efforts of aiding. First drops of rain caught us at the car. Good climbing - good w-end, but O my god, i'm out of shape...

Berner Oberland and its King

Finally a long ski touring expedition saw us through during these last days of March. Weather got settled and we went off - ready to pay the Jungfraubahn price to penetrate the mistery of this threesome giants' story - Monch endlessly trying to ceduce the Jungfrau and Eiger curiously looking in a different direction with a scorny face.

The first day saw our optimistic plan of going up the Jungfau go down very quickly. We went up the Laumihorn col instead and down to the Konkordia crossing and hutte, as full of snow-excited tourists as possible. Second day saw us up the Gross Fiescherhorn, a pleasant strall, with a final possibility of two summits from the col (see pic below) - Gross or Hinter Fiescherhorn.

I opted for the first one and got the solo ascent of the last 50m of the arrete. That much for my revange on my failed solo attempt on Monch last year. The descent presented us with a beautiful view of our next day's objective, the king of the land - Finsteraahorn.

Finsteraahorn hutte prooved even more comfortable and clean - you would think it were a hotel if not the absence of any water around. The next day was harder for me although I did get to the top - last but not least. The last 200m of the arrete were exceptional - easy but breathtaking thanks to the constant reminders from the North face. Perfect summit, a nice descent and a long long sleep at the hut followed.

The last day we finished with a descent on Munster and a train ride through the Kandersteg tunnel to get back to our car in Spiez. Good trip - and so much more to do!

P.S. - a goat that greated us in Munster, a ghost town à la American Wild West, swiss style.

Glarner Alps or Dolomites in Snow

Lesser-known part of the Swiss Alps (at least to myself), a lost valley and a closed pass - one of the longest-closed passes, rightly called Klausenpass, welcomed us this w-end. It stood up to its reputation - apart from a couple of snowborders on top of the Urnerboden lift (a curiosity in itself, operated by an ageless man speaking some strange language with probable elfish origins), we did not meet any other skiers.

The only human being through the two days was another - trollish this time - guardian of the Clariden hutte. Unfortunately this one was less welcoming and offered us only soup for dinner and scarce bread/jam mix for breakfast. He was not more happy than that to be disturbed in his self-imposed loneliness in this beautiful place.

After some scarry approach on the first day we were alone with over 50cm of fresh powder on these endless glacier plains of Hufifirn.

After the ascent of Clariden (finally, a summit - despite the wind that chased us down), we spent several hours tracking around and back to the Klausenpass and Urnerboden. It is lucky we still have untouched places like these in the heart of Europe.

Jonathan the Goeland

Feeling a bit weary and goellanddy...integral text of this awesome story is available here - http://http://www.lib.ru/RBACH/seagullengl.txt. Bach's best book - his other stories are too personal and full of his details, but this one goes along with Little Prince and the Rose.

Maybe one day our dreams will come true. Maybe not.

Joan Mitchell or when Abstract becomes beautiful

Just wanted to share this pic and a thought for Joan, one of the rare abstract artists i enjoy.

Cham in the Sun, Gervasutti and Piseux

Surprise surprise, wonderful weather for once, perfect forecast - no questions asked, we are off to tick off some long-standing plans for Cham.

More surprises await though. First one - Midi benne is closed because of wind and we depart at 9 instead of planned 7 30. Too bad, we'll go directly for our plan - Gervasutti couloir on Tour Ronde - see this beauty!

Certainly the plan is (as usual) too Napoleonian for me - first couloir, and an S5 to start off - but whatever, just being there is great - i forget the questions and breathe in the air of my temple. It is like last year at Jungfraujoch - sun, mountains, snow. Perfect planet, no problems - breathe in and pray. Snow is also perfect, 20cm of new untouched powder. Down and up we go. A couple of people here and there in the goulottes, a guy has already made steps up our couloir.

Going up the couloir with skis isn't as bad as i thought i manage it pretty well and still close my eyes and ears to the piercing cry of my body - how are you going to ski down that???

Next surprise, the wind that made the telepherique start later gets at us at the second part of the couloir - best of them all, fresh snow blown at you upwards. Very cold and unpleasant - not recommended to try alone at 3000 meters, after 4hr sleep in the car and a long drive from belgium before that. But no choice there. We don't even manage the last 100 meters separating the top of the couloir from the summit - down, the only thought.

No summit again. That is how Cham is used to treat its worshipers.

Here i finally open my eyes and ears to the painful truth - there is no way i'm putting on my skis in this thing - i'm crazy, but not that crazy...We did bring 2 60m ropes for a reason - a couple of painful rappels and i'm down, watching my partner make his curves. Mmm, i should probably learn to ski at some point - not today anyhow.

Going down Vallee Blanche, we are alone again in a windless world. My temple is back. We cannot resist, put our skins on for the most pleasant experience of the w-end - a happy stroll up Helbronner to get a look at the Torino refuge and get some more of the powder. Weather is finally perfect - we even manage to forget the wind. For once, no other place i'd rather be.

Next objective - refuge de Requin, happy place, probably my favorite here.

And off to bed at 8 pm to be up early next morning for another couloir - a more realistic Breche Piseux this time. We still are too heavy - 2 60m ropes, crampons, ice tools - i'm surprised at my sherpa capacities myself. Certainly, we are long as long could be.

Just enough, a quick rappel gets us down to Mont Mallet glacier - and here the wind catches up with us again. A painful descent down the wind-blown piles and a short serac traverse gets us finally exhausted to the Leschaux. Blissful push to the end of Mer de Glace, and a painful drive back brings us in short 6 hours home. My car made its first test drive :).

Fonti paradise

This w-end, after numerous deliberations, we left for Fontainebleau as the weather let us down (again) for any snowy activities due to the avalanche risk. It was not at all a bad idea as conditions were very good, +10 degrees, the famous collante was with us, and the crowds were away.

The first day was a relaxed circuit in Canche aux Merciers - here are a couple of my pics

+my try-out of photoshopping.

The second day we went to Apremont, a very scattered and huge area where even less people enjoyed the perfect light with us. Too bad for them, we had fun despite a rather weak performance scores.

A poem from Irene Frain's "Royaume des Femmes"

Nuit passée avec un ami

Pour chasser la tristesse de mille années,
rester à boire
cent pichets de vin.
La nuit est belle, propice aux mots purs
La clarté de la lune interdit le sommeil
Donc se soûler, allongé sur la montagne vide,
Le ciel pour couverture, la terre comme oreiller.

Ski touring around Mt Blanc

Chamonix is expensive and crowded - but then again, where better to go to get a full of skiing, ice climbing and mountain fever? For me, it remains THE place. Only 3 days, but weather was with us and we tried to get most out of it. The first day saw us off exploring Grand Montets hors-piste. Snow was not too good despite the recent snow falls, we went off through Argentiere and queue again to descend the peak. The second day we tried a goulotte on Petit Capucin thinking to do Valeria and ending up on its neighbour Chipanddale.



Not a big deal as we only manage 2 pitches of that before becoming desperate with small snow avalanches and our being absurdly long. A descent of Vallee Blanche (a first for both) compensates the trouble, we are alone in a gorgeous setting. True, this is one of the must-does even if you are not a mountaineer at the base. Third day sees us up Brevent and its crowded slopes. We still manage to find some powder traversing the Aiguille Pourrie andn descending its left couloir. Snow is good...

A Mountain for a Dream

Here is a pic that struck in my imagination since seeing it for the first time in Willis's 'Everest Boys' book about Bonington's group...

Ensor and Musée-sur-Mer

Weather thwarted our plans for Chamonix outing, so we visited an Ensor expo in Ostende that is coming to an end this February. There was a proliferation of paintings with a beautiful Dali piano and some not that well-known to me Belgian artists like Pemeke - and bien sûr Ensor. This one was one of my favorites - maybe because I do like Goya too and saw his old women recently in Lille.

This one is pretty fun too, although not at the expo. Ensor, the skelleton king :)

Sylvia Plath

Remembering old friends - a poem by Sylvia Plath

Ariel

Stasis in darkness.
Then the substanceless blue
Pour of tor and distances.
God's lioness,
How one we grow,
Pivot of heels and knees!--
The furrow
Splits and passes, sister to
The brown arc
Of the neck
I cannot catch,
Nigger-eye
Berries cast dark
Hooks----
Black sweet blood mouthfuls,
Shadows.
Something else
Hauls me through air----
Thighs, hair;
Flakes from my heels.
WhiteGodiva, I unpeel----
Dead hands, dead stringencies.
And now I
Foam to wheat, a glitter of seas.
The child's cry
Melts in the wall.
And I Am the arrow,
The dew that flies,
Suicidal, at one with the drive
Into the red
Eye, the cauldron of morning.

Ice in Champsuer

This w-end i decided a last-moment trip to Gap to try some ice on Ludo's invitation in the Champseur valley. Yes, there is ice there despite the absence of snow. It is even very similar to the famous Fournel and Fresiniere valleys, just on the other side of Ecrins. This was also the w-end when Laurent was publishing his new topo for the area that i got to feel and see. After a very nice welcome i managed to lead a couple of 3s and toprope a 5 (picture). My strength is definitely not here, especially for the approaches. My tools also feel old compared to the awesome new Matrix from Grivel. And leashes do suck!

Ski touring around Wildsturbel, Kandersteg

After my ankle problem i had to stay away from the mountains for over 2 months, however i got to test my new ski touring equipment in Austria in January with very little snow in Salbach and then in Wendensee in a superb hutte Austrian style - Rudolfshutte at 2 500 meters with sauna and swimming pool.

Next, the fun took place this past w-end behind Kandersteg - with Belgian Alpine Club's group called Neige et Montagne we got up Wildstrudel - a rather easy outing with a stay at Lammerenhutte and about 750m of ascent. It was lots of fun anyway especially given the snow conditions and the first tracks we got to make.

Happy and unhappy Callanques

Another w-end, November 11 and 12, i was to see my old friend Alex. He was around on holiday and stopped by to climb. As weather reports sucked more or less everywhere, i decided to go south all the way, and took friday off work too to climb at one of my favorite climbing spots in europe - Callanques.

The first day went great - wonderful weather, good climbing, no people. To start we went to Canceou - since my first experience last year, i knew to start slowly and not challenge yourself too much. We did a route called l'Aube, with a very nice traversy approach (usual callanques style) and finished the route with the hardest pitch being 6b+, but i struggled most at this last 5c+, polished classic crack - see pic below. We even had enough time to do a couple sport routes in Port Morgiou afterwards and have a good meal in Cassis.

Saturday, next day, i wanted it all - the plan was to do "Pour la mémoire de nos enfants'', a route Renaud did before. He recommended it to me strongly. It is in Devençon, the furthest cirque from the road. Knowing Callanques and its approaches enough, we started the walk-in at 5 am, and were rapelling into Devençon as the sun was rising. The route started with awesome sea traverse, 5c, then 6b - see pic. Afterwards a chimney, overhang, slab, and roof completed the game to make it very varied and interesting.

However, as evening was approaching and we had 3 more pitches to go, I started up this 6a+. At the third bolt, standing on a ledge, i was 20cm too short to clip it. I looked around, i thought about it (probably not enough) and then tried the move to get to the bolt. I fell. It was an unfortunate fall, with ledges and all, probably not more than 5-10 meters overall, but i smacked my left foot into the wall, it started bleeding profusely. I couldn't use the foot anymore thinking it was probably broken. We thought about options with my partner, and tried to get to the top anyway, with him leading the remaining pitches, belaying me on one rope and fixing the other to help me get up one-footed. We managed to get to the top in pitch-darkness.

Nevertheless our problems started there, as to do the 2h walk back the up and down terrain of the Callanque was much harder then going up vertical terrain w/o a foot. I crawled, jumped, and walked covering maybe 200m in 15 minutes...we were screwed. We called the rescue team and started waiting on the trail, with wind howling and darkness getting darker. After a couple of hours, about 10 or more young fit and good-looking men appeared and carried me down. As exciting an experience as climbing is. Anyway, after a couple of hours in Marseille hospital i was put into plaster and sent home - with apparently a very bed sprain in my ankle, several weeks in plaster and several more for rehabilitation...

That's my price to pay for this year and my dreaming and daring. I do now. Viva next year...