Rock Over Climbing

Winter in the Alps

This last winter my wife, daughter and I spent four months in the Alps - ice climbing, skiing and mountaineering

We based ourselves in the Ecrin National Park in the Southern Alps, where we spent January ice climbing and skiing, Feburary and March heading into the bigger mountains for Alpine routes. In March and April we undertook some major ski tours including the Ecrin Haute route, which took five days.

Ecrin Haute Route, March 09:

Myself, James Thacker, Paul Swail and Swedish Chris, set off in March for a ski tour of the Ecrin Haute Route in the French Alps. As James put it, this route definitely put the M into Ski Mountaineering. It was a tough and very technical five days, but all in all a brilliant outing.

Rai des Fesses, North Face of the Pic Sans Nom, March 09:

Myself and Paul Swail set off this winter in March to climb the mixed ice route, the Rai des Fesses, which is rated as the hardest Alpine ice route. It was definitely hard and long. With a day's approach on ski, split with a power nap in a hut on route, 20 hours on route, another night in the Pelvoux hut and then another half a day for the descent we definitely earned our route.

Ginat Route, North Face La Doites, April 09:

Another classic big Alpine route, which did not disappoint. Dave Gladwin and myself did a one-day ascent of the route in good conditions, staring from the Argentierre Hut and heading over to the Courvecle Hut.