Summer is advancing and temperatures are soaring. But the mountains still look white and conditions are good above 4,000m. There has been a big change lower down, though. The wet spring weather had enabled us to gain a little time and preserve the conditions in the high mountains, but with the current heat everything is changing very quickly.
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Overview of the massif and surrounding area:
Le Tour
All the snow has gone on the access path to the Albert Prem hut so its absolutely fine for walkers.
Arête Forbes
A 15m section of blue ice on the "bosse". Its just over 50m between belays on the abseil line re-equipped by ENSA in 2023, so dont go off the end of the rope.
Argentière glacier
The Glacier du Milieu is ice, 2 bridges on the rimaye which pass on the RHS. At least 40m of the route is dry. There are still 3 belays on the right bank. Just ok with a 50m rope, better with a 60m.
Charpoua
Access to the Drus via the glacier is still OK. Make sure you go around the top to avoid the crevassed area and reach the start (where the abseil line arrives). Rock falls have been observed in the access couloir during the day. As for the rest, there's climbing everywhere!
Talèfre basin
Good conditions on the Arête du Moine, the rimaye can be crossed on the left bank. Not many people on the Moine itself
With the temperatures the Whymper will be tricky. No one seen on Les Droites and Les Courtes. Rapid change observed. The summit mixed passage at Pointe Isabelle is very dry.
Leschaux:
The Cassin route on the Walker seems to be in good condition. The stable weather over the next few days could be ideal for climbing it. The Mont Mallet glacier is still in good condition.
Envers des Aiguilles
A detailed review of the
Grépon Mer de Glace here. Everything else is doable. Watch out for the snow/rock junction (roture) when you set foot at the start of the routes.
Requin
The approach to the refuge via the Vallée Blanche is all snow. Allow 2.5/3 hours.
Access to the foot of the Renaudie via the glacier/nevé is in good condition. The new abseil line is convenient and efficient.
Congo Star: the torrent blocks access to the face. The guardians have installed a 50m abseiling line for access from the top. Ask the hut for more information.
The Aiguille du Plan there and back from the refuge is in good condition. The first section is on ice.
Everything else is climbable.
Plan de l'Aiguille
There have been several rock falls in recent weeks in the Deux Aigles amphitheatre area, so the Peigne-Pélerins-Deux Aigles traverse has been affected and you need to have a sense of the route, a taste for adventure and loose rock to get through. This has also had an impact on the start gully of Davaille-Julien.
Crampons (or ice axes) can still be useful for accessing the red pillar of the Blaitiere.
The Nantillons glacier is still in decent condition, but you need to get there early.
Aiguille du Midi
Still good conditions for the Mont Blanc via the 3 Monts (2 ice axes required). A fixed rope is in place on Mont Maudit at the rimaye in the middle of the face to make the climb easier.
The Cosmiques ridge is now (too?) dry. Choose the north-facing option to avoid the landslide zone.
Punta Helbronner
Access to the Arête du Diable has deteriorated rapidly: there is a gully through the rimaye. Then the traverse is dry and the terrain loose. In the couloir, you can hear the water flowing... Watch out for overcrowding!
The window of opportunity for the Kuffner is over? There's a 1.5m rimaye to cross, so you'll need to build a deadman. However, the rest of the route remains in good condition but is evolving very quickly. The upper part is now dry, so watch out for falling rocks.
A lot of people on the Grandes Jorasses traverse. Access to the Dent du Géant is dry, so watch out for rockfalls (try to stay on the route). The Rochefort arête is still good, despite a bit of ice near the fixed rope. After that, conditions were generally good. Plenty of snow on the upper part of Pointe Young. The descent of the Walker is generally good, even if the serac seemed active a few days ago. The glacier above the Bocallate is OK. You need to descend early.
Monzino
Mixed feedback and opinions for the Innominata. Good conditions for some, rescue for others.
The ascent to the Eccles and the col are in good conditions. You still have to cross some impressive bridges, so it's better to stay on the left bank. There is an abseiling line between the bivouac and the glacier.
The pitches on the rock are generally dry. The cornices are small. All the snow sections are well tracked and refreeze well.
We crossed the Grand Couloir before dawn. It's still OK, although it's starting to get a bit icy and rocky. It's more comfortable with 2 ice axes.
Aiguille Blanche: Good conditions. 2x 60m abseils from col Eccles but ok with 50m ropes and downclimbing. Then some gravelly diagonal descending to access upper Freney glacier. We climbed the middle of the face at about grade 3-4 plus chossy moving together. Might be better to climb the LHS and use bolted rap stations as runners/belays. Looks about grade 5 but better rock.
Teams on the Pilier Rouge and the Freney pillar.
Mont Blanc via the Grands Mulets
From today, 01/08, the hut will no longer be manned. "Winter room" with 16 places. The best route is the lower jonction, the plateaus and corridors were tracked this week. The North ridge of the Gouter is ice.
Mont Blanc via the Aiguille du Goûter
"The Aiguille du Gouter couloir is alive and kicking", says the guardian. We're starting to see some significant rock falls. So timing is everything! Above the refuge, the conditions were still very good. Snowy, little ice.
Plan Glacier
Good news from Plan Glacier: the Miage path via the Ours moraine has been restored and is now officially open. Its a route for walkers, cold drinks on arrival.
Durier
Not much water left near the refuge, so remember to take enough. It will still be possible to buy some at the refuge. The royal traverse is in good condition.
Conscrits
Still good conditions for the Dômes de Miage, as well as for access to the Durier hut. There's still a small window of opportunity to get to Mont Tondu, which is changing rapidly! Around fifty metres of ice below the summit of the aiguille Nord de Tré la Tête.
Hiking
Enjoy it! The last snow-covered areas in the Aiguilles Rouges are the Col de Glière and the Col de Salenton. Lac Noir and Lac Cornu are still covered in snow. On the Swiss border, there is still snow on the Cheval Blanc and Col de la Terrasse. Poles and crampons are still required.
The Petit Balcon Sud towards Parc Merlet has reopened, as have the climbing routes on the Brévent.
Translated with kind permission from an original report by La Chamoniarde.
Readers are reminded that conditions in mountain environments are prone to (sometimes rapid) change and that they should use their own best judgement when visiting them.
Emosson, © Pierrot
Nantillons Glacier on 22 August
Point Lachenal on 23 August
