As we approached Chamonix, a mountain town at the base of Mont Blanc, my excitement was twinged with nerves. In a few kilometers we would exit the long tunnel through the mountains from Italy, and finally set foot in a place that had only existed in dreams and photographs. Chamonix was filled with tourists, and most restaurants required a reservation – two big strikes in our book. But when the clouds cleared and the sun-lit peak of Mont Blanc appeared towering over the town, I knew the magic was real. We settled into a campground near town, allowing us to explore the mountains and town on foot. Our fellow campers were also climbers, and conversations were highly reminiscent of those in El Chalten. Weather windows, gear, and the most epic climbs.
Voie Frison-Roche (6a/5.10a)
Our first climb was a 5-pitch sport route on the north side of the valley, opposite Mont Blanc on the Brévent. We arrived at the top of the lift, hiked down 15 minutes through dense fog, and swung leads on our first granite climb in Europe. The climbing was great, but our views were mostly of rock and fog! On the ride down, we finally escaped the clouds for glorious views of the mountains and valley below. Looking back, only the top of the Brévent was in the clouds! Our luck. At the base, we walked through the sunny town while a highliner walked above us from the city hall to the tourism office.
The next day we attempted the Rebuffat route on the Aiguille du Midi adjacent Mont Blanc. It was quite an epic day, despite the slow progress. We wrote up a separate trip report for the day as it was a unique adventure.
Lac Blanc
On our rest day (and also our 1 year anniversary!!! <3) we hiked to Lac Blanc. The weather was perfect and despite the crowds we found a peaceful spot overlooking the lake. We had a picnic with magnificent views, and we munched, chatted, and took it all in. Back at camp, we made a delicious Panang curry and salad and toasted to one year of married adventures!
Ex Libris (6b)
After two days of waiting out the rain at camp with other antsy climbers, we were determined to get back on the rock. Ex Libris is a traditional route near Voie Frison-Roche, which would allow us to get a glimpse the views we missed from the Brévent. The first three pitches ascend a beautiful dihedral, and Alan cruised through the 6b crux, a new record lead for him! For the final belay at the summit, Alan hitched the corner pillar of the fence of the viewing platform, and a crowd of fans snapped our photos as we reached the top. At least we got a nice photo together as a result!
Later that afternoon, Michelle and Zach arrived! Luckily we had been busy with the climb, otherwise Michelle would have received way more “are you here yet?!” messages.
Hiking with friends
Somehow we convinced our friends that waking up to catch the first lift at 6:30 am was a good idea, and we went up the Aiguille du Midi once again, but this time, with no climb beta to review, our minds were just focused on enjoying the views. We queued to stand on a glass platform looking down 1000 meters “into the void” at the very summit of the needle, and the very practiced attendant snapped a group photo. We wandered the summit, taking in the impressive panorama of the white glacier valley at the base of Mont Blanc. Alpinists were out, taking advantage of the weather for their various expeditions – tiny black dots on a sea of blinding white. Two climbers topped out on the Midi and we felt a pang of regret… “that could have been us!” But we’ll be back to top out some day.
After the altitude started making us all feel a bit dizzy, we took the gondola down half way, and took a hike toward the “Mer de Glace,” or “Sea of Ice,” a glacier in an adjacent valley. Two hours later, the trail crested a ridge, and a magnificent view awaited us. Spires lined the sky on all sides, and below us, a deep glacial scar. The glacier itself was like an icy tongue that had retreated far away, looking more like a river than a sea. As we descended the stairs towards the base of the valley, plaques marked the height of the glacier since the year 1985 (See a comparison here). We were astonished to see that just 30 years ago, the glacier was over 100m deeper! At the base of the glacier, a tunnel is bored into the ice, and it was really cool to walk around in the depths of the glacier – the ice is a translucent blue, glowing thanks to the clever lighting.
The end of an Era
Three and a half months after acquiring her, we sold Bleu Lightning in Chamonix. We were both excited and bummed about having found a good buyer for her so quickly! Our trip was nothing short of amazing thanks to having the flexibility and the mobility of a van. Newly immobile, we set off with Zach and Michelle to Zurich, and took a flight to Bilbao while they continued to Munich.
