One week and a couple days passed since Picos de Europa and my eyes now drift scan the grass for the expected: Samu (cocooned in the sleeping bag) and two big packs laying against the ground. Buenos dias Bitxo!
Late afternoon, the 28th of July, the van gears down through Chamonix-Mont Blanc lower valley entrance at Sallanches with the usual arrival stunning views and fingers crossed to the atmosphere. Next morning I headed from the Gaillands to the city center with pain au chocolat, baguette and the bookstore in mind. As I cycled slalom Cham’s streets and turned the mobile on, the whatsapp popped a few messages. “Lets go to the Dru in the first weather window? (…) I already arrived (..) sleeping in the park where we were the last time”. The starting lines of our eighteen days séjour.
Dru – One of the main ideas for the stay. Stable meteo arriving. We waited one day in Chamonix for Silvestre “Sílver” Barrientos to join us as he travelled alone from Catalonia. Hadn’t met him beforehand but Samu told me we would be a good team. Why not a party of three? Less pitches led but entertaining and safer on the alpine climbs. Calm vibes and common psyche to do the American Direct and summit via the north face. We packed light and shared loads in between us. Samu and I took bivy bags only, something we would come to regret and remember, especially for the first month, with some toes tip numbness!
Super line throughout the 1200m, plus, I had the privilege to lead the mid part of the wall with the hardest dihedral pitches. Driven by the usual beautiful gestures of such type of corner climbing, and with images of Christophe Profit soloing it in 1982, I pushed to keep it together onsighting it with my pack and the melody of the ice axe scratching against the rock. Cold temperatures and verglassed top half of the wall, which Silver negotiated with a cool mind and the right pace. Another, second shiver bivouac to be withstand on the top. My birthday gift felt like a rite of passage! First light saw us jumping out from our crippled positions and got moving, on the intricate and prone to rock fall descent abseils. We arrived to the cosy Charpoua cabin just on time to escape a full day of storms and rain; enjoy a Raclette and some topo dossier classical readings.
Petit Clocher du Portalet – We doubted, the weather seemed ok for two days and we would need at least three for one other plan… Excellent crack climbing awaiting on Esprit de Clocher, La Sud-Est and État de Choc; a new place to know on the Swiss side of the massif and, good company as we met with Simón Elías and Igor Irazusta.
Blatière & Combe Maudite – Silver got back to Spain. It rained for almost forty eight hours and progressively the grand bleu would install. We packed for four days, celebrated Helenita’s birthday – with a by now traditional tortilla evening, Weissbier, some Häagen-Dazs to the occasion – and left early the next morning. One route (Fidel Fiasco) in the Pilier Gris de Blatière, sleeping at the Lac Bleu; day two moving up to Aiguille du Midi, traversing the Vallée Blanche and pitching the tent in the glacier – relaxing reading and enjoying the place the rest of the afternoon. Next two journeys: more on-sighting on Les Untouchables, Trident du Tacul and L’Echo des Alpages, Grand Capucin.
