Double boots, one more time.....

There is no story of a great feat or feet in this case.  Just a caution and a a little jubilation of getting away unscathed, again.  And another lesson. learned or relearned, taught by a hard, but incredibly beautiful mistress.  No technical difficulties to over come or one arm pull ups involved.  It happens every day, all year long, in Chamonix.   For myself and my partners on this trip just a small part of a bigger adventure this winter.  

I was lucky enough to climb most of Feb, March and a tiny bit in April this year in Chamonix.  That after starting the ice season earlier than ever in Nov. in Canada and then Montana and back to Canada again in Jan.  And the season isn't done yet.  Hopefully I'll get another month yet in Canada again before everything has fallen down.

In all that ice climbing I have used dbl boots once this winter in NA (Canada) and on four climbs in the Alps.
But more than once I have regretted my choice in footwear.  Never while wearing dbl boots however.

No one dislikes climbing in dbl boots more than I do.  They (any of the three best currently available) are big,  and bulky and heavy in comparison to the single boots I am using.  The up side to that is they offer more support for your calfs and feet and more protection from the pounding endurance alpine ice will give your toes.  All that before you get to the added warmth they offer and the added benefits of a dbl boot drying out in a bivy.

Check out the climbers on the S. Face of the Midi.

And for perspective the little bump in the middle of the Massif which was our school room on several occasions.  The Cosmic Arete is the sky line ridge, left to right.  S. Face of the Midi is the clean wall on the right.

During late Feb and early March in Chamonix my partners and I kept getting bounced between -20 temps or lower and 20+ cm dumps of new snow up high.  All that while trying to get acclimatized on the Midi at 12391 feet (3777 m).

Most every chance I got I would hop on the Midi tram and head to 12K feet or at least to 10K on the GM lift.  For a flat lander coming straight from sea level there were some painful days in all that.   And the GM had a better lunch :)

One of our first adventures was a little trip out the tunnel on the Midi in a wind storm after a 15 to 25cm dump of snow.  The first lift on the tram was late as is typical after new snow but I was pressing to get some climbing in.  At that point I was 7 days into a 44 day trip and not done any climbing yet.  But the skiing was good :) 

In crotch deep new snow (so much for the 15cm) before we even hit the end of the rope hand rail on the Midi arete Josh's noise was white with skin freezing up.  It was cold and the wind was whipping.  Hard to judge just how cold it would be at 12K from our apartment in town.  (and that got only slightly easier in the next month)   Josh was smart to turn around as his Rudolf's nose declared for the next week or so.  He got revenge by coming back on a still and blue bird day for his solo climb as we road the lift down off the mtn. 

Matt and I continud and ventured off to "look" at the Cosmic Arete.  Two French parties were held up in the old worker's hut at teh basse of the ridge out of the wind.  The sun felt good and Matt and I thought, "why not take a look".  After all how hard could it be?

Mind you the last tram down  is at 4:30 and we didn't even get off the tram till after noon...so the real question should have been, "just how fast are we?"

In good conditions the Cosmic Arete is a awesome alpine romp that generally takes an hr or so.   We hit the Midi platform at 5:30 that afternoon.   More to that story but not the point thsi time out.

-20C (around -5F) and a strong wind can be pretty cold.  At 12K feet it is cold even in the sun if you are not acclimatized.  By the time we got to the last 4 pitches of climbing I was full on shivering even in a MEC Tango belay jacket over a Atom LT and two hoodies.  Thankfully my feet we not yet cold.  I was wearing a pair of Scarpa Ultra single boots.  But it was obvious to me that when my feet did get cold...and it was just a matter of time....I would be totally FOOKED.  Quick way to end a climbing trip, that.

The good news was the last 4 pitches were excellent and fun climbing in most any conditions, even that particular day.  And thankfully no more trail breaking in deep snow.  My feet were out of the snow for the most part and  my core was finally warming  up again from the effort of easy technical climbing.

I made myself a promise after that first climb...."always bring full face goggles and always wear my dbl boots up high here".

Of course I failed to keep that promise and regretted it every, single, time.

By the end of my trip it was early April.  Things had warmed considerably up high around Chamonix.
More storms were rolling through the mountains by the end as well.  The power of a good storm in the Alps rivals anything I have seen in Alaska.  Impressive.  Scary if you have to be out in it.

There is a reason for all the huts in the Alps.  Getting caught out in those conditions with out brick and mortar around you, can just as easily kill you.  The final storm we weathered at the Cosmic Hut would have, if you had been unprotected on route.     

The obviously now happy campers leaving the upper tram terminal after being stuck on the Midi for two days..

When the final tally was made and the tram started down again on day three, half of the 20 passengers were French Mountain Police and Chamonix Guides.   Bad weather can catch anyone, even the most experienced. I counted.  There were 4 pairs of single boots in the crowd.   I felt terribly under dressed.  And happy I had a hut  and WC to hid in  for our time up high.   Spantiks weren't a fashion statement there...but a survival tool.

It is all about conditions, isn't  it :)

When the numbers just don't add up.....

I had a few interesting conversations over the last two months on alpine, rock and ice conditions and ratings.

One comment was, "I'm not worried about the ice, how much harder than Canadian WI5 can it be."

Another, "The Eiger!  It is only 5.7 right?"

"The route...it is easy to find....watched 3 videos of it last night."

"Must have had better conditions."

All these from friends of mine.  My thoughts at the time went something like this.....

WI5...is generally easy compared to 300m of rock hard 55 degree alpine ice under 2 or 3 feet of snow stuck on the end of the day ....at 12K feet.

The Difficult Crack seemed like 5.11r in boots, crampons, a big pack and a coating of verglass at first light.

This after being shattered on a trade route in -20C temps, 20cm of new snow and a stiff wind.   We had no clue where the route was suppose to go.   And I was hard pressed to believe it actually did/would  go where we went.....

"Welcome to Chamonix, it is always, all about conditions...."

Alpinism...it is always a good laugh and generally gets the last laugh as well  :-)

Some of that "easy" 50 degree alpine ice.

Alpinism?

If you aren't aware of the fact, the blog format  details very accurate data on use and visitors.  So I see where the traffic comes from by country and URL both.

Photo courtesy of Ally Swinton, his Nomic with a C/T hammer, solo on the North Face of the Midi 

The majority of the use is from the US and Canada followed closely by the UK and then virtually every alpine country in the world follows.

The US numbers would seem to be a given.  I post enough on Canadian and the UK climbing web sites that it isn't a surprise there.  The rest of the traffic is.

I hope those that already know this will pardon me restating the obvious for us in NA.

Last year a couple of friends asked me how to better learn "alpinism".   What ever that means to you.  For many here in the NW that might mean climbing Ptarmiganm ridge as the ultimate goal or the North face on Mt Temple in the Rockies.  For others the Cassin on Denali.  Big jump between the three.

And any one of them worthy goals.

When I look back at 40 years of alpine climbing the one place that defines the sport and generally the climbers I admire it is Chamonix.  Climbs like the MacIntyre-Colton on the Grand Jorasses define alpinism to me.

There are a couple dozen climbers I suspect in Chamonix-Courmayeur area (or who climb there on a regular basis) that we have never heard of, that have done more hard alpine climbing than anyone from the US, past or present.

Bold statement, I know.

But then, do you know the guy who not only broke Ueli Steck's speed record on the Ginat this winter and  carried skis up and over while doing it?  Yes. alpine climbing is all about conditions.  And the Ginat had steps up it earlier in the in the winter.   But still...anyone know this guy or his time?

Chamonix is a big and complex area, has an amazing amount of climbing, (more than any one person will ever do in a life time)  and super easy access (but not as easy as it first appears).  Generally you will be climbing above 11,000 feet if you want to climb on the bigger faces.  And best of all the rock is stellar in comparison to Canadian limestone and the weather stunning in clarity if rather harsh (Alaska harsh) in the storm cycles when they do arrive.  Nothing like it for terrain in North America outside Alaska.


Bottom line here?  If you want to learn what the state of alpine climbing is in the world today...or get better at your own alpine climbing in the shortest amount of time involved, you simply must climb (and you must ski)  in Chamonix. 

Lots of places to rock climb in the world.  Yosemite one of the best.  Just as many of us have learned a lot in Yosemite it isn't the end all to rock climbing.  Close may :)   It might well be the one destination you must make it to if you rock climb.  Chamonix is the one place you must visit if you alpine climb.

Take a look at Colin Haley's blog during March and April over the last few years to put the climbing access and skiing into perspective.

http://colinhaley.blogspot.com/2010/04/back-in-chamonix.html

I have a few months worth of writing and opinions to catch up on.  Most of that is based on this year's Cham experience.  Some of it a surprise even to me.

Back!

I'm back in the US.  Still unpacking and washing clothes.  Trying to decide what to write about first.  Took 200# of new and some old gear to use and test in Chamonix. Over baggage charges cost more than the freaking R/T plane ticket   Sking and climbing was awesome in Feb. and March.

More to come asap.

Till then, sunshine, granite and neve.

Boa Leash by Blue Ice

I've been using leashes long before there were leashless tools.  I also carried a third tool bitd.  Broken picks and dropped tools are never a good thing.

Grivel and BD both offer a decent leash system.  My problem is that they are "systems".   I have been using a old style Grivel leash that I've had for 5 plus years now.  On occasion I've ventured out with the newest BD Spinner leash, till it proved itself unreliable. But I own them all, Grivel and BD versions and have used prototypes that still aren't available.

I'm not much into fancy stuff when simple will work, as well or better. 

Do a search for umbilicals on the blog here and see what is currently available.  I'll do another comparison soon.

I bought and had a chance to use a pair of the Blue Ice Boa leashes while I was here in Chamonix.   Liked them enough I have set my old Grivel's aside and am using the Boa now full time.
I like they pull test @ 550 daN or 1236 lbf.  No one else committing to over 800 lbs.   BD says 800# but the UIAA test is 450#  which is what the BD and Grivel is rated at,  so why bother? 

Because in climbing gear, more weight, "more better" (strength wise) generally.

More info here:

http://www.blueice.com/en/products/boa-leash

Now available in NA here:
http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/04/blue-ice-again.html

Soloing on the Passarelle gully, N Face of the Midi with a Boa leash system hitched to my harness and tools.

I'll leave it to you imagination on where the ice really comes from for the start of this climb.  Fun climb in cold conditions, none the less.

I went right and avoided the ladder, the crux stick on that exit being a very old wood cement form.  But I did stop for a quick nap on the opposite viewing platform and  lunch before heading off to ski the rest of the day.  Colin on the same climb a few weeks later.  Only in Chamonix!

 

Colin">http://vimeo.com/23577174">Colin Haley in Chamonix

from Bjarne">http://vimeo.com/user5490470">Bjarne Salén on Vimeo.https://vimeo.com">Vimeo.>

Boa leash and a Cold Thistle hammer on your Nomic...what more could you need?

Liked them enough that I bought a few extra pairs to bring back to friends in the States.  If you are in the USA and want a pair, send me an email.  26.00 € via Pal Pal will get them out to you on priority mail from Issaquah, WA.

Bradley?

This is from last season but worth a look as the new season is just about to start again.


Mark Allen and Graham Zimmerman make first ascent of 4600-foot alpine big wall in Alaska from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo.

Chamonix skiing?

I was first drawn to mountaineering by skiing.  Some of the most fun I had early on in the mountains was skiing in the late spring or summer.  Or better yet out of bounds in the local ski areas.  Grand adventures as a kid.

Chamonix has a long history of off piste skiing.  For us amerikans that is out of bounds or off trail (here there are no "out of bounds").  But you had better take your own safety seriously skiing here.

A very experienced guide skied into a crevasse and died here the second day I was in Chamonix.  That while guiding clients.  I nearly lost two friends in front of my eys our first day here after they took a 1500 foot tumble in a slab avalanche.  Literally a 10 minute walk from the lift.   Skiing is serious sheet here....even on the "normal runs".     If you want something more fun, buckle up, 'cuz it is available  here and people do it every day.  And people die.


10 minute walk off the lift.  And the small ice slope my two buddies were wondering up during a bit of wind.

Same place 3 weeks later taken from farther down slope.

Our chasened heros looking for loss gear above their run out point.  The 4' crown and slab above them on the left.

The 1500' run out and where they were buried.  Cost?  3 new Nomics, a sprained thumb and a crampon point in the calf.  Lesson?  Priceless.

And the signs we ducked under for our little hike that day.

Mind you these are posted where you put your skis on after walking down the stairs from the lift station ;)

I admit to having become bored and jaded skiing in the NW.  I finally stopped skiing altogether almost 10 years ago.  3 consecutive unused season passes told me it was time.  That after years working in ski areas and guiding all sorts of ski trips in the winter.   I never thought I'd ever stop skiiing.  For this trip I knew I'd be skiing again and just thought..."well I'll get by".  Might even be fun.  Either way I knew it was mandatory if I wanted to get around here in winter and climb.

And I have gotten by for the most part.  The "big" or at least well known ski runs that I wanted to do while I was here are generally all on beginner terrain.  Beginner skier terrain at home as far as the skiing goes.  But you had better beware of the actual terrain objective dangers or you might well be swallowed up...whole....and never seen again.  No shit.

I have a buddy who snow boards these big routes (same one buried on day one) with almost no technical knowledge of glacier travel, snow conditions or avalanche danger even after years of boarding.  His idea of avoiding the objective dangers here?  "NEVER STOP" and that on the the  6 to 12 mile runs here!  He is still under a dozen runs on the Mer de Glace...so I am sending him a a basic avalance-glacier travel book :)   Be nice if he could at least stop for lunch at the hut.

This is a little photo essay for some of the best (if not the best) lift served skiing in the world.  Certainly nothing like it in NA.

The first lift we used was the Grand Montet up at the east end of the valley.  Lift tops out at 3275m.
Point of vue and the run down the Tram line are spectacular.

Yes that is the North face of Le Droites in th back ground.

Out of the Midi maze of tunnels and the entry way to the Vallee Blanche.

The run off the Aiguille Du Midi cable car and down the Vallee Blanche is even better.
Skiing and vistas incredible.

Signs to take seriously and understand what they are asking.

For some the trail down from the Midi to where most put on their skis is a whole new experience.

First time I did it in fall of '78 I wanted crampons where 10 years olds were in sneakers.  And I still prefer doing it in crampons. 

Easy dust off of a tired skier mid way down the 12 mile long run.  Which starts at 3843m btw.

The Requin Hut.....and lunch.  For me at a casual pace an hr in.  And about half way.

A 9 Euro lunch and likely the best deal I have found in Chamonix.

The short bit just before lunch.

You need to dbl click the photos to appreciate the scale here.

Skiing in the Alps!

Angel Collinson - Courmayeur/Chamonix from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo.

BD athlete Kyle Dempster makes first ascent of Mount Edgar's east face—PART ONE from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo.

Getting schooled in Chamonix.

Intitial gully of the Burnier-Vogler, N. Face of the Midi, yesterday.

A year ago while climbing in the Rockies,  my climbing partner asked, "Where would you go to learn "alpine climbing"?

My quick answer was Chamonix. Every good alpine climber that I have admired over the years has spent some time here.  And I have always thought that what they learned here was a major influence on their climbing careers.

I've been here 12 days.  In that time we've had 40cm of snow, in two dumps.  And as much as I know alpine climbing is all about conditions, I've generally ignored that and climbed anyway.  Wallowing in cold dry snow has followed.   While wearing all the clothes I own.  A few interesting lessons for me already.

No Neve to be found here :)  There was however lots of waist deep snow being shed off the hard, dry ice.

It could be worse.  But at the moment this has been the only result of being slow on route.   Bivy in the WC on the Midi station.  Breakfast and a coffee in town followed after the first lift down the next morning.  If nothing else climbing in Chamonix is sureal.

Black Diamond Prime Ski boot

Here is BD's catalog speil:

The Prime is Black Diamond's premier lightweight alpine touring boot-designed to tackle the world's most challenging ski mountaineering routes or simply to save your legs for one last powder lap. This is our lightest alpine touring boot, featuring a unique 3.5-buckle design that skis with the stiffness and control of a 4-buckle boot. Its state-of-the-art construction keeps weight to an absolute minimum, while our revolutionary Pivoting Cuff Technology delivers the ultimate combination of freedom of motion in walk mode and instant power transfer in ski mode.


Black Diamond Prime Ski Boot Features:
• Lightweight (1.64 kg) 3-buckle alpine touring boot with 4-buckle performance
• Triax Pivot Frame with Flex 110 and unmatched 40° of resistance-free touring motion
• Efficient Fit AT Light Liner with lightweight Boa closure system
• Rockered, rubber outsole with integrated tech inserts provides dramatic grip and durability
• Weight Per Pair: 7lbs. 4oz.
• Flex Index: 110
• Number of Buckles: 3

Here is mine:

In the past I've spent a lot of time in ski boots.  Over a decade working full time at ski areas in different jobs including pro patrol, avalanche control and a tiny bit of teaching.  I've back country ski guided on 3 pin, tele gear and AT gear and heli skied.  All of it in the NW or western Canada.   Right up till this week.

I've had some great boots and some not so great boots.  But a warm boot and one that fit my foot hasn't been all that hard to come by.  I had orthotics made for me in the early '80s and continue to use a good footbed, custom made for my feet and stance.

So I was pretty stoked to get a new alpine touring boot knowing what was in store for me this winter in France.   Having generally skied in a competition style boot I was looking for ski/boot performance over a super light weight boot.  Although I might rethink that decision on my next pair.  No matter, comfort is the real key for me in any boot, climbing or skiing.

The Black Diamond Prime is a three buckle boot that uses a Y strap on the first buckle to avoid the 4th buckle and save a tiny bit of weight.  But as a "new generation" AT boot, it is not light weight by any measure.

But they do indeed ski very well.  Pretty much like a performace ski boot from what I can tell.  Nothing lacking on this boot for performance...I could use it on a pair of old school 207cm GS skis cruising at mach 1 and be happy with the support.

In the morning walking the 15 minutes to the Midi tram from my apartment here in Chamonix I curse the walk mode.  My toes are banging, the rigid sole is....well rigid  There is never enough flex in a ski boot to make them walk "well."   They may walk but it isn't going to be a pleasure.   The ski day here is generally half dozen runs and 20 THOUSAND vertical feet if I can stand up that long.  By then I am happy to unlatch and unbuckle for the walk from the train to the coffee house.  And I love how easy the Primes walk then and the final two blocks back to the apartment.

Life isn't hard on AT boots or your feet here unless you make it that way.

So they ski great, and they walk...like a few of the better AT boots I figure.  Which is well enough to keep you from crying at the end of the day here in Chamonix or on the long day trips at Rodgers pass...where the train is generally avoided.

Butttttttttt?!  There is always a but.  I did three trips to my local boot fitter at home with these boots before I left.  Which is excessive even for me.  The inner boot was tight.  Too tight.   You get the idea....it was getting ugly.  All to no avail.  Each time we remeasured the shell.  Remember I wanted a "performace fit".  Each time we all agreed the shell was perfect.  Calls to BD Custoemr service and discussions with guys there who actually wear the same size climbing boot as me, all...once more.....agreed on shell size.

Two of the trips to the boot fitter at home would have been ski days.  But the boots were killing me.  The third trip I just flatly ran out of time to ski in them again  before flying to France.  But they were a bit better with each visit.   "Better" being a relative term.

First run here was a 15K and 5000 of vertical down from 11K feet.  Think skiing from the summit of Mt. Hood to the parking lot at Meadows...or where ever 10 miles and a 5000 ft drop in elevation would put you.

At 10K feet I had to have help pulling my boot off and message away a cramp.  Unbelievably hard to get the boot off let alone back on at home.  Imagine that in 40mph winds and -15C.    I have never been happy with the Boa system on any boot I have used.  And the liners on the Primes just reinforce that opinion.  The Boa sucks.   One of the most unplesant 4 hrs I have ever spent in any boot finishing up the Mer De Glace. and walking home from the train.  And that includes walking off the summit of Rainier as my toes unthawed.   This was worse that walking down from Muir in socks.

My next move was find a BD ski boot dealer in Chamonix.  And most importantly someone who was REALLY good at fitting boots.    Easy enough to do here.  Ths place is over flowing with good gear shops and expert staff.  (amazing really just how many and how good!) 

No problem they tell me..10 Euro per boot.  They take 20 minutes looking at, measuring and marking my boot shells and liners.  I am a little worried.  The guys at home are good and I am beginning to think this boot will never be comfortable on my feet.  I'm in Chamonix for chrimney sake...I have to have ski boots I can wear just to get to the climbs.   And the skiing?  No place has skiing like Chamonix.

As I am leaving I notice that have several different models of Palau custom liners on one little corner wall.  Palaus are kinda like Intuition Liners back in the States just better made over all.   I own a pair Intuition myself.   But I also have some Palau liners made for the La Sportiva Baruntse I use in my Spantiks.  The Palau liner is a much better liner that the Intuition imo.  I turn around and we start the bootfitting converstion all over again.

Over lapping tongue on the Palau is much easier to get in and out of than the Boa on the BD liner.  Liners are warmer as well besides the obvious added comfort (dbl tongue for example) even if the BD liner did actually fit.

The retail sales mentality is different in France.  You aren't going to be pushed into buying anything.  Lucky in fact if you can get the sales staff to help you, let alone answer a question.  Sometimes it is annoying.  But I kind of like it generally.  You can look at anything and no one will bug you asking, "can I help you?"  Which can so often sound like "buy something or get the hell out of here!" in the USA.   When I start asking questions on the Palau liners I am politely told they didn't want to sell me something I didn't need.  But going on, in their opinion, as a BD dealer, all the BD boots came with liners too small for the shell.  Which certainly would seem to be my problem when looking at and trying to fit my factory liners.  And the boot fitter goes on,  "almost every BD boot they have sold had the liner replaced with a Palau".

BD boots are not cheap here!  But it does say something for the performance of the BD shell.

The opinions expressed by the Staff after I was fittted and the liners were paid for were even more to the point.   Sanglard, Chamonix's premier ski boot fitter.

20 minutes and 150 Euro later the Palua "Soft" liners were expertly fitted and molded with my orthodics.  Same orthotics that I couldn't even get in the BD liners.     The next day I skied 15K  vert in 2 hours and spent a total of 5 hrs in my boots walking, eating a great lunch and skiing.   I dropped off a nice bottle of wine that night for my sales person/ boot fitter.

Happy now in his new liners on the start of the 15k run down from the Midi.

I now like my BD Primes.  But it might well be a one night stand, 'cuz I aint in love.

Palau liners...designed, patented , serial numbered and made in France.
BD Boa liners.... designed in SLC, made in Thailand

http://www.ets.palau.fr/
 
For more on AT ski gear, gear reviews  and opinions, this is the US destination on the internet:
 
http://www.wildsnow.com/
 
 
Palau liners in my Primes.