Eiger North Face

Yesterday myself and Jon Griffith climbed the 38 route on the Eiger. It was great to finally get this done. There've been several times over the last couple years when its been "in", but I’ve always been busy or occupied by other climbing plans over here in Cham.
       However, this time i was starting to feel left out, so we drove over Wednesday evening slept at the Eigerglestcher that night and climbed on Friday.
    In many ways the route was very different to what I’d always expected. Most notably, the quality of the climbing was actually better. Although you hear horror stories about lose rock on the face, apart from the brittle ledges its all pretty solid due to so many ascents. Moves are also very straight forward due to so much cleaning and scratch marks. As for gear, there are belays and pegs everywhere, 60% of which are of course extremely poor and most belays want backing up.
       We made decent progress climbing the route in about 11.40 and managed the round trip in under 14 hours. At first we intended to really go for it and put in a fastish time (as this seems to be the fashionable thing to do on this face), but when we caught up with our friends Adam and Caroline on the ramp, we relaxed a fair bit and made a pretty casual ascent with good banter for most of the rest of the way.
       Best pitch is the waterfall pitch, and best position is the last 3 metres of the Traverse of the Gods.
         As for times, Ueli's and now Dani Arnold's records are mind-boggling. I think with a decent track and good conditions one day ascents will soon become normal. And i can completely see how it could be shaved to the 7-8 hour time bracket for a non-onsite ascent.
  Brilliant route, brilliant history and on a great mountain. Get on it before it melts in a week's time!!

Here's some shots:

Chossy pitch before the Death Bivi.

Ramp

Waterfall pitch.

Another view of Jon and myself on the waterfall pitch. Credit: Caroline George.

Waterfall pitch.

Above the Brittle crack.

Quartz crack.

Leverogne movie

Here's a little film of some of the days bolt-clipping through in Italy recently with Carl.


Carl Granlund is climbing "Vampirella" 8a from Bjarne Sahlen on Vimeo.

The best laid plans of mice and men.

It was perfect. 5 days of beautiful weather forecasted. Food stashed in the necessary corners of the range. It was going to be an epic few days linking, what ever happened.
        Then on my way down the Valley Blanche early this morning, carrying a heavy bag of food and water to stash at the Leshaux, i managed to cross my approach ski's going far too fast over some icy moguls. A couple seconds later i was disorientated on the floor with blood dripping down my face and a lip inflating like an airbag. I've had concussion a number of times before, so shortly after i picked my self up, i knew i had about 40 mins before i would start throwing up and not seeing the difference between a crevasse and boot-track. I put my skis on my back and started booting as fast as i could up to the Midi, i had just passed the Gross Rognon when i fell so had a fair way to go.
       A guide or two stopped as i neared the midi, seeing the blood dripping from my face and my disorientated-wobbly walk, they offered what services they could, but i opted to carry on, almost running at one point as i raced the concussion-clock. Sure enough, as soon as i entered the ice tunnel of the Midi i couldn't hold it off any more and started violent dry and wet retching.
            I somehow made it to Sallanche hospital thanks to some helpful lifties. After a trip through a Cat-scan, lots of jelly on my face and more dry retching they let me out.
    

I really need a haircut as well.

 So there we go, not what i had planned. The idea of sun touching my face for the next week or so is unbearable. Its a bit upsetting to miss this weather and the great plan we had for it, but i guess it will make me get on with AK organizing instead.

I do however, stand by the fact that 130cm approach skis are cool......

Changing seasons.

Last week i spent 7 days working in Austria doing various rigging jobs on the climbing section of next year's "Cotswolds" catalogue. Long days and some weather-induced stress made for a challenging week. But it was great fun, and i always learn a lot from this work. The highlight for me was definitely working on the summit of the Kitsteinhorn (3200m) at sunset with glowing bronze summits i knew little about surrounding me, followed by a 1500 meter ski descent down the best freshly groomed piste i've ever skied, late at night.

On returning to Cham, it seems that the already warm winter has definitely turned in to summer, seemingly missing out the whole Spring period (or maybe its just been spring since January?).
        I've had a couple brilliant days out in amongst some other work with good people, on good rock, although my glove-soft fingers have been getting a trashing.

I've been to a small but perfect crag through in Italy called Leverogne twice with the Swedish crew. Climbing mainly with Carl Granlund, a super strong sport climber working his way through the best 8A's of the Haute Savoie. I gave him 6 belays on his project the last time we were there and he was getting tantalizingly close.

Carl and his project.

Crux.

Today i've been at the always-brilliant crag Gietroz, just over the Swiss border with Adam George. A little hot but great fun in the sun nonetheless.

Adam.

Adam crushing in his one afternoon off amongst weeks of ski-tour guiding.

Weather's a bit naff tomorow, then a nice window is coming through. Hmmmmm, maybe the mountains are calling?

Alaska

This morning i booked flights to Alaska for May. I was in Alaska last year, we were thwarted by phenomenally poor weather while attempting a gob-smacking new line. Although frustrating, the trip was also eye opening. Alaska is where its at, its big and bad. Yet in a way just like a huge version of the Mont Blanc massif with no town, and add another 1500 meters to all the faces.
         I'll be heading out with my main alpine partner, Jon Griffith, but we'll be sharing camps with some American and Chamonix-based friends, hopefully making for a fun trip. We're both tingling with nerves/excitement for our objective.
      Other Brits out this year, Matt and Jon have their eyes set on something cool- http://moonflower-expedition.blogspot.com/  .

ALASKA! myself on the "shaft", Moonflower, Mount Hunter.

                                                                                                                                                          

This Week.

Well i can't believe its mid March!! the Foehn of late has been doing an excellent job of stripping the little snow there was left beneath 2500 meters, and some miracles are gonna have to be worked if the pistes are to be kept open any time in to April!
       Yesterday i was at GM and did three laps of the Pierre a Ric to equate to 2300 meters of ascent. And the day before i had a good training day with 1000 meters ascent in the morning followed by reps of routes at Le Fayet in the afternoon. My training has slacked off in the last few weeks, partly due to my training slope behind the house melting away!! So the last two days have been good for getting back in the swing of it.
    Here's a short little movie from Bjarne of myself climbing the top pitch of "Nuit Blanche", then talking some more bullshit.
     My dissing of skiiers is purely in jest! seriously!.........



William Sim - Ice Climbing from Bjarne Sahlen on Vimeo.

More from Bjarne here- http://endlessflow.posterous.com/ .

Bettembourg-Thivierge Aguille Verte

Yesterday i headed up the Grand Montet with Swedish friend Andreas Fransson to climb something on the North East face of the Verte. We got first lift and made a rapid ski to the bottom of the Couturier. Andreas is arguably one of the worlds best extreme skiiers, so it was a challenge to keep up with him.
     After seeing someone had bivvid and beaten us to our route, we decided it wasn't a goer, as we wanted to solo, which is not cool beneath people. Instead we climbed the Bettembourg, which is in fairly nasty condition with grey ice throughout. However, its always nice to climb the Verte and we were sunbathing on the summit just over 4 hours after crossing the schrund. It was inspiring to watch Andreas climb with such competence and fitness, considering he broke his neck, pelvis and a few other things less than a year ago!

Myself and Andreas.

In the Bettembourg. Its soloing territory, but as the ice is so blue right now, we stuck on a rope for 100 metres.

We then rapped all but the last 200 metres of the 1000 metre Couturier on v-threads, about half of which we replaced. In January i downclimbed this fairly fast, but its now in more icy condition so is better to rap. Must have been more frustrating for Andreas however, as its well within his skiing abilities when not so icy! The way down through the Glacier des Rognons to reach the Argentiere glacier proper was the most open i've ever seen it, and required at least 4 hops to cross open slots, and a lot of weak bridges.

Nearing the top.

Summit ridge of the Aguille Verte.

      Sadly, i got a phone call half way up the route from a friend. Another friend who had seen us set off to our route, had minutes later witnessed a large serac release from high on the Verte, which took out two climbers behind us. Not knowing whether it was me and Andreas or not, he'd asked someone to check we were ok. Unfortunately one of the two were killed, and i'm unsure on the status of the other.

Although not extraordinary in isolation, the incident has just re-affirmed to me what a terrible winter that of 2011 has been. Bairly two weeks ago the young Chamonix guide Max Belleville was killed in a crevasse fall while out guiding the VB with clients. There's been deaths pretty much daily, and most of them you can link to the lack of snowfall and warm temperatures we have had this year. The "Have you heard what happened to...." line, that as an alpinist you here far too often, has been heard far far too often this year.

Here's a good little write up from Andreas - http://andreasfransson.blogspot.com/ .