GRUTTER RIDGE; AIGUILLE DES PELERINS

The book

Almost there

Scoping the line

4th tower

Summit pitch

Recently I have rediscovered Gaston Rebuffat's classic;  Les cent plus belles courses du massif du Mont Blanc. A definitive "best of" guide to the Chamonix area designed to mentor the aspiring alpinist through a selection of increasingly difficult and complex routes.

Cedric coming up

Chamonix granite

Ced on the Summit

In my younger years I often flipped straight to the back of the book, scheming on legendary summits the GRANDES JORRASSES, LES DRUS, GRAND CAPUCIN, ect. The last few years I've taken pleasure in exploring some of the routes listed early in Rebuffat's bible. Climbs which I had previously thought of as trivial romps on lesser summits have turned out to be gems in there own right. Here are some photos from the Grutter Arete first climbed in 1935, # 25 in the book, not as trivial as one might think.  

LES AIGUILLES ROUGES

Upon returning from sunbaked Sardinia, the alpine was calling. With the Brevent-Flegere lift system open for the summer season up we went. A ten minute walk from the top of the Index telesiege brought us to one of Piola's classic moderate routes; Mani pulite.

SARDEGNA PART. 2

Cala Gonone

vineyard and nuraghe

Anna out on the town

Sardo farm

Gorroppu Gorge

wildlife

mural in Urzulei

Dos Matellas

Akuna Matata

Back from 10 days in Sardinia. We spent most of the trip based out of the campground in Cala Gonone. Nice beaches, lots of easy access climbing and a cool little town. What more could you ask for.

The one rest day we spent driving around the archaic landscape of the Barbagia. Leaving the coast, one immediately enters a land lost in time. High limestone ramparts divided by deep valleys, an endless series of gorges and grottoes creates a striking landscape. Inhabited since ancient times, man has scratched an existence from this arid land. The fertile valley bottoms are now an important agricultural region, producing some of Sardinia's finest wine.

TOSCANA - SARDEGNA PT. 1

still standing

 After a couple weeks of stormy weather in the Alps. The peaks above Chamonix were looking more like January than June.
 Time to head south and check out the fabled beaches and limestone crags of Sardegna.

Pisa

Bart and Robot boy

The boat

Livorno

Cala Gonone

Cala Fuili

Grotto Biddiriscottai

Anna warming up

lunch

sea grotto

steep

Scoglio di Luna

Cala Luna

Typico Sarda

VALAIS ETAPE

Argentiere - Col de la Forclaz - Martigny - Col du Lein - Les Marecottes - Col des Montets

110 km    3000m ascent    Spectacular

BACK IN THE VALLEY

Ibex posing

Rebuffat

Midi Sonne finish

summit

Glen back on the rock

 I've spent the last week sampling some of the classic local itineraries. Lift accessed granite on the Aig. du Midi, the slabs of Le Montenvers and Chezerys, meandering moderates under Les Mottets and a few bike rides into Switzerland. A great start to the summer season.