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Mont Blanc Granite - Summer Trad Climbing 10-Aug-2007 At 3:32:19 PM Lhotse

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Hi all,
i just got back from some climbing in the french & italian alps & thought i'd post a few snaps (link below) and a bit of a report for those interested.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9373&l=dfe1c&id=628197237

The climbing over there is fantastic... and strangely you don't hear much about it??
We based ourselves at Refuge d'Argentière - really quite easy to get too. You just take the cable car up from Le Grand Montet (to the top station), decend from there onto the Argentiere Glacier, cross it, avoid a few crevasses and wander up the valley for an hour or so the the refuge (located on top of one of the moraines, just below the granite walls.
There is an amazing number of great routes to climb, all about 7-10+ pitches, some really easy trad stuff, alot of stuff about 19-22 (still trad) and plenty of harder mixed routes, and even more alpine style adventure routes. The refuge is located at about 2700m, with many of the routes finishing over 3000m. The rock (granite) is amazing, there are some great cracks too! The back drop is also phenominal - many famous routes are visible on the mammoth walls on the other side of the argentiere glacier - the north faces of "La Verte", "Les Droites" and "Les Courtes", just to name a few. And well, staying in a refuge is a real treat!! I didn't have a guide book, but found plenty of information / topos etc in the refuge. To get down, you basically walk back down the Argentière glacier to the mid station of the cable car - somehow i ended up decending a pretty funky section of icefall, but i think there is a route on the rocky area to the left heading down the glacier...

If you're ever over there definitely try put it on your list!.. although this is only one of a bunch of great spots in the area!!

Oh, we also went to the Italian side of the Monte Rosa massif and did some alpine stuff around Castore... weather was a bit average, but we had fun. Again, it's a beautiful spot & a massive climb up from the valley! Few more snaps attached.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9513&l=9dbfc&id=628197237

If anyone wants anymore info on these great places... feel free to drop me a line.

cheers
JR