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Rod's Euro 2009 - Trip Report ~ with updates! 24-Aug-2009 At 8:33:47 PM rod

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not much of a week climbing wise, too hot for pretty much anywhere so i hung out in neuchatel and caught up with various mates, bouldered and hung out at the lake.

the weekend was interesting, a front brought colder weather so inspipred by pmonks granite musings gaynor and i headed for grimsel. we're not slab junkies but exceptional spots make it worthwhile...

friday night's forcast for grimsel - saturday, rain, max 13c low 0c, clearing by mid afternoon, with bright sunny spells. sunday - bright sunshine, max 13c.

based on the forecast we split at around 9 saturday morning with the plan being to set up a bivouac from mid-afternoon onward, scope out the final part of the approach to septumania in eldorado and the descent route, return to bivouac, cook at go to bed before the attack sunday morning.

in situ at the parking spot around 11.30 it was raining, foggy and decidedly unpleasant.

fester time.

we dozed in the front seats for 2 hours with no change in the weather before cracking and heading for the hospice for a coffee. another 2 hours in with no change in the weather we ordered a soup and red wine. another hour and no change in the weather we decided that setting up the bivouac in this was stupid so we'd cancel septumania, sleep in the car and select another route with less investment involved. finding an undercover car park we set up the sleeping arrangements then split, found an old tunnel and cooked in shelter of the rain. in a cold, humid, dire old setting we reminisced about the number of times grimsel had done this to us...100% of the trips to date, less than one completed pitch as a climbing partnership - GRIMsel. we finished tea quickly, headed off, parked near Räterichsboden, climbed into the back and read climbing mags. It was pissing down and foggy when I closed my eyes at 9PM.

I woke for a piss sometime between 2 and 4 AM - cold, wet ground, windy but there was promise in a star filled sky. I went back to bed and shivered myself back to sleep.

Sunday dawned and it was a blue sky, still damp but a bit of sun and wind could probably take care of that and by 10 so we should be on. We dozed until 8 when I finally succumbed to hunger and headed out to cook porridge plus organise the coffee.

Over brekkie we decided on Grimselstrom - 4, 5a, 4, 5a+, 5a+, 5c, 5b/c, 4, 6a, 5c, 400m, 20 minute approach, overprotected but after yesterday we were pure pleasure seekers. The purpose of the trip was to find glacier polished granite with the odd crack or two, looking through the binocs the upper reaches of the route fit the bill so we were on it. We quickly packed the car, hiked in, found the start of the route, dumped our gear and both split with a dunny role to dump something else.