I headed back into the mountains with Italian mountain guide Giulia Monego to climb the Aiguille de Bionnassay. Giulia had asked me to bring our pick-up truck with me so we could avoid a tedious long hike up a mountain track and I was more nervous about the driving than the mountain. I need not have worried, the pick-up never flinched.
We headed up alongside a stream to the crossing-point but after an hour of climbing we were met with what looked more like a white water rafting location than the easily crossable stream we had expected. The heavy rains that have persisted well into the summer made crossing impossible and we had to head back down and detour via a col which added hours the approach to the hut.
I had been suffering from a pretty bad cold and as we climbed higher, I found the going tougher and tougher. Usually, I can keep up with Giulia pretty comfortably but today I kept falling behind and I was really suffering. The altitude was also getting to me more than usual.
Finally, we arrived at the hut which Giulia had warned me was “rustic”. The hut comprised a single room with a table in the middle. Three layers of bunk beds lay to the right and a small kitchen to the left. The hut was run by a couple who spent three months at the hut without a break. Incredibly, they produced a fantastic meal and the best pudding I’ve eaten in a hut. It was then straight to bed.
We took the late start and woke at 3:00am. I faffed around trying to get my contact lenses in by torchlight and Giulia rightly scolded me for taking a full 50 minutes to be ready to leave. Normally I prepare all my gear the evening before but I was so broken I could not face it and so this just added to my general lack of organisation.
We finally set off and were the last party to leave. Incredibly, I woke feeling a lot better and had acclimated well over night. We made good progress and it was very rewarding to come past many of the parties who left well before us.
The route begins with a climb up a reasonably steep pitch but the snow as firm and progress was good. We then came to an extended rock band and the climbing was easy but enjoyable and we moved well. In some ways I was a little disappointed not to be more challenged but there are not many “easy” summits left on my list and things will get a lot more challenging. The final section was an easy snowy ramp and we reached the summit in good time.
The normal exit route involves traversing the summit and following a long snowy ridge with death on either side. What I hate is knife edge, unstable rocky ridges in crampons and so this was very comfortable and we moved well. I never felt uncomfortable.
Eventually we left the ridge and climbed up and over the Dome de Gouter (another 4,000 but I had already tagged that on on the way to Mont Blanc) so it did not class as another summit. It was then an easy descent through soft snow, a bit of via ferrata style descending and then a trail back to the station where we took the train back down to the valley.
It was all very straightforward and easy and fast; we were done in just over eight hours. I am ready for some more challenging climbing but I perhaps should be careful about what I wish for! 19 summits of the 82 remaining.
Expeditions 