Chamonix Couloirs
Steep ice in couloirs, jamming picks in cracks, delicately balancing front points on thin verglas and great fun!
Trip Dates
Difficulty:
Accomodation:
simple: Hut / bunks
The improvements in gear and technique in ice climbing converted famous routes like Modica-Noury, Chèrécouloir, Petit- Viking or even the Supercouloir into classics that are no longer reserved to the extreme alpinists.
But winter alpinism remains hard and physical. Short days, low temps, wading through deep snow at high altitude demand solid alpine skills.
While your fingers give you the screaming barfies and hurt like mad, you will curse this sport. But the wild landscape, elegant lines and mixture of archaic hacking with delicate dancing on front points make alpine ice climbing one of the most fascinating varieties of mountaineering.
What the French call 'goulotte' is actually quite unique for the Mont-Blanc area. It's only here, that you find properly featured granite at a suitable altitude, on the Mont-Blanc de Tacul, Grand Capucin or in the Argentière basin.
For the approach and descent, skis are a huge advantage. There's few things better than a cozy night in the valley, then take the first téléphérique, climb some high-quality mixed pitches, rappel and slide down the (by then) deserted Vallée Blanche (the longest ski descent in Europe after all) straight to the bar and a burger.
If you want to enter the fascinating world of couloir climbing with us, you should have some prior experience with crampons and be able to follow multipitch rock routes. We take only two clients per guide to guarantee the best possible supervision and support in a severe environment. Standing on your front points all day requires good fitness and strong legs. Those with a background in waterfall ice climbing can, of course, dare to lead their first alpine ice pitch.
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Itinerary and Accommodation
We can either reach most objectives from Chamonix with the abundant cablecars in one day, or we stay a night in a hut up high. The latter could mean in an open, but unwarded winter-room.
There will be a nice shower to warm up again soon, promised!
We will discuss accommodation options in town before the trip. Everything is possible according to your needs and budget: from camping to AirB'n'B to 4-star palaces.
Difficulty
You should be able to safely climb in crampons. Previous training on steep ice is not absolutely necessary, but you must have some high-alpine / glacier experience and be fit for a day of cold weather workout. Also, safe belaying and good knowledge of multipitch climbing as a second is a must. Lastly, be prepared to freeze.
Gear
Full glacier travel and rock climbing kit. You need boots suitable for rigid crampons.
The ice climbing specific equipment is provided by us, as well as avalanche safety gear. Touring skis and boots are a bonus but not a requirement.
Included
- Organization and guiding by a IFMGA licensed Mountain Guide
- Rental gear
- All guide's expenses
Excluded
- 3 x Accommodation in Chamonix or in a hut approx. 60-100 € / night. More or less
- Lift tickets ca. 100 - 150 €
- Food and drinks
Specials
for this trip
Alternate dates: if it doesn't work out first try.
Ambitious alpine goals require the right conditions and this might not be the case on your first try. We understand that you don't want to hire a guide for not climbing your cherished dream route. On our individually arranged trips we discuss and agree on how to deal with this situation prior to the trip.
Understandably we cannot cancel all our trips in the high season. But we will come up with a fair deal for both sides: a prefixed alternate date, a voucher for the next attempt, an adapted rate for smaller and less committing objectives, or the option to cut off some days.
Bivies, acyclic and unknown paths: off the beaten track.
The Alps are the Playground of Europe and Europe is densely populated. Some areas are frequented to a degree that is almost grotesque. Traffic jams, risky overtaking maneuvers and utter chaos on lifts and huts are common sight. Clearly the experience must be suffering.
Clever planning can avoid this and the mountains can be experienced in a pristine way — even on big and renowned peaks. We have a long record of guiding some of the most prestigious summits using bivies and less known routes, or simply climbing acyclic. It has always paid off! Does this sound appealing to you? Let's discuss your next true adventure in the mountains!
Individual coachings - our specialty.
The technical basics of alpinism such as knots, crevasse rescue, setting up a belay etc. are rather easy to learn. What takes a lot more time to acquire are experience, judgement, situational decision making as well as all the tricks of the professionals that make life in the mountains easier.
A lot of alpinists were lucky to learn from more experienced mates. Our coachings give you that unique opportunity. We act as supervisors and consultants while you are climbing on the sharp end of the rope. We try to provide you with as much expert knowledge as we can. There is no business secret, we are happy to share our decision making and perhaps even learn something ourselves.
Advanced topics include complex rope techniques (e.g. the infamous short rope), tactics, speed improvement or analytical snowpack analysis. Our coachings are well suited for experienced teams.
Additional Info
and links
Admittedly: even in the high alpine, ice conditions are not what they used to be. A lot of wind and a lack of snow often lead to awkward mixed instead of fat ice in the gullies. A rush for the best routes certainly comes along with this.
However, we do know some less popular insider tips, and we, as of yet, have always found some whackable ice. The combination of ice climbing, a long granite rock-route, some limestone multipitch-sport in a t-shirt and a little skiing in between is not too bad for three days.
We will discuss our strategy considering conditions before the trip.
