Advice for American climbing in Europe for the first time?

Hi all,

I'm going to be alpine climbing in Europe for the first time this September and was wondering if any of you with relevant experience had any advice regarding important details that might trip me up but that I wouldn't anticipate. Things that might cause logistical problems like not being able to find fuel for certain stoves, or differences in climbing etiquette, etc. Found out recently that rappels in Chamonix for instance are set for 50m double ropes, and hoping to avoid running across something like that at an inconvenient time.

I've traveled to various places throughout Europe many times before, but never to climb, in fact never climbed outside the US at all, so this will be a new experience for me in a lot of ways and I'm hoping to make the most of it while keeping it as cheep as possible and safe.

Thanks

Where are you planning on going and what type of climbing are you interested in?

The double rope rappels was definitely a limiting factor when I was over there, but we were still able to find a lot of stuff in the dolomites (not as easy in Chamonix) that we could walk off or make single rope raps.

I was on a multipitch route and two other groups (italian army doing "mountain training") basically decided to climb on top of us which ended up being a bit of a cluster. Only happened to us once, but have heard similar stories from others about the guides in Chamonix. Most of the people (locals actually seemed to be the problem) were quite friendly and polite when climbing the popular multipitch routes.

"not being able to find fuel for certain stoves"-
We were over there camping for 8 weeks and didn't bring a stove, mainly for space/weight reasons, but it worked out well for us. Just an option to consider.

Camping-it seems that you can camp anywhere overnight as long as you are sleeping in a vehicle and not setting up a tent which is quite different from the US. If you're climbing in the Dolomites this is a huge advantage because driving from the nearest town every morning can add quite a bit to your day and burns a lot of gas.

Are you getting a vehicle or using public transportation?

Re: stove fuel

White gas (Coleman fuel) is hard to find and expensive. Threaded gas cartridges (MSR, Snow Peak, Coleman) are easier to find, especially in a mountain town/climbing center. Lots of cheap gas cartridge stoves use a clip-on cartridge by Bleuet that I haven't seen in the US. If you're going to be in one area for a while, you could always buy a cheap gas cartridge stove and a few cartridges that fit, instead of bringing one over from the US.

Will, I was planning on Chamonix unless there was reason (conditions of partners) to go elsewhere and Chamonix wasn't working for me.

I'm looking for alpine climbs mostly. Rock snow and ice. Whatever I can get, and as it so happens I have half ropes

mark felber wrote:Re: stove fuel White gas (Coleman fuel) is hard to find and expensive. Threaded gas cartridges (MSR, Snow Peak, Coleman) are easier to find, especially in a mountain town/climbing center. Lots of cheap gas cartridge stoves use a clip-on cartridge by Bleuet that I haven't seen in the US. If you're going to be in one area for a while, you could always buy a cheap gas cartridge stove and a few cartridges that fit, instead of bringing one over from the US.

Us Euros just use the readily available alternatives instead of paying over the odds for Coleman fuel:-)
I use waschbenzine as live in Germany but my brother uses panel wipe as he´s in the U.K. In France you go to a hardware store and buy Essence A.

This is the website for different fuel names throughout the world:- fuel.papo-art.com/

For normal camping for a shortish time the cheapo disposable-cartridge gas stoves are the best option anyway, you can get a cooker and 3 cartridges for about 10 bucks.

Cool, thanks for the tips guys.

Another issue has just come to mind I'm wondering if anybody has any experience with. Anybody know what travel restrictions are like for carry on bags in the EU? In the US we have the TSA and in Canada the CATSA which both advertise a variety of sporting goods which are approved (or not) to be carried. Anybody have any experience with travelling internationally with climbing gear and know what organization manages this for the EU, or even if it's an EU wide organization, or specific to each member state?

Chamonix is awesome, you'll have a blast alpine climbing there. It can be ridiculously expensive compared to low-key camping/climbing in the U.S. The popular style nowadays is to rent a flat in town & ride the telepherique up & down to access the climbs. Be prepared to spend a lot of $ doing that and also plan on climbing really fast in order to make the last car down. Another option is to stay at the huts on the mountain, also pricey but you're not paying for the cable car everyday. The dirtbag option is to camp on the glacier, it's free and you can set-up anywhere you want. If you camp near a hut you can usually cook inside there.

As far as travel goes, the climbing gear is fine in the carry-on, just no sharp points. I will often bring the ropes and/or rack in the carry-on to save weight in he checked bags. Crampons, ice tools, screws, etc in the checked bag. Be sure to pad those sharp points.

The European agency is EASA.
The stuff you can carry is here:- ec.europa.eu/transport/mode…
The intepretation varies from country to country, airport to airport or even between the security personel, ropes, karabiners etc have been refused before now as hand luggage. Plan on only carrying clothing etc in you hand baggage.
The hand luggage weights and sizes vary between airlines.

Check out conditions before you commit to Chamonix. This summer has been very warm, with dangerous rockfall conditions leading to the closing of some important huts and bad conditions on some routes.

chamoniarde.com/?page_id=18…

There have been lots of threads on here about air travel and climbing. Personally I haven't had trouble flying with climbing hardware in my carry on to Europe (nut tool and knife checked...).

September: Be prepared to alter your plans. Summer time heat takes its toll on various routes, but September often starts to bring others into shape. That said, September is often the beginning of winter in Chamonix, so snow fall and long periods of bad weather are quite common. There is always climbing to be had, either in the valley, or on the many one day routes; just don't dismiss or down play the weather and route condition issues.

Etiquette: Do what you do here and you will be fine. That said, the Europeans are pushy and assertive when climbing, and they are unapologetic about the hazards of alpine climbing like knocking rocks down on you.

The Range: it is a big range with lots of options, so don't dismiss the Aig. Rouge and the Swiss and Italian sides of the Massif. For instance a bus ride to Argintere will give you access to a lot of routes, so getting to good routes is not limited to Chamonix. The Rouges offer great Alpine Rock climbing at a lower elevation and without glacier travel.

Route And Weather Beta: The Bureau de Guides across the way from the Tourist information Center offers great information and up to date weather forecast. Generally if they tell you something is in questionable condition or the route may not be for you, it is with knowledge and not bias or bull shit, so take note.

I wish you safe travels, and safe climbing. All in all Chamonix should be one of your climbing life highlights. If you need route information or other help, please feel free to email me. And note my French is bad so I may have misspelled more than one word, but it is close enough to get you there.