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Ice & Alpine Climbing in Europe in March

Original Post
Hunter Creed · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 601

Looking for advice and recommendations for ice and alpine climbing during the later winter season, primarily mid-March. Thank you!

Jon H · · PC, UT · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 118

Have lots of money. Go to Cham. Enjoy.

kenr · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 16,608

Lots of great alpine ice climbing in the eastern half of the Ecrins mountain group -- like around Vallouise and Pelvoux.

On the west side of the Ecrins, they might plow the (remarkable) road into La Berarde by mid-March. (Sharon just rode it on her bicycle today).

Note that it's very useful in Europe to do approaches to ice and alpine climbs on skis.

Chamonix is good if you don't have a car, want to find English-speaking partners, and like to have mechanical lift assistance for approach.

The climbing in the Ecrins is like Chamonix Mont Blanc ... but more wild.
Really serious alpine terrain. Without many lifts. Without many tourists.
Recent English-language guidebook for eastern Ecrins / Pelvoux area by Sebastien Constant. Just looking at the color photos should be sufficiently intimidating (or inciting).

For a less wild intro to the NW _edge_ of the Ecrins, could try La Grave -- with lift assistance, and more English-speaking partners.

Ken

Hunter Creed · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 601

Haven't heard of this region, I'll look into it. Thank you!

And how much is a "lot" of money for say a week in Chamonix?

pierref · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2015 · Points: 0

1000-1500 depending the lodge you target and including 300 for lifts. Cheaper in Ecrin but do not expect to climb every day. Approaches may be huge even in some low elevation areas (Fournel). A car is mandatory together with winter tires (and / or) chains

kenr · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 16,608

The higher cost of lodging + lift tickets in Chamonix might be worth it compared the cost of renting and operating a rental car (much more expensive in Europe than USA). But I normally rent a car.

If you fly in to Geneva (only an hour's drive from Chamonix, or maybe three hours to eastern Ecrins if the Romanche valley road gets repaired on schedule) - and rent a car from the (usual) Switzerland side of the airport, then (at that time of year) the rental will include snow tires and chains.

One of the remarkable things about France is that they build and _plow_ asphalt roads into great mountain places (unlike in USA where they would be inaccessable in early springtime). In Europe, having a (non-4WD non-HC) car with snow tires gains you a lot.

Perhaps more important, the high cost of a rental car gains you the possibility of climbing on more days.
Because if weather/conditions are unfavorable in Chamonix Mont Blanc, you can drive to Ecrins / Pelvoux (which tends to get more sunny days).
Or drive to Switzerland or Italy (wherever the weather models on the web show sunshine). Or ...

the true "secret" jewel of France:
Amazing _seaside_ rock-climbing (and hiking / trail-running / scrambling) down south around Marseille and La Ciotat. Perhaps a bit over four hours driving from Chamonix, less from the eastern Ecrins.

Cliffs rising up out of the deep blue sea. Limestone, puddingstone, sandstone. Also lots of fun crags inland from Toulon within an hours' drive from the Sea. (Better to get modern French guidebooks, or at least RockFax select, rather than the American tick-lists which keep getting repeated and re-published from thirty years ago).

Marseille often has sunny weather when the rest of Europe is damp.
Another place to escape to sometimes is Finale Ligure (Italy) - excellent limestone sport crags (not so much scrambling + trail-running) - has a micro-climate sometimes uniquely dry (and perhaps no more driving time than Marseille, coming from Chamonix or Ecrins).

Ken

Jon H · · PC, UT · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 118

Great beta, thanks Ken. This will prove very useful for my next trip.

Hunter - I think Pierre's cost estimate is high. I did 3 weeks in Cham on about $800 USD in 2011 when the Euro was MUCH stronger. It would be about $660 in today's exchange rate. So about $220 USD per week. (This does not include the lift pass though). But we dirtbagged pretty hard to make it work.

We didn't spend a single night in the huts. We spent about half our nights illegally bivying either in the Midi station or right on the glacier below the Cosmiques. When we desperately needed showers or a warm bed, we stayed in the cheapest hostel (Ski Station at 13EU/night) and I definitely rummaged through a dumpster once or twice to see if any good food had been discarded. We ate out maybe 1 meals per week max (cheap burger and a beer) but otherwise did all our grocery shopping at the market and cooked cheap meals on our stove or in a hostel.

If I were going to go back (maybe this march, actually), I would definitely budget more money. The huts are indispensable if you want to do any long routes (grade V, etc). You just plain start too late if you're taking the first bin up from town. I would still stay in a cheap hostel. Probably wouldn't need to dumpster dive this time though :)

No matter what you do, don't even bother going if you don't have an alpine touring setup (Dynafit, etc) with ski boots you can also climb in. We tried using our regular leather climbing boots with Silvretta bindings and it nearly ruined the trip. They just suck.

Hunter Creed · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 601

Great beta gentlemen, thank you. I'm taking it all into consideration!

kenr · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 16,608
Jon H wrote:We spent about half our nights illegally bivying either in the Midi station or right on the glacier below the Cosmiques.
Are you sure that either of those is actually illegal?

Both have been discussed specifically (repeatedly?) on non-USA web forums.

I feel like I have heard that it's illegal to leave your tent up on the glacier below Cosmiques during daylight hours. And it wouldn't surprise me if there's a rule limiting how _close_ you are permitted to camp near a hut.

Ken
Jon H · · PC, UT · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 118

I recall hearing the same. But we got kicked out of the midi station every morning by upset staff, but we left our tent up on the glacier till about noon or so at least twice and were never hassled by the Gendermerie

kenr · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 16,608

More precise about the East side of the Ecrins: Freissinières

Another nice base, around the NW side of the Ecrins, is Bourg d'Oisans, which gives access to like Vaujany, Alpe d'Huez, and others. In a normal year it would give access also to La Grave, but for now the road tunnel between Bourg d'Oisans and La Grave is closed for difficult repairs / rebuilding.

Ken

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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