It all started with a chat in Moran's about whether it would be possible to do a big Alp in a weekend. Julian gave it some thought and suggested a trip to Arolla in the Western Valais, where he had climbed before. Steve and Leo took little convincing and, before anyone could say "What about the BA strike at Heathrow", we were gearing up in the car park in Arolla with the Pigne d'Arolla as a clear target in the background.
Our plan was to ascend to the Vignette hut that night (Friday). Arolla is at 2000m and the Vignette is at 3100m. It would be a sharp acclimatisation. Weather permittting, we would set off the next morning with the intent of traversing Pigne d'Arolla and Mont Blanc de Cheilon to end up at the Dix hut. We had one day in hand for weather delays. All went to plan and we made the hut by 8pm; 3 and a half hours from the car park and in line with guide times. We were too late for dinner, so we carried up bread, meat, cheese and wine. An excellent supper, and in the bags by 9.
Alpine starts can be as early as 2 to avoid the problem of rockfalls and to make the most of frozen conditions which are faster for travelling over. We decided we had plenty of time, and none of us had much sleep recently (the night before had been spent rearranging flights from Heathrow to City), so we opted to get up later and have breakfast at 4:30.
Early risers woke me at 2. I couldn't get off again and I knew that it was the Perseids meteor shower that night. I geared up and climbed the small summit behind the hut.There's a huge slab on the precipitous summit. I climbed on top and lay down to watch the show. It was the best Perseids I'd seen. Conditions were clear and there were meteors firing in all over.
After a light breakfast, we all geared up and headed up the Pigne. We made a direct line up the icy slope above the col. It was a pretty exhilarating start and Leo looks suitably concerned about what the day might hold as the first light of dawn lands on the Mont Blanc massif in the background. I just look tired :o)
The summit of the Pigne was an icy, windy, white-out and we all wanted to get off as quickly as possible. The weather didn't look any better as we descended the Mur de la Serpentine. The only folk we met were heading off the mountains as the weather appeared to be worsening. We decided to head on in the hope that things might improve.
We made the Col de la Serpentine in reasonable time, then began the ascent of the steep snow slope above. Amazingly, the wind changed and the weather changed with it. The sun came out and, as we rested at 3650m with La Serpentine in the background, things were looking up.
The higher we climbed, the better the weather got. This made for warm work, but with the Pigne d'Arolla, La Serpentine and our route laid out behind us, spirits were high.
We crested the snow dome of Pt 3820 and only the East Ridge lay between us and the summit of Mont Blanc de Cheilon. The guide book described a straightforward scramble. When we reached the first rappel, with 'the Horns' beyond, it wasn't just the sunblock that caused faces to grow white.
On a nice day, below 2000m and wearing rock gear, the Horns and the ridge that followed would be a pleasant scramble with great exposure. At 3800m, carrying a 20kilo sack and wearing mountain boots, it was time to get serious heads on.
We decided to rap' down the first gendarme. We crossed the col and set about the first horn. We crossed this and skirted the second. Leo is standing just below the East Ridge proper and Julian is in the background crossing the first horn. There was drop of 250m to the south side and 600m to the north. The exposure was pretty decent.
Once over the Horns and onto the East Ridge proper, the climbing got a bit easier. The best rock was reserved for last, and a prow of red granite arc'd over our heads as we looked up to the summit. We crested this and felt tired but happy on the airy summit.
The altitude was taking its toll. We had summited, but we needed to get off safely. We had been on the go for well over guide times and I felt all over the place as we gingerly made our way down the SW ridge to the comparative safety of the snow slopes below.
The final leg out to the Dix hut was a fraught affair with all of us getting into difficulty at some point. Me and Julian went through separate crevasses without ropes on, Steve took a fall on a steep snow slope and went aways before arresting himself and Leo got into a tight spot at the head of glacier when everything started moving from under him.
We were more than a little relieved when we finally made it to the Dix hut. We were way over guide time (something like 12 hours, compared against 8). Most of that went down to the altitude, our pack weights and our inexperience as a group moving together in the high alps. That said, we had made it.
The next morning, the sun hit the high slopes of the north face of Cheilon. It is a beautiful peak and we had been there and back safe. We took a good look at that ridge - the rappel point, the horns and the final barriers to the summit; then we made our way out over the Pas de Chevre and into the pastures above Arolla.
To our south lay the Pigne. Now clear of the weather that had wrapped it as we passed yesterday. To the east, lay the great peaks of the Western Valais - Dent Blanche, Grand Dents, the Matterhorn and Mont Collon.
We decided to head down to Geneva that night to catch the last night of the Fete de Geneve. Just enough time the next morning for a coffee in the Old Town, a trip up the tower of the cathedral for views and then back to London City where it all began. A big trip for a weekend. It was always going to be tight, but we'd done it. A big route in the Alps in a weekend and a taste of things to come.