With Seb, we explore a line on the north face of Pic sans Nom, with slabs, corners, two bivouacs and plenty of doubts before we get back into the sun.
A state of emergency has been declared in France. Young people, their minds corrupted by repugnant ideas, have massacred innocent people. Now, the army has free rein to hunt down the terrorist vermin. The security frenzy is in full swing. And all of this fuels the warlike impulses of our empire’s leaders, who are hatching the most dubious alliances. The downward spiral…
Seb and I decide to get the hell out of this shitty world. We know some places where, in theory, we shouldn’t run into too many soldiers or jihadists—and certainly not any of our political leaders!
The stubborn high-pressure system that has been plaguing our region for over a month shows no signs of letting up. Several plans are on the table. In the end, we’re sure to choose the craziest one—and the least suited to the current conditions! The idea is to embark on a great adventure and joyfully head toward some big question marks.
The object of our desires? A faint line, marked by a massive dihedral between the Cambon-Francou and the Voie du Souvenir, on the north face of the Pic sans Nom. No information in the guidebooks. Let’s set out to explore it!
Sunday — Camp on the Glacier Noir
We’re going to camp at the base of the face, on the Glacier Noir. Looking at the face through binoculars really cracks us up! We’re already speculating about potential routes, and there are plenty right from the start. It doesn’t matter. We’re relaxed, happy to be out for a little trip in the mountains, with no pressure. As for the rest, we’ll see how it goes.
Monday — Slabs, dihedrals, and a bivouac on the face
No sleeping in. The most optimistic scenario is to get past the difficult sections today and set up camp at the granite-gneiss junction. To do that, we’ll have to climb part of the basement at night. It’s mid-November, and the days are short. That’s why we’re setting out to tackle the face at 5 a.m.!
Right from the start, you have to get to work. Nothing too bad. These slabs must be a breeze in climbing shoes and in the summer, but right now, in heavy boots and carrying a big pack, it’s a whole different story. At night, it’s hard to pick the best route. A very steep section forces us to take a detour to the right. I come across a belay station at the base of a ledge. That encourages me to put on my climbing shoes and set down my pack. It’s a good call: the section turns out to be quite slabby, though not too difficult in climbing shoes (6a). Above that, we head off diagonally to the left, between rock and snow, to get back directly above the route.
Seb climbs a long pitch of big holds (5c) and sets up a belay at the base of a section that’s too crammed to comfortably consider climbing in these shoes. Above us, the dihedral is closing in, and we’re starting to seriously consider Plan Bs!
Via a beautiful crack (6a+), I reach the arrow-shaped snowfield. At the start of the pitch, I come across a sling—probably for a rappel. There are many different approaches to the “Voie du Souvenir,” and it’s easy to get lost in this base rock.
Here we are at the base of the first section with a high probability of success. A pleasant surprise—a clear line is taking shape, at least for a stretch. Let’s keep going! It’s hard to tell from below. I was expecting a bit of artificial climbing at the start, but it turns out to be a great hike! Excellent holds and very good protection on the steep first section, followed by a small crux that leads to a diagonal line of weakness. 6a+. Beautiful climbing. It’s motivating!
Seb joins me at the belay station. It’s his turn. The only weak spot is that big, obvious sloping dihedral. All around it, the rock is solid and slab-like. The sight of the dihedral isn’t exactly inspiring. Over three or four meters, it’s cluttered with snow and ice… Meh.
Seb returns to the belay station. The retreat signal is about to sound. Without really believing it will work, he decides to check out the slab anyway. A solid piton secures the belay. Seb takes off and goes from one surprise to the next. There are holds—and even places to place protection! It’s committed climbing but not exposed. Definitely a 6b. Seb reaches the dihedral and navigates an overhanging but well-gripped section (6a+). A mysterious piton is already in place in the dihedral. As the second climber, with the big gear and a heavy pack on my shoulders, it feels like I’m climbing a 7b. But the climbing is so beautiful and unexpected that I enjoy it anyway!
Defying all our expectations, here we are at the top of the dihedral without too much trouble, after feeling the wind of victory blowing right in our faces!
We're now entering the second key section, which looked like it would be steep from a distance—and it certainly is up close! Seb makes a run on the left.
Then, finally, turn right.
The challenge lies in the conditions. Snow is piling up in some areas, and climbing shoes aren't exactly the best gear for snow! Seb handles this snowy 5c route well. He sets a belay after 30 meters.
We’re not out of the woods yet! To the left, seven or eight meters of perfectly smooth slab. Above, just looking at it is enough to scare you. All that’s left is a traverse to the right, along a crack, with no visibility of what lies ahead. We’re charging ahead! The traverse is well-protected and isn’t extreme in climbing shoes (6a), but in big shoes, it’s a whole different story. It’s my turn to lead, and I’m having a blast. Finally, something light!
After ten meters, this traverse takes me pretty much nowhere. The rock is still pretty solid in this area. A quick glance to the right. Forget it—it’s even worse! Once again, the sirens of the valley are calling us. Our hopes of continuing are practically nonexistent. I’m starting to wonder how on earth I’m going to catch up with Seb after this traverse!
Above me, with a single climbing move, I can place two good Camalots that would let me take a look at the next fifteen meters of steep rock. I look. There’s hope. I see a few holds and a crack that starts up again three meters higher. In any case, this motivates me more than the retreat, and we still have time, no matter which direction our climb takes!
I’m giving it a go. After two or three mandatory moves (6b/6b+), I manage—after a few contortions—to place a decent piton. Now I have a crack to protect myself. That’s better! The climb continues, but it’s easier until I reach the base of the next dihedral. Belay station—and hope is renewed!
The next pitch seems much more straightforward to us. There appear to be plenty of protection options—this is going to be a blast! Not quite as easy as it seems, though… You have to tread very carefully on this vertical section, where large holds are ready to give way. Still, it’s a 6a.
I hand off to Seb at the base of another dihedral. It ends in an overhang; there’s snow, and it doesn’t look easy. Seb opts for the spur—which a crack allows him to protect well—before returning above the dihedral (6b). And a stubborn Alien left behind!
The day is starting to draw to a close. We’ll have to find a spot to spend the night. Thirty meters up the mixed terrain, a short snowfield—almost at the base of the last dihedral on the “Voie du Souvenir” route—awaits us. That works out well—it’s already dark!
Right away, we start the earthwork and setting up the water supply. An hour and a half later, we’re in our sleeping bags, each on our own little platform, ten meters apart. Soon after, the wind picks up, and with it, the spindrifts, those little, playful powder avalanches.
The long trance of the campsite begins, with constant back-and-forth between consciousness and unconsciousness, a few bouts of deep sleep, and minutes spent gazing at the stars, dazzled like a child. Thoughts, images, and music swirl through my head—total escape! Then the wind and the sound of the spindrifts The gusts of wind whipping through the down bring me back to reality.
Tuesday — Path of Remembrance, outing to Kehrès and back in the sunshine
4:30 a.m. The alarm goes off, but it doesn't wake me up. I've already been coming up with a thousand strategies for at least an hour to figure out how to make breakfast and get out of my sleeping bag without dropping anything!
In the end, it wasn't that hard, and by 5:45 a.m., we were ready to move on. Almost a little too early, actually!
My day starts in the 6a dihedral on the "Voie du Souvenir" route. A big backpack, a few spindrifts …climbing with powder on the holds, in the cold, at night, with numb hands and feet… The perfect combination to turn a pleasant 6a pitch into a fierce street fight!
An hour later, I emerge at the relay point after burning through a few rounds. It looks like nothing too extreme lies ahead of us now. We’re in the snowfields at the transition between granite and gneiss. There are plenty of exit options ahead of us.
We don't want to take the ridge on the right—we've both already done it twice.
The central spur seems too steep to us given today’s conditions (quite windy). We’d prefer not to take off our gloves or crampons. We slowly veer to the left to find the Kehrès exit that Ju and I took last week. I suggest to Seb that we check out a weak spot—a likely route Hervé Dégonon took during his ski descent (yes, yes, on skis!). A mixed section, a snow cork. I struggle. I give up. Two pitons, one rappel, and I rejoin Seb, who’s been waiting for an hour!
Let's get out of here! The summit isn't our main goal—we've already been up there a few times... Now it’s time for the beautiful fossil ice couloir and the exit at the breach. The cold, the wind, and the barrenness of the face give way to the sun’s warm embrace. The contrasts of fall are mind-blowing!
A descent in broad daylight that lets us enjoy a magnificent spider-web rappel.
We take a good hour’s break at the Sialouze hill to polish off everything edible we can find in our bags!
One last little task for Seb: walk back up to Pré de Madame Carle, since the keys to his car—which is parked in Ailefroide—are still in my car, which is parked at Pré!!
Street name(s):
- A route with no name at Pic sans Nom—that makes sense!
- Otherwise, why *Presbyte des Ecrins* or *Eloge de la cuite*??
Practical Info / Route Topo
J1 — Bivouac at the foot of the north face
- Seb and I bivouac on Glacier Noir and use the binoculars to look at the line between the Cambon–Francou and the Voie du Souvenir. There’s no shortage of places where we might have to turn back.
J2 — Exploring the line and bivouacking on the face
- We start in the dark and work our way through slabs, corners and traverses, adapting the line to the rock, snow and gear. We level two platforms on a snow patch near the last corner of the Voie du Souvenir.
J3 — Kehrès exit and descent in the sun
- After the Voie du Souvenir corner and a detour up a mixed weakness, we reach the notch via the Kehrès exit. Daylight gives us time to enjoy a free-hanging abseil before a long stop at the Bosse de Sialouze.
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