With Nico, a first taste of ice climbing in Chambran: four pitches, airy abseils, Ravin du Pissa and one final line before a well-earned beer in the sun.
A day of beginner ice climbing with Nico, who has recently made the Hautes-Alpes his home!
The limited snowfall at the start of 2015 has one advantage: easier access to areas that usually involve a lengthy walk in…
I suggest exploring the Chambran valley. The road is almost dry all the way to the summer car park. Easy!
Several icefalls are waiting for us. We start with the Cascade de Chambran. Nico immediately feels at home, and we climb the four pitches without any trouble!
Rather than walking down, we opt for a little ropework practice: three abseils, including a free-hanging one right beside the free-standing ice pillar. Quite an atmosphere!
That brings us back to the foot of the icefall with plenty of time to spare. Its neighbour in the Ravin du Pissa is only a fifteen-minute walk away. We cannot resist. Slightly harder ice, slightly steeper climbing… A gradual progression!
By around 3 p.m., we are back at the car. Two options: drink the beers Nico thoughtfully brought along and bask in the sunshine, or explore another icefall opposite the Cascade de Chambran, on the valley’s true right bank.
Enthusiasm wins, and we choose the second option!
We end up climbing one long pitch with a short vertical section and some impressive bulbous ice formations alongside us.
At least that gives the beer a little longer to cool… We enjoy it all the more!
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