Back on Esmeralda with Yann after a first failed attempt: lovely ice, no other climbers and a second lap of the crux pitch before putting the axes away.
After a proper false start the previous day, with far too many climbers on Esmeralda, Yann and I return for another go. This time, we make an outrageously early start… meeting in Pallon at 8 a.m.!
Compare that with yesterday’s 9 a.m. departure, which cost us an hour’s walk before we discovered a sizeable bunch of climbers hanging at the first belay. A fine result, especially when the whole idea was to avoid the procession at Gramusat!
There is a brief moment of despair today when we spot a team of three heading straight towards Esmeralda… But the three of them eventually turn left towards some unknown destination, leaving us alone with the beauty. Excellent!
What can I say? This icefall is a lovely little treat.
With the mild temperatures that day, the ice is excellent on the difficult sections. Yesterday’s traffic has cleaned up much of the line, and we make good use of the existing tool placements. The climbing remains serious, but in these conditions it feels sound and offers good protection.
Perhaps we are getting too used to doing laps while skiing: we have barely finished before we want another go!
We have time, and we are a little daft — especially me! — so off we go for a second lap of the crux pitch, taking it easy with the screws still in place. A proper treat!
Still, the mild weather encourages a healthy degree of suspicion towards all those magnificent hanging structures, full of water and waiting for their moment to surrender to gravity without warning…
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