Trip report: 4-day rock skills course

When Isma and his three friends contacted me shortly before summer, their project was still vague. They wanted to do an alpine climbing trip. Mont Blanc came up, but something told them it might not be the best option.

Over the course of our exchanges, we clarified their expectations, their experience and their mindset. That's the whole point of direct contact with the guide: rather than picking a nice ready-made product from a catalogue, we tailor a trip to fit them!

So, no Mont Blanc-focused programme, which really didn't seem to match what they were looking for: on Mont Blanc, the summit goal takes up a lot of space and imposes a lot of constraints, at the expense of time to learn. The budget would also be much higher, with no guarantee of reaching the summit. The strategy for them was therefore simple: learn as much as possible and lay the foundations to choose and progressively climb their own routes.

So I proposed four days geared toward autonomy. The idea: discover the techniques of alpine rock climbing, learn to read the terrain and progressively manage a climb. These are also useful foundations for gaining autonomy in climbing and multi-pitch routes.

At the end of July, the season was already well advanced and the snow climbs were in poor condition. So we stayed on rock, to have time to go deeper. The group included climbers already familiar with rope handling and others who were discovering everything. It works very well in this type of programme: everyone progresses at their own pace, on terrain that lets me stay close to everyone.

Day 1 — Rock school at the Casse de Prelles

To start, we headed to a small crag in the area: the Casse de Prelles. We took stock of everyone's experience, then worked on knots, roping up, moving over varied terrain and placing protection. Very quickly, everyone was on small routes, leading or top-roping depending on their comfort. In mountain boots, of course: might as well stay on theme!

The day was dense. As I introduced new techniques, I could see the neurons heating up. You have to pace it: too much information at once and nothing sinks in. So we alternated thinking time and climbing time.

Day 2 — Training ridge on the Éperon Bouchier

Before heading onto the ridge, we built on the previous day's work with a session on belay stations in alpine terrain. Once the neurons were warmed up, we headed for the Éperon Bouchier.

The route is modest in scale, but its terrain lends itself perfectly to putting things into practice. There was enough climbing to keep everyone focused, and enough varied situations to learn from. It's both an alpine school and an introduction to multi-pitch climbing: two birds with one stone.

That day, the goal wasn't to go fast. You have to learn to observe the terrain, anticipate the difficult sections, take your second into account, choose your protection and manage your rope. That's already a lot. Efficiency will come with practice.

Day 3 — The PDB on the Aiguille Pierre-Étienne

This time, we headed into the high mountains, in the Glacier Blanc basin, even though we didn't plan to set foot on the glacier. The PDB awaited us: a fine route halfway between a ridge climb and a multi-pitch route.

I progressively let the two rope teams make the decisions. They linked pitches and handled the manoeuvres with less and less help. I stayed close by, because each new situation brought its share of questions. In the evening, we reached the Refuge du Glacier Blanc.

Day 4 — The Pic du Glacier d'Arsine

For this last day, we chose a route suited to the group's progress that would take us to a summit. I guided the approach to the start, then let them manage the rest, stepping in when necessary.

Little by little, the movements became smoother. The protection was better placed, the route was easier to read and the rope teams moved with more confidence. The progress made over these four days was clearly visible.

And to finish, the Pic du Glacier d'Arsine offered us a fine panorama. Not bad as a classroom!