With Yannick, Morgane, Matthias and Nadine, a sunny beginner mountaineering weekend at Glacier Blanc, from crampon practice to Pic d’Arsine’s snowy ridge.
It had to happen sooner or later! A spell of good weather! Our first beginner mountaineering weekend that hasn’t been washed out or ended up in the Calanques. What a treat. The first lucky ones are Yannick, Morgane, Matthias and Nadine.
There’s still loads of snow up high, and it comes a long way down too. We bring snowshoes to save ourselves too much wading, especially as most of the tracks out there have been made by skiers.
Day 1 — Glacier Blanc hut and first steps in crampons
The walk to the Glacier Blanc hut already has us using crampons and working harder than usual, when we’d just amble up the summer path.
In the afternoon we find a little patch of ice on the glacier. It isn’t much to look at, but it’s enough to go over the basics of crampon technique. The wind freezes us a bit, but I’ve rarely seen the mountains looking so good at this time of year!
Day 2 — Pic du Glacier d’Arsine
The next day we make for Pic du Glacier d’Arsine. As the first people on foot, we have to break trail for a while, but it’s quite manageable.
We reach the summit ridge and it looks straight out of a Samivel illustration. Huge cornices spill over the Arsine side, with barely a rock showing. The summit is completely covered in snow. Everyone’s happy to be up here, especially as there isn’t a breath of wind and we can take our time.
An easy descent to the hut, a quick bite, then down to the valley.
Practical Info / Route Topo
J1 — Glacier Blanc hut and ice practice
- We head to the hut with snowshoes and crampons in our packs. We need the crampons on the way up, then work on the basics on a small patch of ice in the afternoon.
J2 — Pic du Glacier d’Arsine’s summit ridge
- We break trail on foot towards the ridge, enjoy the snow-covered summit in still air, then descend via the hut.
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