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Fitness Training for Climbing

 

 

 

 

 

One of the few serious contenders for the title of "World's Most Famous Ski Resort", Chamonix Mont Blanc (as the resort prefers to be known) has the world's biggest lift-served skiable vertical drop of 2807 metres ( 9209 feet ), one of the world's longest runs through the Vallée Blanche at 22 km ( 13.7 miles ) and staged the World's first Winter Olympics in 1924. Beyond these spectacular statistics is Chamonix's relatively undisputed status as the world's tough mountain sports capital, the subject of endless ski magazine reports each season from editors wishing to prove they descended between the glacial crevasses and lived to tell the tale!

For lesser mortals there are plenty of on-piste kilometres to soak up, all dominated by the spectacular scenery of Mont Blanc, Western Europe's highest peak (and Europe's second highest after Mt Elbrus in Russia, although some dispute whether Elbrus is in Europe).

Chamonix's history has been traced to Bronze Age times and its current status was confirmed in a report as far back as 1751 when the locals were described as "the most uncompromising men in Europe". Ten years before that Englishmen William Windham and Richard Pococke had been on the first recorded tourist trip, reaching the Mer de Glace.

The first skis in the valley were spotted in 1893 and by 1907 one of the world first cable cars, 'Les Glaciers' was in operation (since removed). Six more were to follow between 1927 and 1963. The Mont Blanc Tunnel opened a few years later ensuring first rate access infrastructure in to the future. Chamonix Mont Blanc itself is a lively town with its own character, not just one created every winter season and reinvented every summer. That character reflects the attitude of its residents and of most visitors - a true love of the mountains.

 

 

Apres Ski

Chamonix is a very lively town, thanks largely to the international mix of mountain sports enthusiasts and the attitude of the local population. Snowboarding and skiing videos keep the white stuff coming well into the night for those who can't cope with leaving it up the mountain when the lifts close, then there is a range of bars, night clubs and discothèques open until dawn's light. Popular choices include the Ice Rock Caf‚ where someone parked most of a lorry in the basement, and Wild Wallabies, the Chamonix answer to St Anton's legendary Krazy Kangaruh hedonistic haven.

Other night time possibilities include the only genuine 10 pin bowling alley in the Alps (8 computer checked lanes), a three screen cinema in the recently renovated Vox complex, a Bridge club at Le Majestic and a casino attracting regular Italian, Swiss and international clientelle to the roulette and black jack tables. There are also one armed bandits and video poker as well as the famous Napoleon III room.

 

Eating out

With over 100 restaurants and eateries to choose from, there is something for everyone's taste in Chamonix Valley. The options range from Michelin Guide-rated gourmets' delights to fast food outlets. Popular choices include La Cantina for Mexican and the atmospheric converted barn, L'Impossible. La Bergerie is good for local dishes.

The restaurants owned by the resort's two best hotels - the Albert 1er and the Auberge de Bois Prin - are at the top end of the gourmet/price scale. Traditional local dishes include 'les diots' - a local sausage spiked with herbs, and 'le farcement', a 'cake' of potatoes, prunes, sultanas, diced bacon, flavoured with eau de vie and served as an accompaniment to meat dishes. Another choice is 'le berthoud', a local Abondance cheese served with local smoked ham and beef with jacket potatoes.

 

Facilities

There are other things to do in Chamonix besides ski, breath and eat, although you don't hear much about them! There is a municipal library and an alpine museum, the latter full of interesting insights in to the town's remarkable history. Heritage visits to sites of interest in the town are also arranged through the tourist office. All mountain sports besides skiing (in all its forms) and 'boarding are well catered for of course, particularly snow shoe walks, with day and night time guided walks offered (there is a night skiing slope also). A further 17 km (10 miles) of pedestrian walks are available on three marked looping routes.

There are indoor and outdoor tennis courts, 3 squash cour, an indoor climbing wall, and a swimming pool and ice rink which were fully refurbished in 1997. Paragliding, horse drawn carriage rides and scenic helicopter flights are also available.

 

Argentiere Resort Information

 

 Lifts & Slopes

Highest lift:

 3,275m (10,744ft)

Lowest lift:

 1,250m (4,101ft)

Vertical drop:

 2,025m (6,643ft)

Number of lifts:

 11

Uplift capacity:

 51,000 p/hr

Number of slopes:

 16

Beginner:

 37%

Intermediate:

 38%

Expert:

 25%

Total piste length:

 30km

Snowboard parks:

 1

Cross country:

 43km

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Poetry

 

Mountains

 

Majestic mountains
Their spires lifted
To greet the sun
Embracing the sky
Since time has begun
Clothed with green splendor
Guarded by hills
Greeted with wonder
Crowned with white
Like sparkling jewels
Upon a great height
Waterfalls flow like fountains
Oh, that I should return
Majestic mountains

 

Ivy Schexnayder

Been Away

 

I’ve been away,
But now I’m home,
Took to the hills,
No cars, no phone,
I climbed a mountain,
Reached the sea,
Quiet contentment,
Followed me,
Sole companion,
My best friend,
She must have known,
I’d reached the end,
She called me up,
To rescue me,
She let me sleep,
She let me be.

Linda Harnett

 

 

Quotations:


 1.
  

 
Climb every mountain, ford every stream
Follow every rainbow, till you find your dream!
[Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960), U.S. songwriter. Climb Every Mountain (song), The Sound of Music (stage musical, 1959; film, 1965).]


 2.
  

 
In the mountains of truth you will never climb in vain: either you will already get further up today or you will exercise your strength so that you can climb higher tomorrow.
[Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), German philosopher, classical scholar, critic of culture. Friedrich Nietzsche, Sämtliche Werke: Kritische Studienausgabe, vol. 2, p. 522, eds. Giorgio Colli and Mazzino Montinari, Berlin, de Gruyter (1980). Mixed Opinions and Maxims, aphorism 358, "Never in Vain," (1879).]


 3.
  

 
It doesn't seem so much to climb a mountain
You've worked around the foot of all your life.
[Robert Frost (1874-1963), U.S. poet. "The Mountain."]


 4.
  

 
Our task, regarding creativity, is to help children climb their own mountains, as high as possible. No one can do more.
[Loris Malaguzzi (20th century), Italian early education specialist. Quoted in The Hundred Languages of Children, ch. 3, by Carolyn Edwards (1993).]


 5.
  

 
I have climbed several higher mountains without guide or path, and have found, as might be expected, that it takes only more time and patience commonly than to travel the smoothest highway.
[Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), U.S. philosopher, author, naturalist. A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (1849), in The Writings of Henry David Thoreau, vol. 1, p. 193, Houghton Mifflin (1906).]


 6.
  

 
The tops of mountains are among the unfinished parts of the globe, whither it is a slight insult to the gods to climb and pry into their secrets, and try their effect on our humanity. Only daring and insolent men, perchance, go there. Simple races, as savages, do not climb mountains,—their tops are sacred and mysterious tracts never visited by them. Pomola is always angry with those who climb the summit of Ktaadn.
[Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), U.S. philosopher, author, naturalist. "Ktaadn" (1848) in The Maine Woods (1864), in The Writings of Henry David Thoreau, vol. 3, pp. 71-72, Houghton Mifflin (1906).]


 7.
  

 
But now, our boat climbs hesitates drops
climbs hesitates crawls back
climbs hesitates
O be swift
we have always known you wanted us.
[Hilda Doolittle (1886-1961), U.S. poet. "The Helmsman."]


 8.
  

 
Follow in the footsteps of your fathers' virtue! How could you hope to climb high unless your fathers' will climbs with you?
[Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), German philosopher, classical scholar, critic of culture. Friedrich Nietzsche, Sämtliche Werke: Kritische Studienausgabe, vol. 4, p. 363, eds. Giorgio Colli and Mazzino Montinari, Berlin, de Gruyter (1980). Zarathustra, in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Fourth and Last Part, "On the Higher Man," section 13 (issued privately in 1885, publication in 1892).]


 9.
  

 
... climbing the primordial climb,
a dream within a dream,
then sitting here
holding a basket of fire.
[Anne Sexton (1928-1974), U.S. poet. "The Witch's Life."]


 10.
  

 
An old, mad man still climbing in his ghost,
My fathers' ghost is climbing in the rain.
[Dylan Thomas (1914-1953), Welsh poet. "I fellowed sleep."]

 

 

More Quotations

1.
  

 
You may raise enough money to tunnel a mountain, but you cannot raise money enough to hire a man who is minding his own business.
[Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), U.S. philosopher, author, naturalist. "Life Without Principle" (1863), in The Writings of Henry David Thoreau, vol. 4, p. 460, Houghton Mifflin (1906).]

 


 2.
  

 
Mountain, mountain, mountain,
marking time. Each
nameless, wall beyond wall, wavering
redefinition of
horizon.
[Denise Levertov (b. 1923), Anglo-U.S. poet. "Into the Interior."]


 3.
  

 
In the vale of restless mind
I sought in mountain and in mead,
Trusting a true love for to find.
[Unknown. Quia Amore Langueo (l. 1-3). . . Oxford Book of English Verse, The, 1250-1918. Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. (New ed., rev. and enl., 1939) Oxford University Press.]


 4.
  

 
A mortal splendor: meteors are not needed less than mountains:
shine, perishing republic.
[Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962), U.S. poet. Shine, Perishing Republic (l. 6). . . Oxford Book of American Verse, The. F. O. Matthiessen, ed. (1950) Oxford University Press.]


 5.
  

 
Not since Moses has anyone seen a mountain so greatly.
[Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926), German poet. Quoted in Rilke, Letters on Cézanne, foreword (1952, trans. 1985). Remarking on Cézanne's picture of the Montagne Sainte-Victoire to Count Harry Kessler.]


 6.
  

 
What would be ugly in a garden constitutes beauty in a mountain.
[Victor Hugo (1802-1885), French poet, novelist, playwright, essayist. Trans. by Lorenzo O'Rourke. "Thoughts," Postscriptum de ma vie, in Victor Hugo's Intellectual Autobiography, Funk and Wagnalls (1907).]


 7.
  

 
Our peace shall stand as firm as rocky mountains.
[William Shakespeare (1564-1616), British dramatist, poet. Mowbray, in Henry IV, Part 2, act 4, sc. 1, l. 186. A rebel hopes to negotiate peace with the King.]


 8.
  

 
These lies are like their father that begets them, gross
as a mountain, open, palpable.
[William Shakespeare (1564-1616), British dramatist, poet. Prince Hal, in Henry IV, Part 1, act 2, sc. 4, l. 225-6. To Falstaff, who has hugely exaggerated his account of a fight with the disguised Prince and Poins; "gross" means huge, and hence obvious.]

 


 9.
  

 
Climb every mountain, ford every stream
Follow every rainbow, till you find your dream!
[Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960), U.S. songwriter. Climb Every Mountain (song), The Sound of Music (stage musical, 1959; film, 1965).]


 10.
  

 
Faith no doubt moves mountains, but not necessarily to where we want them.
[Mason Cooley (b. 1927), U.S. aphorist. City Aphorisms, Second Selection, New York (1985).]

 

A Short History of Mountaineering in Chamonix [Source: Chamonix Networks]

18th Century
1760 - Alpinism is invented.
The Genevan naturalist, Horace Bénédict de Saussure, offered a large reward to a one who could find the way up Mont Blanc.On the 24th July he visited "Chamouny" and climbed up to the Brevent.
1786 - The first ascent of Mont Blanc.
Jacques Balmat ,a local crystal hunter by proffesion, a man with an iron will and an instinct for the mountains teamed up with a Dr. Paccard, a Chamonix doctor .On August 2, 1786 the two men left Chamonix and camped at the summit of “Montagne de la cote”.At 4.00am they left for the Grand Plateau, and at 18.23 they reached the summit. Their ascent was followed by telescope from Chamonix.
1787 – Saussure to the summit.
On the 1st of August at the age of 47yrs H.B. Saussure with 18 guides arrived at he summit of Mont Blanc.This was acheived after a bivouac at the Grand Plateau.

19th Century
1808 – First female ascent of Mont Blanc.
By a Local Chamonix woman: Marie Paradis.
1818 – Aiguille du Midi, First ascent by A. Malczewski and Jean-Michel and five other guides on the 4th August.
1820 – The first catastrophy.
A group of five guides ,left for Mont Blanc. Just below the Grand Plateau an avalanche swept them into a crevasse. Only two survived. The other three bodies were discovered 41yrs later at the bottom of the Bossons Glacier.
1823 – The Chamonix guides company was established.
1857 – The Alpine Club was founded in London. The Mont Blanc and Aiguille de Midi were still the only peaks to be conquered. The Golden age of Alpine Climbing was about to begin.
1864.-. The Golden Age of Climbing. An English designer Edouard Whymper and Michel Croz a trainee guide, accomplished three 1st ascents in one week; The Col de Triolet, L’Aiguille de Treletete and the L’Aiguille d’Argentiere.
1864 – First ascent of Aiguilles d’ Argentière, 15 July, A. Reilly, E. Whymper, M. Croz, M. Payot, H. Charlet.
1865 – Grandes Jorasses, 24 June, E. Whymper, C. M. Croz, C. Almer, F. Biner
1865 – Aiguille Verte, 29 June, E. Whymper, C. Almer, F. Biner
1871 – Aiguille du Plan, July, J. Eccles, M. and A. Payot.
1876 – Les Droites, 7 August, H. Cordier, T. Middlemore, J. Oakley, J. Jaun, A. Maurer.
1879 – First ascent of the Petit Dru, 29 August, Jean Charlet-Straton, Prosper Payot et Frederic Folliguet
1880 – One century after the first ascent of Mont Blanc over 3000 people attempted to climb
1881 – Aiguille du Grepon, 5 August, A. Mummery, A. Bergener, B. Venetz.
1882 – Dent du Geant, 28 July, J,-J. B. D. Maquignaz.
1887 – Grands Charmoz, 10 September, A. Mummery, A. Bergener, B. Venetz.
1897 – Les Courtes, 17 August, O. Schuster, A. Swaine.
1898 – Aiguille de Blatière, 7 August, By the Spencer couloir, S. Spencer, C. Jossi, H. Almer.
1898 – Aiguille de Triolet, 3 September J. B. Guyot, J. Brocherel, A. Rey.

20th Century
1901 – Mont Maudit, 31 July, P. Cassan, P. Kornacker
1904 – The Charpoua refuge opened
1938 – The Walker Spur, Grandes Jorasses, 6 August, R. Cassin, L. Esposito, U. Tizzoni.
1938 – First winter traverse of the Drus by Armand Charlet et Camille Devouassoux
1952 – South face of the Dru, André Contamine et Michel Bastien
1955 – Bonatti Pillar, The Dru, 22 August, Soloed by Walter Bonatti.
1957 – First winter ascent of west face of the Dru, Jean Cousy et Réné Desmaison
1961 – Central Pillar of Freney, 29 August, C. Bonnington, R. Robbins.
1962 – American Direct, The Dru, 26 July, G. Hemmings, R. Robbins.
1963 – First solo of the West face of the Dru, Réné Desmaison
1964 – The first winter ascent of the north face by Georges Payot – Yvon Masino – Gérard Devouassoux
1966 – A rescue on the south face of the Dru
1967 – First ascent of the route des Guides on th N. face, Yannick Seigneur – Claude Jager – Michel Feuillerade – Jean Paul Paris
1973 – First ascent of the north Grand Couloir on the Dru – Claude Jager et Walter Cecchinel
1975 – First ascent of Col du Dru, Emmanuel Schmutz, Claude Tuccinardi
1975 – The first descent of the south face of the Dru on ski’s Jean-Marc Boivin
1979 – First ascent of the route”C’est rrive demain” Patrick Bérault – Claude et Yves Rémy 1981 – Enchainement Fou – American Direct, Jean-Marc Boivin – Patrick Bérault
1982 – First solo ascent of the American direct on the Dru, Christophe Profit
1980 à 1989 : Des enchainements … Eric Escoffier – Rémy Escoffier – Daniel Lacroix – Christophe Profit – Michel Fauquet
1982 – First ascent of the French Direct on the Dru by Christophe Profit – Michel Bruel – Hervé Sachetat – Hubert Giot
1983 – The American Direct freed on the Dru, Thierry Renault – Pascal Etienne – Christophe Profit – Eric Escoffier
1983 – First Winter ascent of the Leseuer route on the N. face of the Dru, Thierry Renault, Andy Parkin
1984 – Grand Pillar d’ Angle, 8 August, Direct route of Divine Providence
1986 – First descent on snowboard of the Dru by Bruno Gouvy
1989 – The first winter solo ascent of the Bonatti Pillar on the Dru by Alain Ghersen
1990 – Enchainement: Directe Américaine – Walker – Intégrale de Peuterey, Alain Ghersen 1991 – First ascent of the route “Destivelle” on the West face of the Dru, Catherine destivelle
1992 – First solo of the French Direct on the Dru, Francois Marsigny.

 

 

 

 

Climbing and Rock Climbing Grades Chart

Source: Snowdonia Adventures

 

Welcome to a very complicated arena! It is an attempt to aid you as a client in informing us about the grade which you can climb here in the UK so as to help us with planning your day out. Bouldering grade chart at the bottom of the page to help those with skinny legs determine what they can pull themselves up and along too.

 

 

UK adjectival
(The grade letters below link to photos of typical north Wales routes)

UK
tec

Fr

UIAA

DDR

USA

OZ

 

Scrambling
Grading
ends here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

I

I

5.2

 

 

M

 

2

II

II

5.3

11

 

 

D

 

VD

3

III

III

5.4

12

 

 

 

S

4a

4

IV

IV

5.5

 

 

IV+

13

 

HS

4b

5

V-

V

5.6

 

VS

V

VI

5.7

14

 

 

HVS

4c

 

5+

V+

15

 

VIIa

5.8

 

E1

 

5a

16

 

VIIb

 

VI-

5.9

17

 

E2

 

5b

6a

VI

VIIc

18

 

6a+

VI+

5.10a

19

 

 

5.10b

 

E3

5c

VII-

VIIIa

20

 

6b

5.10c

 

E4

6b+

VII

VIIIb

5.10d

21

 

6c

VII+

VIIIc

5.11a

22

 

 

E5

E5

6a

 

6c+

VII+

IXa

5.11b

23