Petit Fourche, Chamonix 🇫🇷
Four years ago in Norway, I saw a glacier for the first time. Since then, I have been fascinated with these frozen bodies and have visited many to photograph them. They seem so calm from above, but a lot is happening under them. Naturally, I wanted to explore glaciers up close, and finally, that became a reality last week when I decided to do my first alpine ascent.
Given that it was going to be my first time on a glacier, I wanted to do it with a guide who could show me the ropes. I contacted Will, an IFMGA-certified guide based in Chamonix, with whom I already climbed around Chamonix some weeks ago. I was also joined by a fellow Climber from Spain, Pablo. The goal was to summit Aiguille du Tour, a well-known peak in Mont Blanc massif that is a good starting point for anyone who wants to get into mountaineering. The summit was planned over two days.
The first day was all about getting to Refuge Albert 1er, a situation 2702M above sea level right by the tongue of Glacier du Tour. We expected to gain around 1200 meters of altitude over 6.6 KMs. The approach to the hut was not too hard, and there was a pretty well-traveled trail right to the refuge. However, it had snowed last night in Chamonix, which made the trail quite soggy and slippery.
The trail scenery was breathtaking. We had a good view of Aiguille Rouge, Mont Blanc glacier and Les Perrons. At the end of the hike, we were passing next to the tongue of the Tour Glacier, which was serene. We also got to see the fins and seracs of the glacier, which looks spectacular up close.
We had reserved a night's stay in the dorm, and since it was the second last night before the hut was supposed to shut for the season, there were not many climbers around. After a good lunch break, we put on our helmets and crampons to head over to the glacier. This was the moment I looked forward to the most, and my anticipation grew.
We began with basic crampon use. Walking with crampons is not as simple as you might presume. We discovered how to go up glacier walls using the crampons' front points and how to use an ice axe.
After that, it was time to do something exciting and vital, learn how to get yourself out of a crevasse in case you slip into one. Will set up a V-thread ice anchor for us. This was something that blew my mind. Basically, you drill two holes into the glacier at a 60-degree angle until they meet, thread the rope through the holes, and voila, you have got an anchor, and these V-thread ice anchors can withstand large forces.
Abseiling down the crevasse was quite scary at first. I was dangling by a rope, repelling down this crack in the ice. Below me lay darkness, and I could hear water rushing under the glacier. After reaching almost the bottom of the crevasse, I started using the front points of the crampons and the ice axe to climb to the top gradually. A wonderful thing about engaging yourself in such situations is that your mind entirely switches off. You are not thinking about worries about life, work, etc. You are right there, in the present moment. I vividly recall being so focused, kicking my feet to get those points deep into the glacial ice, striking my axe to bring balance, and unhurriedly moving up. After exposing myself to a little ice climbing on the glacier walls, I decided to try some proper ice climbing this winter.
When we finished our introduction to the glacier, it was time for dinner. We were back at the hut just in time for a beautiful sunset. It is incredible how quickly the landscape changes when the sun begins to set. The view was already rather stunning in the direct sunlight, but it was something else when the sun hit the horizon. Here is an exciting comparison of how the time of the day affects the mood of the landscape. Golden hour is the clear winner, in my opinion.
Afternoon
sunset
Sunrise
The following day we were out of the hut at 7:40 AM. The aim was to be at the peak of Petit Fourche within 3 hours. We had to ditch the plan to summit Aiguille du Tour because a massive bergschrund formed up at the mountain's base, making it very difficult to traverse. The trail started on frozen rocks and snow in the beginning. The whole time I thought we were just on the rocks next to the glacier until I came across a crevasse obscured between the rocks, a gentle reminder that we were on top of the glacier. It is common for some glaciers to be shielded with rocks and boulders because of frequent rock falls. Soon we cleared the rocks, and an expansive snow field with hundreds of crevasses was in front of us. And our goal was to reach the peak without falling into one.
Glaciers generally are of two kinds; dry, snow-free, rigid and easy to walk on because you can see the crevasses and steer clear of them. You need not be roped up to walk on a dry glacier. On the other hand, wet glaciers are a little tricky to figure out. As they are covered by permanent snow, you do not see the crevasses underneath. As a result, route finding on a wet glacier can be challenging. Thanks to the roped teams before us, we could follow in their footsteps, neatly dodging the crevasses without much concern. It was still daunting when we had to cross some of the crevasses over a snow bridge.
Soon we were at the base of Petit Fourche. From here on, it was a very steep climb to the top with knee-deep snow. At this point, I was so tired and exhausted that I did not even remember how I got to the top. At the top, we had to pull a few tricky moves with the crampons, nothing too technical, and we were already on the summit of Petit Fourche 3520M. The views from the top were spectacular. We could see the Valais Alps in Switzerland from here, including famous peaks like Matterhorn and Grand Combin. After a short break, we were ready to head down.
Going down from the Summit was quite harsh on my legs as I started having cramps in my left calf. Thankfully it went away very soon. Once we were down at the base, we had a steady downhill walk on the glacier. We could do it reasonably quickly and at a good pace. On our way back, we also tried doing our route finding to experience what it is like to make a new path on the wet glacier and how to judge where we could have potential crevasses. Soon we were down at the hut. It was time to pack our bags quickly and head down to the valley without losing momentum.
Within 2 hours, we were down in the valley. The weather was beautiful. We had a clear view of all the peaks around us, the autumn colours were already showing up in the valley, and we had a good conversation on the way. Despite a brutal day with 900M of ascent and 2200M of descent, my legs were in perfect shape. I could not have been happier. This summit marked the full recovery of my knees after a year of suffering from IT band syndrome.
My 14 hours drive from and back to Luxembourg to attempt the summit was worth it. The experience was wholesome. We had a summit in the bag on a beautiful day with some ice climbing on the side. It was an excellent introduction to mountaineering for someone doing it for the first time. This experience has only motivated me to head outdoors for more extensive and frequent adventures. Unfortunately, summer has ended, and I need to wait a couple of months before I can do it again, but I am definitely coming back to Chamonix for some ice climbing in the winter.
