TMA – Stage 4 – Ice Climbing in Argentiere la Besse

To this stage I was looking forward since the very beginning of TMA. I hadn`t had much experience with ice climbing before, so was very keen to learn how to climb on ice well, safe and efficiently. I had felt that from this week I wanted to get the most.

Before coming to Argentiere, I had spent two weeks in the Alps without having much rest, so first two days I was really affraid if I was able to keep the pace. Fortunatelly enough, the plan was to start slowly with easy routes and then progress as our technics would improve.

Step by step learning by doing worked well and the improvement steps were to seen every day. It was a lot of fun to climb every day a bit harder route, having everything very much under control. So I led my first free-standing ice column (although with a pre-placed screws), my first multi-pitch ice fall in grade 4, my first steep mixed route. And it went well, I really enjoyed every single icy day.

There were two days left and it came to thinking of some serious route. Sebastian, local guru, suggested to try Sergio, kind of free-hanging ice fall that had to be approached through some overhanging dry rock. At first it seemed to me like science-fiction that I would be able even to follow him on this, but then I realized that chances like this come only few times in life. So we went for it.

The first pitch of this climb was the approach pitch, long traverse across powder covered slabs of loose and shitty rock that was as dangerous for leader as it was for us, following him. Seb had to do his best to find out even any protection to make it kind of safe. After following this pitch, asking god for saving me for a few times, I got to the belay and didn`t feel even a bit more comfortable. The belay was the only possible at this place, made in a loose blocks, using all imaginable protection devices. And from this belay, very serious ice climbing was about to beginn. At first kind of pendulum traverse to the right, than climbing on a thin, fragile ice columns. When we finished this pitch, we knew that the difficulties of the route were over. One more easier pitch and we knew the last challenge was to repal across free-hanging stalactites that were warning from being kicked down. Finally we were back on a solid ground and I knew I had experienced one of the most challenging climbs of my life. It was over and from the bottom it looked so great and what more, it was the first ascent of this year!

The other demanding climb the next day of WI 5+, M6 called Cascades des Viollins was a pure joy, even though being far from easy. But from the previous day I knew it wouldn`t be problem for me to follow the hard pitches behind great climbing ice-monkey Manu. Although he said he was to old monkey to climb something like this, he did a great job and led our way through overhanging dry part to big free-standing candle and we had a lot of fun and great finish to our week in Argentiere.