Return to Plyon and Dry Tooling, La Grave - Part 4

The last one honest.

With Nik out of action and it safe to venture out to climb again, Darren and I headed out to Pylon and dropped Adrian and Jamie off on the 3rd attempt. Better planning next time guys.

Anyway, Darren and I walked into Plyon and geared up, while a couple of chaps from Grenoble finished there first route knocking loads of stuff down, but unlike the Spanish days before, they made lots of very clear early calls.

The weather was noticeably warmer and on leading the first pitch this was confirm.  Whilst Darren and I debated continuing up after I had had a good look and got soaked in the process, the French chaps joined us from above on the belay.

A short and comical exchange and it was decided that today valor needed to be shouldered and discretion heeded.  We lowered off.  I then lead the other side through the steepest line on soft wet ice and made my way to the belay.

At this point the French chaps waved, wished us well and departed.  I wondered out to the start the final pitch, place a screw that was immediately turned into a spout. Hmmm!  Darren and I deliberated for a little while and I pressed on a bit.  We chatted a little more and we decided to shoulder arms and head back to the gite for a beer.

Lowering off, the ropes got tangled, so I had to climb on very thin ice, scratching tool placements to regain the belay ledge and the ab off.  The ice and technique I had just encountered reminded me of Andy Kirkpatrick at one of his lectures explaining a lead that Ian Parnell had done and the fact that they had to sim-climb to complete the pitch.  Admittedly, they are faaar better climbers than me and didn't have a belay and were climbing much harder.

As promised we returned to the gite for a beer.

Saturday, the last day before the long drive home.  What do do?
We dropped Adrian and Jamie off at the base of a road side route and headed for a dry tooling boulder that Jim knew of, Nik, Cat, Darren, Jim and I.

On arrival Jim and I quickly rigged a few ropes and we proceeded to climb some of the routes and Jim and I tried a project that Jim had been working and both got shut, but not without a fight.  We eventually retired and headed back to the gite for the final night.

Left, I fight with the project and right, Jim practices some moves before clean this route eliminating the wooden holds.  (Photos by: Nik)


The week had been a fairly successful week for all, with the exception of Nik's hand and another group members ankle getting broken.  Thanks to Dave and Rich for organising the accommodation and food, and thanks to all for the great company and brilliant stories.

La Grave, Part 3. About time really.

With loads of powder being dumped over night and Nik's looking swollen and red, there was only one thing to do really......................................SKI!

So we did. We had decided this the night before and Nik had already got her skis sorted. So Adrian did the same in the morning, we got lift passes and hit the slopes.

The powder that had been dumped was amazing, the pictures below is on piste in Alpe D'Huez.

(Photo: Nik)

The white stuff was so light, deep and fluffy, I couldn't get enough of it.  Nik and the rest of the crew where loving it also.  As I got my ski legs it was time to head off piste, the snowing being so deep would prove to be a good thing.

Even thought the day was gloomy, the loads of powder more than made up for.  Nik got more comfortable with the powder and was soon heading of piste as well.  Doug and I continued to tear the powder up and managed to carve some fresh lines, some with the occasional bomb hole in the middle of them.

Doesn't look that steep here, but at the top, it drops away, like the side of a barrel.

(Photo: Nik)

As the day drew to an end the calls of one more run were made again and again, as jumps had been included in some of the runs this was certain to end in tears.  But it didn't, it ended like this.

(Photos: Nik and Steve)

Oh and some idiot decided to make a drop off out of the button tow way.

We headed to the bar for some Apres Ski and chatted excitedly about the days events.

The next day we headed out for more powder fun and spent some more time in Alpe D'Huez and even stopped for lunch.  Nik and Adrian and myself to a lesser extent had given Jamie a great deal of pointers as he had headed out to ski for the first time, after hearing about our previous days exploits.

Jamie, progressed a hell of a lot in that day and I am sure next season he will carve well.

Doug and I pushed hard in the afternoon to squeeze as many new tracks in the powder and we found a interesting kicker, which sent us both head first into the powder on our first jumps.  The next run, I managed some good air a held my form to land it and ski out of it.  Doug got some good air and almost held on for the win.  Mean while Nik continued to find fresh untouched powder and carve her way through it.

The end of the day soon drew in and it was time for more Apres Ski at the same great little bar and Nik even managed to make new friends.

It was then home for food and the Peglars Ice Fest quiz and my team missing the win by 1 point.

Ice can break stuff - La Grave (Part 2)

Day 3
The night before we had decided to head to Le Pylon near La Grave village.  It is under the gondola at P1 1800 that takes skiers to the lofty 3200 Le Ruillans where they can then access the 3550 Dome de la Lauze (http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=466646637503294251&postID=1260359404244775516) only good skiers need apply.

We wondered down a pleasant snow covered path took a little track to the left into the trees and started upwards immediately.  We had arrived as early as possible to beat the crowds and had failed slightly.  Although two chaps were leaving as we arrived, one looking clear annoyed and the other a bit sheepish, the absence of a set of axes was telling, his small pack would not have fitted them in. Oops!

The view from Le Pylon over La Grave

One of the other remaining parties was a guide and aspirant guide and two clients.  They had a couple of top ropes up, but where perfectly nice and the guide even decided to move to another location as much for us as his clients.  The exchange between us whilst at the crag was good hearted banter and encouragement for the clients.

The other team were to Spaniards, proving to be dangerous, careless and selfish.  There are certain ethics at a crag ice or rock, carrying out rubbish is one thing.  If you are purposely knocking off blocks of ice the size of PC boxes, you call some warning.

Adrian and Jamie had decided to do the right hand side of the ice fall and Nik and I were going to go up the left.  But after watching the masses of ice coming down we decided to follow Jamie and Adrian.  Whilst Jamie was coming to terms with how brittle the ice was, after some days climbing on brittle ice in Norway and being giving a very clever tip whilst there, I looked forward to it.




                               Jamie starts up the right hand side.


Whilst we waited for Jamie and Adrian to make head way, Nik decided it was Baltic in the shade and layered up (pic left), I drunk tea and ate, nothing unusual there.  We also watched Adrian dodge ice knock of by Jamie and get hit twice in the same spot.

We watched with terror the amount the Spanish team hurled off, rucking from under their feet or pulling it off purposely with their axes, watching it fall and not even call (the leader didn't even call for his second).  Normally at a crag you can't shut the Spanish up and they are great and entertaining company.

Soon Jamie had go to the belay and Adrian had started up, the route snaked slightly and knowing Adrian is an aware climber and that my line was to be slightly steeper on cleaner ice, I started up.  At first protected from the ice missiles from above by the slight bulge I had to decided to climb. Nik dodge ice below as Adrian started the second pitch and dodge ice from our friends above.  I called out to him as anything large came over the top as the Spaniards continued to to be quiet.

A few moves on and I had to step into the line of fire, a risk you take on a busy route.  Adrian called as he dislodged a couple of pieces, they missed me or I avoided them.  I called to him as a big piece the size of a football came down from the top again, no warning, it missed Adrian..........just!  I watched stuck in an exposed position as it hurtled towards me, it hit the lip of the bulge, I had sunk on to my feet a relaxed my arms a bit to absorb some of the impact, it shattered and a SLR camera size bit hit me clean in the bicep.  I stayed were I was, yelled at them about warning people, shook out and pushed on a couple more moves.

Soon I was on the line that Adrian and Jamie had taken and making steady progress dodging ice bombs and still enjoying it.  I cam to a large piece of smashed to bits ice, that needed moving.  I warned Nik, and then flicked it off to the right hand side away from danger.  Nik and I both watched it hit a big piece of solid sheet ice on a rock above Nik on the slope, break up a bit and the bits fly in Niks direction.  Nik braced herself the best she could and held on to the rope like a star as she was pelted in the hand by a very large bit of ice.

I asked if she was all right, she took a second or two to respond, when she did, she said no. I started to down climb to abandon the route, as I did so, without warning a couple more big pieces of ice came flying over Adrians head and whizzed towards me.  I adopted the same position, the ice hit me in the same spot and remarkably I stayed on the face.  My bicep burn hot, I down climbed to the gear below my feet and Nik lowered me off and I cleaned the route.

Once, on the ground Nik and I retreated to safety from the Spanish bombers and tended to her wound, my arm was fine after taking the strain off it.  Niks hand was already swelling and very sore, she couldn't move it.  We decided that was it.  We packed our gear away and Nik started out slowly, to go in hunt of tea and warmth, Le Grave was only 15 minutes easy walk away, so I am not a horrible boyfriend.

Adrian and Jamie, abseiled off the route a little while after and collected my ice screw I had lowered off, for me.  We packed our gear  and headed out to find Nik and head back to the gite for dinner and the story tellings of the day and Richards entertaining carry on in the gite.

We found Nik with her now even more swollen paw and bundle into the van.  We were convinced it was a small break on the back of the hand and time would conclude this.  I felt pretty bad even though I had done all I could to avoid it.

The upside was it was meant to drop a load of snow over night and no-one would be climbing.  It did! (Part 3, Skiing and Dry Tooling)