Chamonix

A steady drive from Moustiers in gradually deteriorating weather and we landed back in Chamonix just a week later than last year. Again there is masses of snow around and some pretty unsettled weather, though the forecast is for an improvement, fingers crossed I might get a bit of cragging done.
We used the poor weather to look up Jon (Monty) de Montjoy who has lived higher up the valley in Valorcine for the 20-odd years since we last met!
A walk up to the Bosson Glacier, in intermittent snow showers offered great views of the Aiguilles and good chance for a leg stretch. The 120 person Midi cable-car gave a touch of scale to the scene.

Some Rest Day!

We had to dodge the showers and thunderstorms for a few days then the weather perked up nicely and I got all the shots I needed. With that being the case Sherri had the idea of a nice rest-day activity - we would hire a pedalo on the lake where the Verdon Gorge debouches. Off we went - heading up-stream against the current, through magnificent rock scenery as far as some impressive cascades, then it was back - against the wind - it turned into two hours of thigh-busting exercise - now I need a rest day to get over the rest day - sheesh!

There is some superb looking DWS up there for the summer and also some 'proper' climbing in the most humongous caves. A couple of lads were at work on a superb looking route, in one of the cave that towered over their moored canoe - no pedalos for those guys, they obviously don't have the legs for it!

Head for the Hills

The four months spent on the Cote d’Azure were great but as Easter approached it started warming up and getting busy - sure signs that it is time for us to start drifting back north. Work on the guide went well - it is looking great and will give folks a chance to see the area in a new light - who knows the Cote d’Azur might even become popular again.

We though we would start the journey home with a couple of weeks stopping close to the Verdon, in the ancient town of Moustiers - quite a spot. It is 20+ years since I did some of the great classics in the Verdon with Graham. We would set of from the campsite with rack and ropes, rock shoes loosely tied and hitch down to the Couloir Sampson. Tramp through the tunnels and then head up one of the big lines - the 12+ pitch outings of Ula, La Demande or the Squirrel’s Pillar were the real classics. Zip up the route, then hitch back to camp, and take the shoes off! Tell that to the youth of today - and will they believe you!

After the Verdon it is back to Chamonix for a week then Blighty - the ferry is already booked - bugger!

The Last Supper

Seventeen weeks - my that went fast! (92 sunny days - 18 cloudy days and 12 wet ones). We arrived in the depths of winter, just before the solstice, and now, the equinox has been and gone and it is warming up by the day. There are flowers everywhere and the little town of Agay is getting busier. All this can only mean one thing; it is time to move on - Moustiers and the Verdon call. It is less than a couple of hours from here, but it will doubtless be very different up in the hills - hopefully quieter and cooler.

I might even get a bit of climbing done!

Not Long Now!

A useful visit to Toulon for cragshots, some non-serious sea-cliff exploring (pictured) - a big rush to finish Western Grit before Alan went on holiday - the past ten days have been all go !
The warm weather has brought some geckos (six at the last count) out around the pad and the whole valley echoes to the call of frogs every evening - ribbit, ribbit. A few damp days meant we had to pep up the log-pile, as it was starting to look a bit sad - we don't want to be caught short - even though the forecast is good for the next 10 days.
A recent sport has been trying to catch sight of the International Space Station as it has been passing overhead - impressively bright and super fast against the backdrop of stars! One night we even saw the Space Shuttle too - a short distance ahead of the ISS, on its way back home.
Ten days before we head to the Verdon - that should be interesting - can't wait!

Another Baby Put to Bed

Western Grit is just about packed up and ready to go to the printers, and should be out in about a month, which is bang on schedule. It continues the approach we used on the Lofoten guide and despite some initial worries it looks quite superb - Jack Geldard has even suggested we might get 'done' for making the crags look too good!
I have lost track of how many guidebooks I have written now, but there is absolutely no doubt that if Ken Wilson and his cronies hadn't stuck their oars in and managed to sink my little black and white Gritstone Select guide that I wrote for Cicerone Press, then I wouldn't have called Alan James around for a meeting on April 1st 2001. I wouldn't have gone on to win three awards, pack in teaching and spend the winters in nice places working on more guidebook; funny how things turn out - cheers Ken!
We have three more weeks down here to get the final few shots for the Cote d'Azure guide, then I want to reacquaint myself with the Verdon. We have booked into a place in Moustieres for a couple of weeks so that should be good.
Then there is the summer - where to go?

Callanqueing Around

A long-weekend in Marseilles seemed like the easiest way to get the required information and photographs for the new book - so we booked a hotel on the outskirts and tootled across there on Saturday.
Then it was down to work, Morgiou, Sormiou, Luminy, Les Goudes, En Vau - it has been a busy few days - and hot too! The fact that it was the first warm weekend of the year meant that are was heaving with city-dwellers heading out - I had forgotten how much I dislike crowds!
Despite that the Callanques really are a beautiful part of the world, and nowadays they seem pretty much a closed book to UK climbers - as an example a search of photos on UKC for "Kalymnos" produced 150 images, and for "the Callanques" a big fat zero!
It is a pity that the city is so close, and the fact that you have drive through the grottier end of it to reach the climbing is a bit of a downer. Mind you once over any one of the various cols it is a whole different world - a magnificent wilderness.