The warm and sunny weather continues across the Northern Alps with lots of teams profiting and getting high mountain routes done. Many glaciers are starting to feel the pinch of the sustained warm weather at the end of the summer season however, the snowy start meant that high glaciers are hanging on well and the long ascent (11 hour round trip) of the Strahlhorn was in very good condition today. The Monte Rosa continues to offer reasonable conditions on the glacier and teams have also been climbing the Matterhorn in dry conditions.
On the Gran Paradiso, the Vittorio Emanuelle route is icy and we have been climbing via the Chabod hut. Even this route is getting a little icy in places and the big holes are of course, still there! Teams summiting today though and returning back down the mountain via the Chabod route.
In Chamonix the Aiguille du Tour is still being climbed with a substantial but passable crevasse on the final snow slope but otherwise reasonable conditions and teams have been climbing the Table de Roc Spur also. Most of the big local guiding companies are still not guiding Mont Blanc via the Gouter Route and this now includes the Courmayeur Guiding agency. Hopefully with the arrival of cooler, snowy and much more autumnal like conditions on Thursday things will start improving with regard to stone fall in the Grand Couloir.
High alpine rock routes have been in good condition and we have had teams enjoying long alpine / rock weekends climbing the classic NE ridge of the Aiguille de l’M, Eperon des Cosmiques, Cosmiques Arete, N. Ridge of the Petite Flambeau (a little icy) and the Aiguille Marbrees (very dry and loose where the abseils lead to the glacier).
