Alpine Climbing

Venturing to the Alps for the first time can seem a little daunting, and so in way it should be, for all the risks of Scottish Winter Climbing are there, with the additional ones of stonefall and crevasses. However the rules of the game are fairly simple and the rewards fantastic - to see the rising sun illuminate the Matterhorn as one summits on the Dent Blanche is an experience not to be forgotten.

There are many instructional books available on Alpine Climbing Skills, but in the end there is only so much that you can learn from a book or computer, and if you have no-one trustworthy to show you, there is no substitute for learning the basics of glacier safety with a qualified Mountain Guide. Plas y Brenin administers the Conville Trust which provides subsidised Alpine Skills courses for young impoverished climbers and which can reduce the cost of a three day course to about a third.

Below is my own Alpine Gear Ticklist based on many years of experience. Not all of it is essential by any means, and you may think some items are needed which are not mentioned. In many ways, the less you carry, the greater your chance of success. Items that are available from us, and other suppliers can be clicked on for more detail. What is never quite clear is exactly how much hardware to take. It is probably better to take a fair amount as far as basecamp, and then select from that for each route, as inevitably stuff gets abandoned/lost and bad weather often forces a retreat to crags where a full rack may be required. It can often waste a good day having to go into Chamonix or wherever simply to buy extra abseil tat or replace a lost wire. Likewise it is best to take with you plenty of spare torch batteries, suncream and gas cylinders (though not the latter if you are flying). Being compiled by a chap, this list may contain the occasional item like a Pee Bottle that is irrelevant if you are female and may not include items that women would consider fairly essential - use your nous!

First off, this page is not about icefall climbing. It is about climbing the traditional Alpine mountain routes in winter. This is not a pursuit to be recommended to anyone who has not served a resonable summer alpine apprenticeship and has done a great deal of Scottish winter climbing as well.

Alpine winter mountaineering has most if not all of the same problems as alpine summer mountaineering with several additional ones, most notably increased cold, and shorter hours of daylight, and you will need to decide from the outset whether to take the go-for-it-in-a-day lightweight approach or the possible bivi approach.

Possible Bivi: Expect temperatures ranging from -10°C at night down to -30°C. Although in dry alpine air, -10°C does not feel too bad, -30°C is perishing, and you will need to be prepared for bivouaccing in such conditions even if you don't intend to. Thus your rucksack should include a good 4/5 Season Sleeping Bag, a High Insulation Sleeping Mat, a Bivi Bag, and a stove (gas stoves won't work in these temperatures - take a petrol stove such as the MSR XGK) and food, even if you plan to do your climb in one day. Of course you will then climb more slowly because you are carrying a large rucksack. You will also tire more rapidly.

So you are more likely to have to bivi, but the consequences of an enforced bivi out in winter without a good sleeping bag could be very serious and indeed has proved so on many occasions. Again, a bivi may be on the cards due to the shorter hours of daylight. Deeper snow on the approach, and snow covered holds on rock pitches may add to the difficulties and also the time taken. Another danger is that there are few people about in the alps in winter. Whilst this has definite benefits (less stone-fall and so on) it also brings extra risks in that there maybe no-one to come to your aid or even notice if you have an accident.

Finally close attention must be paid to the Meteo as if a storm brews up you could be in a very serious position indeed. In this age of mobile phones and pocket radios it would be as well to have a valley contact from whom you can get weather forecasts on a daily basis.
Photo Left: Trying to get a brew going on a gas stove in an alpine hut in winter - not a great success.

The benefits of winter alpine climbing are many. For a start big north-facing ice and mixed routes that are seldom in condition in summer these days may be in superb nick. Moreover they are unlikely to have anyone else on them. Huts will be empty and generally unwardened and much cheaper (by law, all have to have some shelter open - remember to take your own food and some change for the honesty box). Though storms can be very serious, long periods of stable weather are also likely. Routes and huts can often be skied into making approaches and descents much less tiring and much more fun. Generally this is no use if your descent is on another side of the mountain but on easier routes it may be possible to carry short skis. If you can't ski (and realistically you need to be skiing red runs without falling and be capable of doing kick turns facing outwards on very steep slopes), then consider Snowshoes. Whatever your approach method, a pair of Trekking Poles will be found invaluable. It is also worth seriously considering carrying one or all of the following: Avalanche Tranceiver, Snow Shovel, Avalanche Probe.
Photo Right: Ian Conway on the North Face of the Droites in Winter.

Go for It in a Day: All the above applies, but you still reckon you can get from the valley/hut to the summit and back in a day.

This may be feasible if:
a) you are fit,
b) the forecast is excellent for several days,
c) you are climbing well below your limits,
d) the route is short, and,
e) you know the area very well and are unlikely to get lost,
f) and you don’t have an accident.
If you are convinced of this, then you just have to accept the risk of being benighted without proper bivi gear, and take the absolute minimum you need. You should move faster and consequently achieve your target - but if you blow it you could lose all your toes - or worse.
If the above criteria don't apply, then reconsider the Possible Bivi approach as listed above.

Photo Left: Steve Caruthers trying to keep to the neve in a sea of rock hard black ice on the North Face of the Tour Ronde in winter.

Finally do not forget to check out the avalanche danger and also comments that other climbers may have made in the register at the Guides Bureau - much the same things as you might do in Scotland in winter. If avalanche warning flags are showing you may be invalidating your insurance if you ignore them.
Bon chance!
Photo Left: Skis can often make the approach much easier and safer in winter. The descents are more enjoyable too. If you can't ski, consider Snowshoes.