How to climb a mountain

It’s not easy. It’s not a walk in the park, but Martin Williamson can’t quite stop climbing. His next attempt? Mont Blanc! The Bermudian resident has been trying to find ways to train on an Island that just does not have mountains….how does he do it? How does he climb a mountain?

Martin:

I thought it was a near death experience, but the tunnel of kaleidoscopic light was the afternoon sun reflecting on the poser mirrors in the gym, refracted by the sweat dripping into my eyes. I vaguely remember when I was a lot younger that running up the down escalator seemed like fun but this torturous stair machine (which is a mini down escalator) is about as much fun as being beaten with a cactus.

However in the absence of any local mountains it appeared to be the best preparatory training for climbing Mont Blanc available in Bermuda. Perhaps South Shore to Gibbs Hill lighthouse would be a close second but you can’t watch the ‘Food Network’ there.

Planning to arrive in France on the 17^th of September and going to 3,500mts altitude on the 19^th wasn’t one of my better decisions. I have climbed Mont Blanc before but never with such little local preparation.

A previous ascent of Mont Blanc

At 4,810 Meters above sea level Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the European Union, although Russia’s Mount Elbrus at 5,642mts is now acknowledged as the highest in Europe. Two routes on Mont Blanc are not ‘technical’ meaning they don’t require any real climbing ability. However it’s better if you don’t suffer from vertigo and can trudge uphill for 6hrs without much of a break.

In the area of Haute Savoie surrounding Mont Blanc there are plenty of smaller peaks in the area that offer safe training routes, thought to experience the thin air over 3000mts you really need to get above the summer snow line. Unfortunately my schedule this year won’t allow for that so going up the down escalator is the answer.

The altitude is the real challenge on Mont Blanc trudging up 2,000mts of vertical ascent over 10km is relatively easy if you start at sea level, but at 3,000mts the thin air provides only 71% of the oxygen available at sea level and at 4800mts that falls to 57%.

Interestingly the cabin pressure of a commercial airliner is about the same as 2000mts above sea level which provides only 80% of the normal oxygen level and explains why you feel so bad after a long flight, or perhaps it’s the alcohol!

There are two ‘tourist’ routes up Mont Blanc, so called because they are relatively easy, but there are serious ‘technical routes too. The tourist routes involve some cheating either by taking the ‘Tramway de Mont Blanc’ from St Gervais  which takes you to the Nid d’aigle (the eagles nest) at 2,500mts and walking from there via the Gouter route (the west face of the mountain).  Or by taking the cable car from Chamonix to the Aguille du Midi at 3,800mts. As you will have calculated the second route provides more cheating (in terms of altitude) than the first. Fortunately our trip in September is up via the Aguille du Midi, (although this route does present more technical challenges) and down via the Gouter.

A few years ago you could pick up your guide in either town hop on your chosen method of transport to base

Martin (on the left) is training to be back in this position...on a Mountain.

camp and have a shot at the summit early the next morning. Usually with an attempt at sleep in a refuge from 2pm to 2am the next day. These days under guise of acclimatization the guides are insisting on 2 days (above 3000mts) before the attempt on the summit. It all smacks of a money spinning ruse to me. However they do call the shots, because I wouldn’t want to be up there without a guide.

The mountain refuges are quite remarkable with the highest (Refuge du Gouter) supplied only by helicopter. The idea of refuges arose in the 19^th century when wealthy Victorians became addicted to Alpine activities. The Alpine clubs that formed in the major villages started to construct refuges as base camps for summit attempts and as a bolt hole in the event of bad weather.

The refuges vary in comfort level usually depending on height or proximity to a cable car. In general the lower the refuge the more comfortable and the better the food, with the exception of high refuges like ‘Le Cosmiques’ which despite being at 3,600mts it is comfortable and has good food because it’s about 15minutes walk from the top of the Aguille de Midi cable car.

So our plan is to take the Aguille de Midi cable car from Chamonix in the morning of Sunday the 19^th of September, from the top of the cable car we will walk across the Glacier du Geant (the Giant’s glacier) to the ‘Torino’ refuge just over the Italian border. This is only 5 or 6 km but all on glacier at about 3,500mts altitude so we will all be roped together to make sure no one disappears down a crevasse. We stay a night at the ‘Torino’ refuge then walk back to the ‘Cosmiques’ for the second night, then off to the summit at 2am the next morning.

Glaciers are rivers of ice and snow and they ‘flow’ downhill very slowly (speeds vary from 1 metre per day up to 30mts per day). Crevasses form due to differing speeds of ice flow and variations in the underlying topography. They are often covered with a snow bridge that can sometimes give way, so preventing members of the party going down the hole is a major consideration when walking on glaciers.

The equipment check list is another important part of tackling any mountain however modest; you don’t want to have to go back down because you forgot your sunglasses!

The clothing doesn’t have to be expensive but it does have to be layered and synthetic. Temperatures can vary from well below freezing to 60 to 70^oF in the sun and trudging uphill always means sweating, all the clothes have wick moisture away from your body and stay dry.

I have a mish mash of gear that I have put together which I find works for me, it doesn’t look very fashionable but it is comfortable.

How to get here!

Of course the most important part of the kit list is footwear, including socks, boots and crampons. It’s amazing how painful one tiny blister can be. I even apply preventative band aids (plasters) to my heels to stop the blisters before they start. Proper climbing boots have a rigid sole to take a non flexible crampon, which is crucial for climbing sheer faces or ice walls. However I find rigid soled boots very uncomfortable. Fortunately there is a hybrid solution which involves a semi rigid sole and a flexible crampon. This combination wouldn’t work for ice climbing but our route doesn’t involve any sheer faces (thank goodness)

Other unusual items of kit include a harness to tie the rope to, an ice axe which has a multitude of uses, including walking stick, step cutting tool and braking system in the event of a slide. The helmet provides protection against falling rocks or ice and toping it off a flashlight on the helmet enables you to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. The flashlight does have another job which is lighting your way at 3am in the morning. In the summer months conditions become more dangerous as the day progresses and the snow starts to melt so most guides start the climb to the summit at 2 or 3am to maximize the amount of time spent on frozen snow. This also means that you reach the summit around dawn which is spectacular.

Well that’s about all for now on the preparation side of things, I’d better get back to the treadmill, I wonder how many steps there are in 1500metres?

To be continued………………………………………………..

Walking their way through Europe

Combloux from above

When Bermuda resident Martin Williamson retired his route was not to the couch. Oh no, his wife, Kimberly, had other plans. Plans that included walking across every country in Europe. Their first? France. Their walking expedition took them through St Gervais Combloux and Megeve where they ended up buying a house. The house turned into five apartments. Martin and Kim have one, sold the other three and have one more for sale. Check out this new page for more information on the apartment.

But where’s Combloux, you ask? What is there to do there? Let Martin tell you in Bermuda Abroad.

Our first target country was France using the famous GR5 (Grand Randonee 5) which runs from the Hook of Holland to Nice. France has a huge network of long distance paths and this one was perfectly placed almost running through our village in Belgium.

At the end of September 1998 we were crossing the Col de Brevent north of Chamonix (about 2000 meters altitude) and the snow had already arrived. We were not prepared for these conditions and we knew that the GR5 route south only got higher so when we arrived in Chamonix we planned a reroute via Albertville and Grenoble that should be snow free.

Our reroute took us through a beautiful region of Haute Savoie via St Gervais Combloux and Megeve.

I had visited Megeve many years ago but I had forgotten how unspoiled the area was.

In 2003 after moving to Bermuda we decided to go back to the area and spend some time during the ski season.

The three villages I mentioned are all linked by a ski area called ‘Evasion Mont Blanc’, so named because you have spectacular views of Europe’s highest peak from all over the ski area.

The area is relatively low compared to the major resorts with the highest point at only 2000 mts, however it benefits from a local microclimate caused by Mont Blanc which ensures good snow fall.

As a result of the altitude the villages remained relatively unspoiled when the ski boom of the 70’s and 80’s ruined some of the higher resorts. This is what gives the area it particular attraction.

Housing in Combloux

Admittedly the skiing is not too difficult with only about 5 black runs on the 450km of pistes but there is plenty of opportunity for avalanche free off piste if you are looking for adventure.

Skiing in this area is often about deciding where to go to lunch with an abundance of mountain restaurants. These converted ‘alpages’ are all family run and compete vigorously for the title of best cuisne.

Megeve is considered (by the people who live there) very chic and is sometimes described as St Tropez with snow. As a result the property prices are sky high and there is and very snooty atmosphere. Something that I doesn’t appeal to me. However the shops and restaurants are great and I occasionally succumb to the primary Megeve pastime; people watching from the coffee shop with the best chocolate in the world.

St Gervais is an attractive town which has recently undergone significant renovation of it’s old ‘Belle Epoch’ buildings. Has thermal springs and was quite a resort before skiing (for fun) was invented. However we found it a little claustrophobic nestled on the north-west side of Mont Blanc.

Combloux is a true mountain village with only about 2000 permanent residents and 4 or 5 working farms that still produce excellent cheese. The village sits on a natural plateau at 1000 mts. And has wonderful views of Mont Blanc.

We rented an apartment in Combloux for two seasons before we decided to buy there. Combloux is definitely not Megeve (but it is only 4km away) and as a result the property prices are much more reasonable. Combloux still has easy access to the pistes and if you want boutique shopping it’s only minutes away.

In addition to skiing the area offers fantastic walking and mountain biking and Chamonix, the epicenter of European mountaineering is only 30 minutes by car.

To find out more about Combloux click here and if you would be interested in buying a property in the area check out Bermuda’s Properties Page.