26/7/2018

I have allways want to climb this iconic ridge, but thinking about all the rappeling has been keeping me out of it. This spring I have been training well in Norway and Then spending 2 weeks in tha Alps for racing, Emelie and I did Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa SkyMarathon (2 FKT for her!!) and conditions look good in the mountains.

After Monte Rosa race we stop at Courmayeur and ask Matteo Pellin for some tips. I started a bit before 4am from the Camping and 1h30' after I was in the Refuge de la Noire, I start climbing and after 4h30' I was in the summit of Noire de Peuterey. It was really windy and the abseils with thin ropes was kind of messy, Rope get stock for some times and needed to climb up and almost in every abseil get tangled. It took me 4h! to go down! From then it is classic alpine terrain, easy but very loss rock and tricky to find the way. Wind was very strong and cold, so I put all the clothes I had. It was no other parties after Noire so snow was deep in Blanche de Peuterey. Pilier d'Ange was dry and the exit to Mont Blanc was really windy (I needed to climb almost lying in the ground!) and very icy (I was happy to have 2 ice axes). After 16h 40' I arrived at Mont Blanc summit and start to go down to Les Houches that I reached after 19h10' and then run to Chamonix for a 20h30 tour.

Gear:

• backpack salomon x-alp 23l
• x-alpine shoes
• overboot salomon with crampons (Petzl Dart)
• harness light
• 2 ice axes
• 2x 60 dynema rope 5mm)
• 3 slings
• 4 carabinners
• 1 ascender
• helmet
• sunglasses
• gloves x-alp
• goretex overglobe
• buff
• down jacket
• softshell jacket
• hybrid pants
• bonati pants
• phone
• 3 gels / 3 bars
• 0,5l Softflask
• Headlamp petzl tikka