Cosmiques Arete, Aiguille du Midi, Mont Blanc Massif
PD+ Alpine Grade
This route gives many Brits their first taste of alpine climbing and
on a good day with clear views across to the Grandes Jorasses there's
nothing to beat it. Yes it's popular, yes, most of the time it feels more
like scrambling than climbing but the photo opportunities and positions
are fantastic. As an intro to what the alps are about there's nothing
better.
Although it's not a long route it's worth getting into good alpine
habits and stacking the odds in your favour. It's very, very popular in the summer so get
one of the first cable cars up to the summit of the Aiguille du Midi. Out
of the cable car, follow the signs and you'll arrive at the ice tunnel
which leads out onto the snow ridge down to the Vallee Blanche. Crampons,
axes, gloves, sunglasses, SUN CREAM on at this point and take care on the
way down to the glacier. You traverse underneath the impressive south east
face of the Midi to reach the start of the Cosmiques ridge beside an
abandoned mountain hut. The new (and very popular) Cosmiques hut is just a
short walk away from here.
The first part of the route snakes it's way up through some large
blocks and is best described as the alpine equivalent of scrambling.
You'll save time and avoid getting behind other parties on this section if
you're fairly slick with your ropework. There are plenty of belays on the
crest of the ridge and after a fair bit of this you arrive at a gendarme
with a steep drop on the other side. There are bolts and a chain in place
here so it's an abseil down to arrive on a ledge on the South side of the
ridge and then up a snow slope to reach the ridge again.
Next comes the trickiest bit of climbing on the route. A steep little
wall with a crack running up diagonally from left to right. There's
usually a bit of a queue at this point and it's a good place to sit down,
relax, have some food and watch other people on it. The technical
difficulty is about English 4c but you're at altitude and wearing big
boots which makes it feel a fair bit harder than that. Kindly, the French
have placed a bolt and there's always a sling to stand in to get past it.
I distinctly remember the first time I did it. We arrived with just one
guided party waiting to go and watched them aid their way up with all
sorts of French cheating. Being Brits and used to taking a hard ethical
line we decided that we weren't going to be involved in such antics and
decided that the wall would fall to our well-honed gritstone jamming
skills. Ten minutes later I hung desperately from one (fairly shoddy) fingerlock as
my foot skidded dramatically off a tiny nubbin of rock. Whacking a foot
back on with the sort of cows arse - banjo precision that only huge
plastic boots can bring you it felt as though the whole mountain shook as
I booted it. I did hang on and was very thankful to reach the security of
the ledge above. Since then I've developed my theory of 'Alpine Aid' -
i.e. try to free climb it once. If you fail, anything goes.
After that bit of excitement it's back onto the north west side of the
ridge (which is significantly colder and more icy) where a chimney takes
you upwards towards the cable car station viewing platform. After a bit of
mixed ground you find yourself at the bottom of the ladders which lead to
the cable car station.
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