Aurore Nucleaire (engl. nuclear horror)

Aurore Nucleaire (engl. nuclear horror)

Page Type Page Type: Route
Location Lat/Lon: 44.89410°N / 6.38360°E
Additional Information Route Type: Rock Climb
Additional Information Time Required: Most of a day
Additional Information Difficulty: ED / 6b
Sign the Climber's Log

Approach


Trailhead is at the Rifuge Cezanne. This can be reached by car from Aillefroid.
Park your car at the big parking area at the Refuge.

Follow the path leading to the Glacier Noir (marked). After about 1,5 hours you will reach a point above the glacier where two diiferent parts of the glacier are joining. A path leads leftwards down to the glacier.

You can see the north face of the Pic Sans Nom from here.

Follow the path to the glacier and scrumble up to a kind of a glacier plateau below the Pic Sans Nom.

Turn left a reach the base of the Pic Sans Nom N-face.

Route Description


There are two parts of the route : the approach to the rock-part of the route and the rock part himself.

First you have to reach a prominent rock ledge above the Glacier Noir where the climbing starts. To do this you have to climb a somewhat steep snow or ice field (crampons and an ice axe necessary). Stay away from the big gully at the right side of the north face, rock fall ! When you have reached the rock ledge you can place your ice gear (crampons etc.) there.

Now the climb starts: there is a bolt at the beginning of the route (a little hard to find). From the point you have reached the rock ledge you have to go left some meters until you find that bolt.

Over all, the route follows the buttress in the middle of the N-face up to the head of the buttress. There the route ends. The route does not lead to the summit of the Pic Sans Nom.

The first two pitches are a litte undifined and the rock is bad and rotten. Scramble and climb up, the belays are good for orientation. Starting with the third pitch the rock quality turns good but the difficulties are beginning. The whole route is bolted, so it's easy to find the route.

Abseil down the route to the starting-ledge of the beginning. There is a bolt at this ledge which allows you to abseil down to the glacier, so you can (should) avoid to go down the steep snow/ice field.

There is a serious dange of rock fall at the starting ledges and for the first two pitches.

Essential Gear


The protection of the route is ok with bolts and pitons, all belays are bolted. Especially in some of the harder pitches there are some bad pitons, so it's better to bring some additional pro.

Brind about 12 clippers, 1 set of rocks or nuts, some small friends and some slings.

For the approach you will need crampons and a ice axe, maybe also one or two ice screws.

For the abseils you need two ropes of 50 m, it's not possible to abseil down with one 50m rope.

Miscellaneous Info


If you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.

First ascent


I will add this informations soon.

Infos to the route's name


The name of the route "Aurore Nucleaire" - in english "Nuclear Horror" - comes from the Tschernobyl desaster in russia. The route was first done in those days.


Parents 

Parents

Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. For example, theAconcagua mountain page has the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits' asparents and is a parent itself to many routes, photos, and Trip Reports.