North face „Gréloz-Roch“

Route

Images (5)

Climber's Log (0)

Comments (1)

Additions & Corrections (0)

Contribute

Geography

Parents

Routes

North face „Gréloz-Roch“

Page Type: Route

Location: France, Europe

Route Type: Mountaineering, Ice Climbing

Season: Spring, Summer, Winter

Time Required: A long day

Difficulty: TD- 750m

Loading...
Route Quality:
1
2
3
4
5
- 1 Votes

Page By: klettermaxl

Created/Edited: Feb 26, 2006 / Feb 26, 2006

Object ID: 176443

Hits: 880

Page Score: 86.92% - 3 Votes

Vote: Log in to vote

Table of Contents

Overview

The „Gréloz-Roch“ is the classic line in the north face of the Aiguille de Triolet. It was first ascented in september 1931 by Robert Gréloz and André Roch. The second ascend followed 14 years later. For more than 20 years it has been the most dificuilt ice face in the alps and today it is still one of the most impressive and beautyful ice faces in the alps. Normaly it is a pure ice climb and you will find rock at the most in the end of summer. Nowadays not everybody climbs the true summit after ascending the face. If you want to do that, you will have rock or mixed climbing up to UIAA Grade III on the summit.
But the face is as dangerous as beautiful. There is a hanging glacier in the upper half and nobody knows, when the seracs are falling. However, watch and study the face, before you start an attempt.
There are three options to get out of the face:
-at the left end, taking the gully from the „Contamine-Lachenal“- variant to Col sup. de Triolet
-right from the gully, taking the slopes traight up, after passing a serac barrier, to Col sup. de Triolet
-more righttrending and reaching a ridge near Petit Triolet (fastest way to descend – red line in the picture)
The perfect guidebook is “snow, ice and mixed” by Francois Damilano (2005) which is available in French or English.

When to go

The best season is spring and early summer. Than you will have the best chance for packed snow. In winter you have more snow and big avalanche risks and later in summer the snow turns to blue ice, which makes it much harder to climb.

Hut

The Argentiere- hut (2771m) is the base for this climb. It is placed at the northern bank of the Argentiere- glacier, below the Aiguille de Argentiere. (3902m). It offers four very famous north faces in opposite on the southern bank of the glacier. From right to left: Aiguille Verte (4122m), Les Droites (4000m), Les Courtes (3856m) and Aiguille de Triolet (3870m).
You reach it from the upper station of the Grands Montets cable car, which starts in Argentiere (8km north east of Chamonix) It is also possible to walk from the valley.

Route Description

Start early at the hut and go down to the clacier. Go south eastwards passing the Courtes to the bottom of the Aiguille de Triolet. (make shure, that you´ll find it in the dark). It tooks us 2 hours from the hut to the face.
Avoid to cross the bergschrund below the main seracs in the middle of the face. The line of choise should be left or below a couloir between two rock spurs left of the seracs. Find the best place to climb the bergschrund (may be dificult) and cross the following slope with 60° to reach this couloir. Later you have to travers right (at the level of the first seracs). It steepens to 65°. Here you will find harder ice which is not so good. In april 2003 we found some stones looking through and airy ice. After the traverse follows a gully between the rocks (left) and the seracs (right) (65°- 70°). Later the slope lays back and you have to decide for one of the three options (see overview).
Follow the gully for the “Contamine-Lachenal” to reach the main summit, or go a little right to reach the Petit Triolet. If the weather or the time gets down, take the right way to be faster. In 2003 we had to pass another serac with a short vertical section to reach the upper slope. Hold your eyes open to find out, if it is possible to reach the ridge near Petit Triolet. This ridge is often strong corniced. In case of this, you should climb leftwards to the Col sup. de Triolet.
Descent: From the glacier plateau behind Petit Triolet starts the descent via the Glacier du Talefre to Couvercle hut (PD+).
If you come from summit or from Col sup. de Triolet you have to traverse two minor peaks on the south side (steep!) to reach this glacier plateau. The way down is crevased and not easy, when you find bad conditions. Follow the left bank of the Glacier des Courtes and climb down a short ridge to enter the Glacier de Talefre. The Couvercle hut is placed below Aiguille du Moine, before it gets down to the Glacier de Leschaux. From the hut you have to follow the Glacier du Leschaux and later the long and tiring Mer de Glace which leads to the Montenvers railway or further down by feet to the valey of Chamonix.

Essential Gear

You need helmet, two technicak axes, crampons, ice srews and a rope. And warm clothes, because the sun is rare.