A Remarkable Winter in the Alps

It has been a prolific season in the Alps. So much so that, at times, it has been hard to keep track of all the first ascents, first solo ascents and first winter solo ascents that have been achieved.

An extended period of high pressure has allowed alpinists to commit to long, challenging routes and, more often than not, to succeed in their attempts. Below we lay out the timeline of this extraordinary season, with links to more detailed reports.

The season really kicked into gear over the weekend of 28 – 29 January when two teams, operating on opposite sides of the Alps, both succeeded in establishing new routes on iconic peaks. On Saturday 28, Giuseppe Vidoni, Richard Tiraboschi and Tommaso Vection, made the first ascent of 'Happy Birthday' which climbs the south face of the Grandes Jorasses to the Aiguille de l’Évêque via a 1,000m couloir. Vidonia and Tiraboschi had attempted the line a few days earlier but had been forced to retreat when warm conditions on the face above sent a stream of meltwater down the couloir. On returning with Vection, they were able to take the route to the summit, offering a grade of A1, IV, M6, ED.

At the same time, on the Barre des Écrins, Benjamin Védrines, Nicolas Jean and Julien Cruvellier were busy on another 1,000m couloir. 'La Gorge' on the mountain's south face is prone to rockslides in warmer weather and so, despite being an obvious line, it has waited many years for a first ascent. With good, cold conditions, the team of three climbed the route over the weekend, surmounting difficulties of M7, A1, V+, ED+. The trio dubbed their new route 'De L’Or en Barre'.

Just a few days later, on 03 February, Italian climbers François Cazzanelli, Emrik Favre and Stefano Stradelli put up a new WI4+, M7 line on the east face of Mont Blanc du Créton. 'Sognando l’inimmaginabile' was a line that Cazzanelli had been considering for some time but had avoided trying due to concerns about the feasibility of its upper half. With strong winds ruling out their first choice of objective, the team of three chose to give it a go and discovered not just a viable route, but an enjoyable one. Speaking to PlanetMountain, Cazzanelli described the route as “Overall a pleasant outing, difficult, with several demanding but incredible pitches.”

While the three previous routes were first ascents, achieved by strong trios of climbers, Thibault Sibille’s repeat of the Rebuffat route on the northwest face of the Grand Pic de Belledonne was a solo affair. The 32-year-old climbed the line over three days in early February, with two bivouacs on the face. This was the first time that the line had been climbed solo in winter.

Sibille’s was far from the only extended stay on the north faces. The following week, Symon Welfringer, Charles Dubouloz (returning to the Grandes Jorasses after his solo ascent of Rolling Stones in 2022), and Clovis Pauline spent five days on the north face of the Grandes Jorasses, making the first repeat of Patrick Gabarrou and Herve Bouvard’s 1986 route ‘Directissime de la Point Walker’. The route was originally climbed in summer with some aid, but the French team succeeded not only in making the first winter ascent, but also in climbing the line free.

At the same time that this French threesome were finding success on the Grandes Jorasses, the Italian trio of François Cazzanelli, Emrik Favre and Stefano Stradelli re-teamed to establish a 600m line on the western flank of the Aiguille Noire de Peuterey. The ‘Isiah Couloir’ was established over two days (including a very damp spindrift-laden bivy) and breached difficulties up to M8, 7a/7a+ and WI 5.

Also returning to the headlines at this point was Benjamin Védrines, this time climbing with Leo Billón to make the first single-day winter ascent of the 1,100m ED/+ ‘Gousseault-Desmaison’ on the Grandes Jorasses. The pair set off from Chamonix at 1AM on the morning of 15 February, reaching the summit at 4:38PM. There was even time for the ascent to be reported on the same day!

We may yet see more historic achievements before the winter is through. But even if this list of ascents remains unchanged, it will still have been a remarkable season. We cannot know exactly what it presages for the future. Will conditions like those found in 2023 persist in future years or will this prove to be a one-off? What we can be more certain of is that many of these climbers are at the beginning of their alpine careers and we can look forward to seeing much more from them in the coming years.

Edit: In the period since this article was published, news has broken that Jerome Perruquet and Stefano Stradelli have made the first repeat and first winter ascent of 'Diretta allo Scudo' on the Matterhorn.

These were far from the only notable ascents from this extraordinary winter, but they are the most significant in terms of “firsts” and are likely to be the ones remembered in the years to come. However, if we have missed anything, don’t hesitate to let us know.

Details Announced for 2023 Rick Allen Memorial Lecture

The University of Birmingham Mountaineering Club and the Midland Association of Mountaineers have announced that the 2023 Rick Allen Memorial Lecture will take place on 22 February at the Teaching and Learning Lecture Theatre 2 of the University of Birmingham.

^{Rick Allen climbing on the Aiguille du Chardonnet}

The lecture, 'The Anatomy of a Himalayan Climbing Expedition' will be given by experienced expedition climber Surgeon Rear Admiral Andrew S Hughes and will focus on the key elements involved in climbing a new Himalayan objective.

The talk will start at 7:30PM and will be broadcast live on Zoom for those who are unable to attend in person. Interested parties can sign up for the Zoom link via the UBMC website.

Rick Allen was tragically killed in an avalanche on K2 in 2021 while attempting a new route on the mountain's south-east face. Rick was an Alpine Club member and one of the most accomplished mountaineers of modern times. He was perhaps best known for making the first complete ascent of Nanga Parbat's Mazeno Ridge with his long-term climbing partner Sandy Allan.

New Routes Established in the French Alps

At the end of January two strong teams, operating at opposite ends of the French Alps, both established new lines on iconic alpine peaks.

on 28 January, Giuseppe Vidoni, Richard Tiraboschi, and Tommaso Vection, made the first ascent of 'Happy Birthday' which climbs the south face of the Grandes Jorasses to the Aiguille de l’Évêque via a 1,000m couloir. Vidonia and Tiraboschi had made an intiial attempt on the line a few days earlier, but had been forced to retreat when warm conditions on the face above sent a stream of meltwater down the couloir. On returning with Vection, they were able to take the route to the summit, offering a grade of A1, IV, M6, ED. The route name was chosen to mark Vection turning 30 the day after the team's ascent.

At the same time, on the Barre des Écrins, Benjamin Védrines, Nicolas Jean and Julien Cruvellier were busy on another 1,000m couloir. 'La Gorge' on the mountain's south face is prone to rockslides in warmer weather and so, despite being an obvious line, it has waited many years for a first ascent. With good, cold conditions, the team of three climbed the route over the weekend of the 28 and 29 January, surmounting difficulties of M7, A1, V+, ED+ with Jean reportedly dispatching an extremely commiting pitch just as the team was about to admit defeat. The trio have dubbed the route 'De L’Or en Barre'.

Gabriel Loppé Exhibition Planned at Fort Bard

An exhibition on the life and works of Gabriel Loppé is set to open at Ford Bard in the Aosta Valley, Italy on 17 December 2022. The exhibition, which is curated by the Alpine Club's Keeper of Pictures William J. Mitchell and Anne Friang of Amis de Gabriel Loppé is titled 'Gabriel Loppé, painter, climber and traveller'. 

_{The Glacier and the Dent du Géant
Oil on paper, 45 x 60 cm, dated: August 1881
(Collection Amis du Vieux Chamonix)}

Loppé, an Alpine Club member from the age of 39, was one of the first artists to bring back representations of the high mountains to the public, regularly painting the view from the summit of Mont Blanc. He considered himself to be a chronicler of his time and later branched out into photography, earning fame with his photograph of lighning striking the Eiffel Tower. As the exhibition title suggests, he was a prolific traveller, visiting much of Western Europe at the dawn of the 20th Century. 

This new exhibition brings together more than 90 of Loppé's paintings, drawings and photographs, exhibiting them alongside a selection of his climbing equipment which is shown here publicly for the very first time.

_{Crevasses on the Mer de Glace below the Grands Charmoz
Canvas 100 x 78 cm, dated 19.09.1885
(Collection Amis du Vieux Chamonix)}

'Gabriel Loppé, painter, climber and traveller' is open daily until 14 January 2024, with entry costing €8.00 (€7.00 for concessions) and includes access to the Alpine Museum. Further details can be found on the Fort Bard website.