Dry Summer in the Alps

This is a dry sum­mer in the Alps. Mont Blanc’s nor­mal route has been closed by the author­i­ties twice so far and many routes are more dan­ger­ous than usu­al, espe­cial­ly those that trav­el big glac­i­ers or areas with loose rocks. It does­n’t mean that alpin­ism is not viable, not at all! It’s just a mat­ter of choos­ing the right lines. MM Guide Joshua Jar­rin took clients to Mont Blanc and the Mat­ter­horn this August to have a try at good weath­er and some great alpine climbing. 

Andrew arrived with an open mind and moti­vat­ed to get the best pos­si­ble expe­ri­ence of the alps, and that’s what we searched for; safe but classic/​aesthetic lines for our climbs. 

First we went to the Petite Aigu­ille Verte to check his skills and to have a first taste of the Alps. It was a great day, the glac­i­er con­di­tions were safe enough and the final rocky ridge was very enjoy­able. That con­firmed for us that we should stick to the rocks! Con­grat­u­la­tions to Andrew for sum­mit­ing Petite Aigu­ille Verte, the gen­darme of the Peigne by Papil­lons Ridge, and the Cochon Route on Clocher de Plan­plaz. Check out some pho­tos from our spec­tac­u­lar trip:

(All pho­tos by Joshua Jarrin)

Lat­er in the month, Cole and John arrived in Europe to try their hand at the Mat­ter­horn after hav­ing pre­pared for this climb on the Mat­ter­horn prep course in the North Cas­cades. Despite the heat, the team start­ed out with a great day on Pollux. 

On the sum­mit of Pollux! 

The next objec­tive was to test out their train­ing on the Mat­ter­horn. The hard work and effort paid off and the team was stand­ing on the sum­mit cel­e­brat­ing in the beau­ti­ful weath­er! Con­grat­u­la­tions to Cole and John for a job well done.

Joshua and John on the sum­mit ridge of the Matterhorn!