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G OOOOOOOOGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW ALKS
a n dCLIMBS
A R O U N D
G u id e
T O T H EW a lk s «S C lim b s
A R O U N DA R O L L A .
C o l l e c t e d a n d W r i t t e n b yW A L T E R L A R D E N , A .C .
( P R I N T E D IN T H E YEA R 1908 F R O M MS. G U I D E S MADE EARLIER.) A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D ./■ 73c,
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BIBLIOTHEK
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P R E F A C E .
Some acco u n t of the o rig in of th is G uide m ay be of in te re st in itself, a n d certain ly w ill explain w hy it is so unfinished in form an d so u n lik e the u su a l G uide-book.
In 1SS3 M r. C o rb e tt indexed th e old V is ito rs ’ B ook, a n d w ro te o u t fo r m e such en trie s a b o u t th e A ig u ille de la Z a a n d th e P ig n o d ’A rolla as w ere to be found.
I th en m ad e m y “ F ir s t E d itio n ” of th e G uide in m a n u s c rip t, a d d in g to the records found in th e V is ito rs ’ B ook m an y a cco u n ts of easy expeditions, th e fru its for the m o st p a r t of so litary w a lk s.
In 1884 (I th in k ) I m ad e a “ Second E d itio n ” of the M an u scrip t G uide, c o n ta in in g m uch m ore m a tte r th a n th e first.
In a b o u t 1892 I m ad e a “ T h ird E d itio n ” of th e M a n u sc rip t G uide, in a very la rg e note-book of th e best q u ality I could o b tain ; a n d th is la s t M S. edition co n tain ed m uch new m a tte r. T h e G eneva section of the S. A. C . took c h a rg e of th is, se n d in g it each s u m m e r to A rolla for th e use of visitors.
In th e S p rin g of 1905 th e A lpine C lub (E n g lish ) h ad four typed copies m ade ; they g a v e one to each hotel, k ep t one, a n d g a v e m e one.
In th e S u m m e r of 1905 I w e n t over th e hotel copies, c o rre c tin g a n d a d d in g . I did the sa m e to m y ow n copy ; an d th is la s t h a s served as M S. for th e p re s e n t p rin ted book.
[T he Second M S. E d itio n of the G uide is in th e lib rary of th e A lpine C lub, as is also one of th e typed copies of th e T h ird M S. E d itio n .,
T h e T h ird M S. E d itio n of the G uide is in the lib rary of th e G eneva section of the S. A. C. ; it did go o d service, a n d h a s w ell earn ed an old a g e of re st a n d im m u n ity from w e a r-a n d -te a r.]
If th e p rin tin g of th e G uide prove a boon to visitors, th e ir th a n k s a re due to D r. B rushfield (A .C.). H e w as one of those w ho s u g g e s te d th e p rin tin g ; an d he alone collected the foney needed (ad d in g the balance him self), interv iew ed p rin te rs , an d in fa c t u n d e rto o k all th e b u sin ess trouble involved in th e en terp rise. My p a rt h a s been the c o rre c tin g an d a r r a n g e m e n t of the typed copy, an d th e correction of proofs.
I t sh ould clearly be u n d ersto o d th a t n e ith e r D r. B ru sh - held n o r I profit" by th e sale of th e book ; n o r do the hotel-k eep ers. All receipts g o firstly to pay a c tu a l ex penses involved in the p rin tin g of the book, an d a fte r th a t w ill be devoted to c h a rita b le p u rp o ses in S w itzer lan d , m o st probably to th e relief of th e w idow s an d fam ilies of g u id e s w ho h ave been killed in th e exercise of th e ir professional d u ties a s gu id es.
W h e th e r, in a fu tu re E d itio n , w e can g e t the A u th o rity (he lives in S w itzerlan d ) to w rite a h isto ry of th e V al d ’I-Iérens a n d of A rolla as an in tro d u ctio n ; w h e th e r w e can afford to in tro d u ce illu s tra tio n s , b o rro w in g p erh ap s from the “ E cho des Alpes ” if th e directo rs of th is periodical w ill be so k in d a s to lend ; w h e th e r w e can in tro d u ce m ap s ; —tim e alone w ill shew .
can do b e tte r th a n buy th e S ieg fried m ap s (i-so,ooo)._ It m ay be of som e use if I h ere m en tio n th a t fo r th e n e ig h bourhood of A rolia, th e sq u a re s th a t Schm id, F ra n c h e et C ie., of B ern, label “ E v o le n e .” “ M a tte rh o r n ,” “ G ra n d C o m b in ,” “ C o u rtie r,” w ill be sufficient. If u n m o u n te d , they cost i fr. each ; if m o u n ted on linen, 1.50 e a c h ;—probably less if m o u n ted in one b ig sheet.
If it be proposed to p ass to Z e rm a tt a n d Z in al, the sq u a re s labelled “ Z e rm a tt ” a n d “ M ischabel ” should be pu rch ased also.
I t is m ore con v en ien t if each s q u a re be m o u n ted se p a r ately on linen (a t 1.50 fr. each), w i t h practically no m a r g in , an d carried in a case. T h e re a re also m a p s on Ja p a n e s e p a p e r to be o b tain ed . All m a p s c a n be ob tain ed “ co n tre re m b o u rse m e n t ” from the firm S chm id,
F ra n c h e et C ie., D a lp ’sche B u c h h a n d lu n g , B ern.
It m ay also be m entioned th a t in 1900 th e co m p ass in S w itzerlan d pointed a b o u t n ° 2 8 ' W e st of th e tru e n o r th ; an d in 1910 w ill po in t a b o u t 10° 2 3 ' W e st.
F in ally let m e say th a t th is booh does n o t talee th e place of a n y of th e w ell-h n o w n “ C lim b e r’s G u id e s .”
E very clim bér w ho ta h e s a n in te re st in th e ro u te s up th e A rolla m o u n ta in s should p u rc h a se th e “ C lim b e r’s G uide to the C e n tra l P en n in e A lps ” (F ish e r U n w in ).
T h e s ta r tin g point is assu m ed to be th e low er hotel.
W . La r d e n. R . N. E . C ollege, D evonport.
A LIST
O F EASY WALKS AND CLIMBS.
Arolla Glacier, L o w e r , p. I. N o g u id e or rope.
Arolla Glacier, Upper, p. 2. T a k e rope. Axe m ig h t be handy.
Wood behind Hotel, p. 3. A stroll.
Col de R ie d m a tt e n , p. 3. /
R o c k s S . of Ras de Chèvres, p. 5. A scram ble. No rope. Praz^gras Chalets, p. 6. N ice stro ll ; fine view .
Corner o f Glacier des I g n e s , p. 6. S troll.
M t. Dolin, p. 7. O n e ro u te is a w a lk up on dangerously steep g ra s s ; axe b e tte r. O th e r ro u tes a re clim bs. M t . Gy sa, p. 9. C an be a clim b. T a k e rope.
La R o u sse tte , p. 10. C an be a clim b. AXe alw ay s a com fo rt ; b u t a lp en sto ck e n o u g h by easy ro u te.
Cassiorte, p. 12. By easy ro u te, rope not w an ted . Upper Chdlcts, p. 3.
Pas de Chèvres (not to descend it), p. 4.
Glacier an d Col des Tgnes, p. 14. B e tte r ta k e rope and axe. B u t very easy.
T o u r de Cassiorte, p. 14. S am e as for th e last. L ac B l e u , p. 15. A lovely w alk .
Cascade des Tgnes, p. 17. A w alk .
Z ig io reu o ve Glacie, p. 19. E asy to g e t on it.
Pièce Glacier, p. 21. R ope an d axe needed to g o fa r up it. Vuibez R o c k s , p. 22. By th e easy w ay, a m ere scram ble.
T o find th e w ay. needs som e experience. L oitecondoi R o c k s , p. 25. T a k e a rope. Zinerefflen R o c k s , p. 26. T a k e rope an d axe.
Pt. de Vouaso n, p. 29. R ope a n d axes ; b u t very easy. Col de Z a n n in e , p. 32. E a sy to reach top from A rolla.
D escen t to Fcrpûcle q u ite a n o th e r m a tte r.
Grandes D ents de Veisevi, p. 34. More am b itio u s th an R o u sse tte , etc. T a k e rope a n d axe.
L a Maja, and its Tour, p. 31. E asy . Axes m ay be needed. Glacier an d Plan de Bcrtol, p. 42. A m ere w a lk to reach
th em .
Cols de Bertol, p. 42. R ope an d axes. B u t easy.
T ête Bla nche, p. i n . R ope a n d axes. N eeds experience in crevasses. B u t easy.
ç p v 'v : 1' v '
,
W A L K S AND CLIMBS
A R O U N D A ROLLA.
A r o l l a G l a c i e r , L o w e r . (N o g u id e needed.) Follow th e m ain p a th up th e valley u n til it ten d s to w a rd s a w ooden h u t on th e rig h t. A t th is p o in t leave it, an d a im fo r a la rg e skeleton tree to the !., w h ere p ath is plain to see. (T he s tre a m from th e g lacier, the B o rg n e, is not crossed.) T h e n aim to w ard s end of g la c ie r, follow ing- fa in t p a th . T h e n ex t la n d -m a rk a fte r tree is th e ex tre m ity of a to n g u e of fir-trees p a st w hich p ath leads. [T he tra c k is now p re tty clea r ; 1905. W .L .]
T h e g la c ie r is m ou n ted a t its e x tre m ity ; b u t th e best place to ascend varies w ith the year. (1883.)
T h e Grotto th a t form erly existed w as form ed by th e action of w a te r. T h e stre a m from the G lacier des D oves B lanches p lu n g ed u n d e r th e L o w er A rolla g la c ie r a n d joined the m ain stre a m u n d e r the ice. T h u s in 1886, e n te rin g the tu n n e l a t the end of th e g lacier, one found th a t it b ifu r cated a fte r som e d istan ce, an d th e b ra n c h to the left, th a t d u e to the stre a m from th e D oves B lanches, w a s the practicab le b ran ch . B u t conditions c h a n g e from y ear to y ear, an d th ere is little use g iv in g m ore d etail here. L a n te rn s should be ta k e n . yy ^ (1RS6 )
2 A R O L L A G L A C IE R , U P P E R
T im e . 35m . from hotel on to th e ice.
N ote. I t m ay be added th a t P ro f. F . A. F o rel, of M orges (C an to n de V aud), is th e g r e a t a u th o rity on the su b ject of th e G ro tto , th e adv an ce an d re tre a t of the g la c ie rs, etc. Fie h a s w ritte n m uch on th ese an d on
k in d re d m a tte rs . yy p >y2
W a s w ith P ro f. F o rel in his first ex p lo ratio n of the G ro tto in 1S86 an d tra v e rse d all th e p a ss a g e s w ith o u t la n te rn s. All th e arch es h ave now fallen in. ç C '9 '
A r o l l a G l a c i e r , U p p e r . (No g u id e needed.) (a) S ince th e p a th h a s been m ade to the B ertol h u t, the best ro u te to th e U p p er A rolla g la c ie r is by th is p ath .
A little w ay above the H otel Collon th e B o rg n e is crossed by a b rid g e. A m u le-p ath leads up th e valley on th e r ig h t b a n k of th e B o rg n e, ris in g . A fter the stre a m from the G lacier dc B ertol h a s been passed, th e path ascends in z ig z a g s. L a te r on, it d iv id es; th e b ran ch up to the left leads to th e P lan de B e rto l; for th e U p p er A rolla g la c ie r th e b ran ch le a d in g s tr a ig h t on m u s t be
follow ed. T h is leads into_ a g u lly , w h ere tra c k s m u st be looked for.
C im in g up o u t of th is g u lly one finds oneself in s ig h t of th e u p p er g lacier. T h e re is m uch m o rain e to be crossed ; an d tra c k s an d sm all h eap s of stone m u s t be looked o u t for.
(b) O n e can p ass up th e L o w er A rolla g la c ie r a n d ascend to th e u p p er g la c ie r ro u n d th e base of M t. C ollon, o r up the m oraine-covered ice of the u p p er g la c ie r itself. T h is
W O O D S A T B A C K O F H O T E L , E T C . is a good ro u te if one w ishes to see both u p p er a n d low er g laciers.
By e ith e r ro u te one c a n g a in th e Col de Collon. I t is little m o re th a n a w a lk ; b u t a rope m u s t be used over th e covered p a r t of th is g la cier-ro u te.
O r one can proceed s tr a ig h t on to th e Z a de Z an P la te a u .
W o o d s a t b a c k o f H o t e l . W ell w o rth ex p lo rin g ; b eau tifu l flowers a n d clea r stre a m s . N o one w ould su sp ect such b eau ty . U n lu ck ily th e finest trees, the A rolla pines, have been used for b u ild in g purposes.
W . L . ’S3. (Since the b u ild in g of th e K u rh a u s these w oods have a lte re d m uch a n d p a th s have been m ade in th em . W hen the above w as w ritte n it w a s a case of “ ex p lo rin g , ” as they w ere p ath less.)
U p p e r C h a l e t s ; an d ro u te to P a s d e C h e v r e s
an d to ' the Col d e R i e d m a t t e n .
I. Upper Châlets. (A bout 1 h r. from th e low er hotel, good w a lk in g —no g u id e .) T a k e th e p a th th a t s k irts the b o rd er of th e w ood, ru n n in g a b o u t N .N .W ., a n d then N .W . from hotel. At co rn er of th e w ood you cross a stre a m ; a n d a fte r th a t th ere a re m a n y p ath s.
Y ou g o ra th e r to th e left (but 11 ot a lo n g p a th m o s t to left, th a t p asses a lo n g .u p p er b o rd er of w ood), a n d soon follow up a hollow lead in g to w ard s D olin. Y ou should then m eet w ith a w ell defined p a th th a t m o u n ts an d b e a rs to left. You p ass a cross ; an d la te r on you ro u n d the
co rn er, an d find th e la rg e c a ttle y a rd a n d g ro u p of chfilets called “ T h e U p p er C h a le ts ” by v isito rs. T h ey lie rig h t opposite th e Z ig io ren o v e g lacier, an d n early a t th e foot of th e g ra s s slopes of D olin. yy ^ ig„
I I . Pas de Chevres. (No g u id e needed to reach the top of it.) P a s s in g th e U p p er C h a le ts you k eep rig h t on, a lw ay s lo o k in g som e w ay ah e a d to recover th e p ath w hen lost. T h e re is a s u m m it beyond D olin, called M t. R o u g e (see p. Si, m a rk e d 2925 in m ap. T h is you leave on y o u r rig h t. T h e Pas de Chèvres is th e losvest point in th e g r e a t N . a n d S. a rê te th a t bounds th e Seilon g lacier on its E . side. A rrived a t th e ed g e you look dow n on the Seilon g la c ie r ; an d perceive th e ro u te dow n to be a ro u g h n a tu r a l sta irc a se slo p in g dow n to y o u r left (i.e., to th e S.) So fa r h a s been a w alk .
T o descend. (G uide an d rope needed fo r a v e ra g e v isito rs. C lim b ers can descend w ith o u t g u id e o r rope, b u t an a xe is advisable.) A t the top you can e ith e r p ass o u t side a rock, w hen a rope feels a co m fo rt to m an y , o r can (if not too sto u t 1) squeeze dow n a chim ney. N e a r the b o tto m is a lo n g step, a n d h ere an axe, ja m m e d in a cra c k , is, to say th e least, very convenient.
T h e clim b is a sm all one ; b u t e n o u g h to b re a k necks over if th e clim bers are careless ; especially a s th e rocks have been w o rn sm o o th er an d sm o o th er in the course of y ears of use.
T h e ascent is easy for clim bers. W . L. ’83. I I I . Col de R ie d m a tte n . (N o g u id e needed. A “ p a th -c o l.” ) T h is g iv es easy access, by a ro u g h ish p a th , to the G lacier de Seilon, an d so m ay be convenient to those w ho do n o t w a n t to scram b le dow n th e P a s de C hèvres.
W hen one h a s passed th e s u m m it called M t. R o u g e , m ark ed 2925 in m ap , an d sees th e a rê te b o u n d in g th e Sei Ion g lacier, one perceives to N. of th e P a s de C hèvres (w hich is th e low est point in arête) som e h ig h e r black rocks on th e a rê te ; an d one .can th en m a k e o u t a z ig z a g p a th th a t ascends to a n ick in th e rocks.
T h e a scen t to th is nick, an d th e descen t to th e g lacier, is sim ple w a lk in g .
T h e g u id e s do not a p p e a r to m en tio n to visito rs th is easy ro u te over th e a rê te . y j L ig^
IV . R o c k s S . o f Pas de Chcvres. T h e se form tw o sm a ll su m m its S. of P a s de C hèvres, th e one n e a re r the P a s h a v in g a staff on it. T h e y a re se p a ra te d from the (far h ig h e r) N .W . s u m m it of th e Z inereffien R ocks by a col on w hich is a sm all snow -field. (No g u id e.)
(1) Y ou m ay ascen d th e rocks from the P a s de C hèvres. (2) Y ou m ay m o u n t to the col S. of th ese rocks, and so m o u n t th e rocks.
(T his col is a n o th e r easy ro u te to Seilon g lacier.) (3) M ake up for th is col, a n d then slope up to r ig h t so a s to g e t u n d e r su m m it w hich h a s n o t th e staff on it. T h e n clim b s tr a ig h t up. A really good scram b le to su m m it. (Tw o m en best for th is ; rope n o t needed.)
W . L . V. R o c k s to N . of Pas de Chèvres. I.e ., betw een P. de C . an d Col de R ie d m a tte n also good for a scram ble. V ery firm . R ope can be dispensed w ith .
T h e P r a z - G r a s C h a l e t s a n d t h e C o r n e r o f t h e G l a c i e r d e s I g n e s . N p gu ide.
I . F ollow th e U p p e r C h a le ts p a th to co rn er of the w ood (p. 3). Y ou h ere see m ore trees off to y o u r r ig h t and a p a th (not to be followed) ru n n in g off th ro u g h these trees.
Y ou aim so as to g e t above all the trees to yo u r rig h t ; a n d , a lo n g th e ir u p p er border, you find a p a th ru n n in g nearly N. F ollow th is p ath for 5m ., an d then m o u n t N .N .W . Y ou soon see, to N.VV. by N ., a cross on a block o f stone. (I believe th ere is a second such now ; b u t its base is a bu ilt-u p cairn , not a “ block of s to n e .” Y ou aim for th is “ cross 011 block of sto n e ” by a good p a th . A r rived a t cross on block of stone, o r a little to N. of it, the P ra z -g ra s ch ale ts are 200 y a rd s to W .N .W .
T h ey a re co m p act a n d g ra y , not conspicuous. T hey lie h ig h e s t of all the ch âle ts.
T ra v e lle rs often ta k e too low a p ath to rig h t from co rn er of w ood ; a n d 'r e a c h som e low er ch alets.
(T im e I h r. 10 m . o r less from th e low er hotel.)
2. Corner o f Glacier des I g n e s . F ro m P ra z -g ra s ch âle ts s trik e n early due W ., a n d g a in th e h ig h e s t w a te r course c u t alo n g sid e of hill. Follow th is a lo n g w a y — (if you lose it, k eep too h ig h , an d you will see it a g a in below y o u )—u n til you see it p a ss ro u n d a steep hill-side to y o u r r ig h t ; in fact it is alm o st built out h ere. T hen you follow a stony g u lly s tr a ig h t ah ead , above the open in g of w hich you see th e A iguilles R o u g e s to w erin g .
M ount th is g u lly ; an d you g e t on to a rid g e a b u ttin g a g a in s t th e easterly sp u r of L a R o u ssette. I call th e p o in t now g a in e d , “ the corner o f the Glacier des I g n e s . ” It is a b o u t i j h . from hotel. T h e p eak of the A. R o u g es should now be ab o u t N .W . by XV.
All the m o ra in e s of th e G lacier des Ig n e s are in s ig h t ; b u t the clea r g la c ie r is o u t of s ig h t ro u n d to th e left.
W . L. ’83. “ V isito rs to P ra z -g ra s should not o m it clim b in g a sm all hill over th e rid g e behind th e c h a le ts—a b o u t 25m. w a lk . It is called “ T ê te du T ro n c ” (2556m.) in Sw iss M ap (1/50,000).” (S igned) II . A. Be e c h i n g, " A u g . ’85. (No t e. I t h in k I o b se rv e d in 1904 (21 y e a r s la te r) t h a t th e w a te r c o u r s e s , o r i r r ig a t io n s tr e a m s , h a v e b een a lte re d s o m e w h a t. W .L .) Mt. Dol i n. (F in e view .)
(1) B y the g r a s s slope. (No g u id e ; b u t good nails in boots. A slip on th e tu rf m i g h t be fa ta l. W h en g ra s s is d ry an d h a rd , an ax e is co m fo rtab le to hold on by, th o u g h not necessary.) A scend to w a rd s U p p er C h alets. B u t, w hen n e a r th em , p ass up the g r a s s a n d ascen d a g re e n rid g e th a t leads to the foot of D olin, follow ing direction a b o u t N .W . by W . o r W .N .W . ; le a v in g ch ale ts below on left a n d a d v a n c in g till D olin is on r ig h t. T h en g o up g ra s s slopes th a t face Z ig io ren o v e g lacier.
T im e to s u m m it a b o u t 2 jh . from lo w er h o tel. , W . L. ’83. (2) B y the N arête. “ E ith e r ascend to the col be- “ tw een D olin a n d G y sa (see p. 10) an d so up th e a rê te ; or, “ by th e slopes of sh ale, etc., to th e a rê te so u th of said col. “ (R ope ; no g u id e.)
“ (S igned) F . Co r b e t t. ’8 3 .”
(3) B y S . W . arête. “ L e a v in g th e P a s de C h èv res ro u te “ w h ere it ceases to follow th e s tre a m , k eep w ell up above “ th e E. b a n k of th e s tre a m , over rocky h u m m o ck s, an d
“ boulders, u n til th e S .W . p o in t of th e m o u n ta in is passed. “ T h en up steep slope of débris, an d clim b s tr a ig h t up the “ rocks on to the a rê te ; w hich follow to su m m it. De- “ scend by ro u te (i). (R ope ; g u id e not necessary.)
“ (S ig n ed ) F . Co r b e t t. ’82.
“ A. Barran. ’8 2 .”
(4) T o u r o f M t. Doliu. “ T a k e the P a s de C h èv res ro u te “ u n til th e p a th crosses th e stre a m , follow up th e s tre a m for “ som e d istan ce. T h e n ascend th e stony h u m m o ck s on the “ rig h t (E) u n til th e col betw een D olin and G ysa com es into “ view . Ascend to th e top of the col an d then descend (E) “ over loose stones, stony h u m m o ck s, steep p a stu re s,
“ s tr a ig h t to w ard s the hotel.
(5) T raverse o f M o n t Dolin arête. “ (Axes ; sonic w ould “ find rope com fortable.) T a k e ro u te (1) as fa r as the Dolin “ slopes ; th e re one sees a yellow b roken rock in th e cliffs on “ the left, i.e., to w a rd s th e W e st ; clim b over its u p p er edge “ a im in g a t a very d istin ct crack in th e a rê te ; th en follow “ a rê te to m ain s u m m it (2976111.—h ig h e s t cross), an d to “ second cross, over tw o good g e n d a rm e s. B ack to first “ cross an d dow n n o rth a rê te (steep) to Col de la F o rclettc to- “ w a rd s foot of G ysa, w h ere clim b in g over every g e n d a rm e , “ a scram b le m ay be obtained. B ack to K u rh a u s over P raz- “ g ra s . S tro n g ly recom m ended fo r a half-day. I w as “ alone fin d in g o u t m y w ay ; took 6 J h o u rs.
“ A u g is t, ’01.
Au g. Eu g e n e Ku h i.m an n,
“ P a r i s .”
M t . R o u g e ( m e a n in g fit. 2925 between Dolin and the Pas de Chèvres).
“ . . I t co n sists of a sh a rp a rê te and a h ig h to w er or “ ‘ clocher ’ on th e W . end. T o ascend to the a rê te , m o u n t
a steep g ra s s slope on th e S . side till you ap p ro ach a la rg e pinnacle o r g e n d a rm e —then b e a r to th e left-— (leav in g th e pinnacle on y o u r rig h t) an d m o u n t over loose stones to th e a rê te . F ollow th e a rê te to th e base of th e ‘ clocher ’ till a sm all sh o u ld er is rea c h e d —w ork ro u n d th e sh o u ld er a n d a w ay w ill be found up to the su m m it. T h e rocks a re very loose, a n d con seq u en tly d a n g e ro u s , an d a rope is advisable.
“ (S igned) Re g i n a l d J . Cu s t. “ io th S ep t., ’8 6 .” (2) A n o th e r ro u te.—A scent by E . arê te .
“ M ak e for th e b u ttre s s w hich ends in steep rocks on the A rolla side. S k ir t th e ro ck s by screes to the left till a p a s s a g e can be m ad e up th e slabs an d steep pitches on to the a rête. Follow easy a rê te over one o r tw o needles to th e ‘ c lo c h e r.’ T h is is ascended by a chim ney and final sh o rt a rê te , both very ro tten .
“ T h e ‘ clocher ’ m ay be descended by N . IF. arête to a little col on a rid g e c o n n ectin g w ith th e R e id m a tte n - C a ssio rte a rête. T h is is sh o rt b u t in te re s tin g . I t w ould be difficult to find, even in the A rolla d istric t, rock m ore th o ro u g h lv d is in te g ra te d th a n on th is ‘ clocher. ’
“ F . W . Ol i v e r, “ S ept. 12th, ’9 2 .” M t . G y s a . (P ro n o u n ce “ G h its a ” : A. E . K . , 1901.) “ (N o gu id e .) T h is is the su m m it, w ith a re m n a n t of a cross on it (in 18S3) th a t lies betw een D olin an d I.a R o u ssette.
“ S ta r t as if for U p p e r C h alets, b u t m a k e off to th e r ig h t so as to g a in col betw een D olin an d G ysa. You then have D olin to S. a n d G ysa to N. M o u n t s tr a ig h t to N . over slopes an d som e le d g e s .”
(A bout 2 h rs. from hotel ; 2 h rs . back.)
W . L ., ’83.
La R o u s s e t t e (3,261 m .) (10,600 ft.). F in e v ie w ; an d can g iv e som e good sc ra m b lin g . (N o g u id e.)
(1) E a sy ; ladies (w ith s tro n g boots) m ay be ta k e n . T a k e w ay to U p p er C h a le ts (p. 3) b u t p ass above th em , close u n d e r th e g ra s s slopes of D olin. G o ro u n d th e S .W . ro ck s of D olin, a lo n g sh eep -track s over th e screes into th e valley ly in g behind D olin a n d G ysa. W h en fu rth e r up th is valley, you see th e su m m it an d b roken cross of G ysa above you to th e r ig h t ; a n d th e h ig h e r (com plete) cross, a n d cairn of R o u sse tte to th e N . of G ysa.
[A v a ria tio n is to ta k e a p a th to th e r ig h t, som e tim e before s ig h tin g the LTpper C h alets, th a t m o u n ts steeply to th e C ol de la F o rc le tte (betw een D olin an d G ysa). F ro m th is col you s k irt the w esterly slopes of th e R o u ssettc- G y sa rid g e, jo in in g th e ro u te th a t is h ere b ein g described n ot fa r from th e foot of the “ w ide g u llv . ’’]
P a ss on up th e valley, le av in g G ysa, a n d the fa n ta stic c astle to th e n o rth of it, to y o u r r ig h t ; a n d choose a n easy slopes of screes th a t ta k e s you up a w ide g u lly to a point on the a rê te n o t fa r S. of th e cross an d su m m it of R o u s sette. T h e n easy to reach su m m it by asc e n d in g the arê te fo r j h r. o r less.
T h e s u m m it co n sists in a rid g e ; a snow slope lies on the E . side of the. rid g e.
W . L „ ’83. (2) No g u id e . By the n o rth erly sp u r of R o u ssette. T h is ro u te is fa r m ore in te re s tin g , a n d m ay g iv e som e fair scram b lin g .
of th e G lacier des I g n é s ” (p. 6) a t 12.15; s tru c k u p hill-side over w h a t w as th en snow , d ire c tio n b ein g a b o u t S .W . by W . a n d reached (at 12.45) th e ed g e of a sm all p erched snow -field shew n in m ap . T h e su m m it lay now a b o u t S .W . T h e re w ere tw o snow couloirs opposite to me. I chose the m ore n o rth erly . (T h ere w a s also a rock ledge to N. of th is la tte r couloir th a t m ay be a good w ay up ; b u t new snow then blocked it.) C ro ss in g the little snow -field I then ascended th e m o re n o rth erly snow couloir som e w a y ; a n d th en (1.15 p .m .) left it for th e rocks on m y r ig h t. M o u n tin g these an d b e a rin g to m y r ig h t g a in e d arê te of th e n o rth erly sp u r of R o u ssette. M o u n tin g sp u r (and b e a rin g now so u th erly o r so u th -w esterly to w ard s s u m m it), I reached th e s u m m it a t 2.15. N ew snow , som etim es to m y w a ist, m ad e th e pace slow. W . L ., ’83.
(3) (N o g u id e.) P roceed ro u n d Dolili in to th e valley behind as in ro u te (1). W h e n fa r e n o u g h up to sec w ell, one observes to N .N .W . a place w h ere th e a re te from R o u ssette to C a ssio rte (p. 12) is low est, a n d w h ere a to n g u e of screes stre tc h e s up to w ard s it. T h e top of th is to n g u e of screes reach es th e foot of a h ig h to w er in the a rête, to th e e a s t of low est p o in t in arête.
M ount up th is to n g u e , an d th en m o u n t up face of th e low er p a rt of to w er from ledge to ledge, b e a rin g alw ay s to th e E . an d never d o u b lin g back . Y ou th u s g a in top of a rê te betw een R o u ssette an d C a s s io rte ; an d p ass, first to E . an d th en to S. to the su m m it.
W . I.., -83. (d) (N ° g u id e .) “ H a v in g ascended D olin, th e trav eller “ by sc a n n in g carefully the a rê te le a d in g to th e N . w ill, if
he is a m oderately good c ra g s m a n , discover a ro u te dow n “ from th e sum m it" to th e left on to th e rockv a rê te (good) 11 an d thence, p a rtly 011 the E . an d p artly on "the W e s t side
“ of it, p ass over th e d e tritu s u n til he g e ts im m ediately “ b en eath Gy sa, w h e re route / m ay be follow ed to th e su m - “ m it. By th is ro u te th e tw o su m m its w ere scaled, and “ the descent m ade to A rolla, in 7 h ours.
“ (Signed) Co l i n Ca m p b e l l, “ Ju ly 30th, 1SS6.” (5) (L o n g rope, g u id e advisable.) B y N . E . arête. “ W e left K u rh a u s a t 2.13 p .m ., crossed P ra z -g ra s to- “ w ard s foot of a rê te ru n n in g up, first W . th en S. to R ous- “ se tte (3,261 m .) w hich w e reached a t 4.15 p .m . T h e n “ follow ed a rê te , k e e p in g ra th e r to rig h t, w hen necessary “ (rocks good) ; reached su m m it 5 p .m .
“ A sm aller p a rty w ould req u ire m uch less tim e. IVe “ st r o n g ly re c o m m e n d this d e lig h tf u l little climb f o r a “ h a lf-d a y .” “ A. C . Do w n e r. “ O . Sc h u c k. “ Au g. Eu g e n i e Ku h l m a n n. “ G uide, Pi e r r e Ci i e v r i e r. “ Ju ly 26th, 1901.” C a s s i o r t e , A sc e n t of. (3,302 m . = 10,834 ft.) (No g u id e .) By th is is m e a n t the fa n ta stic rocky su m m it th a t lies a t th e N. end of th e m ain N . a n d S. a rê te ru n n in g from the P a s de C h èv res to w ard s th e A iguilles R o u g es. C a ssio rte lies a t th e ju n ctio n of th is a rê te w ith th a t co m in g from R o u sse tte ; and it looks dow n on the G lacier des Ig n es. I t is not th e h ig h e s t s u m m it in m ain a rê te ; th ere b ein g one a little S. of it (n e a re r to P a s de C hèvres), th a t is ra th e r h ig h e r. F ine view .
(1) B y arête to E. o f Cassiorte. P a s s in g up valley be hind D olin, as in ro u tes 1 and 3 of R o u ssette (pp. io a n d 11),
C A S S IO R T E 13
one aim s a t foot of a rê te jo in in g C a ssio rte an d R o u s se tte a t a place a good deal to W . of low est po in t in said arête.
Som e inspection w ill shew, a w ay up on to a rê te ; an d th en it is a n easy scram b le w esterly to su m m it of C assio rte. A bout 3A h o u rs from A rolla. W . L ., ’83.
(2) O r w e can m o u n t to a col ju s t S. of C a ssio rte p a ss in g up sam e valley (behind D olin) as in 1, b u t slo p in g across
it a t a n o th e r a n g le . W . L.
(3) O r g o ro u n d by P ra z -g ra s , an d G lacier des Ig n e s (p. 6), m o u n t to so u th erly Col des Ig n e s , an d so ascend
C a ssio rte from th e n o rth . VV. L .
(4) By arête fr om Col de R ie d m a tt e n . No g u id e . T h is ro u te is h a rd e r an d m o re tirin g , b u t b e tte r fun. F ro m Col de R ie d m a tte n (p. 4) p ass a lo n g a rê te to N. S everal ups an d dow ns of no difficulty.
A t la s t one descends dow n ledges into a very sh a rp col ; an d on e ith e r side th e rocks are very steep. O n e can creep into a cra c k s tr a ig h t ah ead , an d so up an easy chim ney on to th e arê te . O n e th e n h a s, betw een oneself a n d C as siorte, th e h ig h e s t p o in t in th e arê te . T h is can be passed, a n d one descends into col ju s t so u th of C a ssio rte a n d so up
to su m m it. W . L ., ’83.
(1) Additional n o te .—“ By s trik in g th e E . a rê te w h ere it “ jo in s th e R o u ssette, as th e si gnal-post (ju st over an ob- “ vious col), a n d th e n clim b in g every g e n d a rm e all th e w ay “ a lo n g to C assio rte, a th o ro u g h ly in te re s tin g clim b is ob- “ tain ed . T h is w ill ad d considerably to th e tim e allow ance “ g iv en by W . L. u n d e r (route 1). A rope should be ta k e n “ a s several of th e ro ek -to w ers a re very' ro tte n an d ready to “ collapse. “ F. W . Ol i v e r, S ep t., ’9 2 .”
G L A C IE R A N D C O L D E S IG N E S , E T C . [R e m a r k .—T h e first tw o lines of th is note h av e been a ccu rately copied, b u t a re n o t clear to m e. I th in k M r. O liv er in ten d s one to s trik e th e R o u ssette-G y sa-D o lin a rê te a t a p o in t S. of the sig n al-p o st, by th e easy g u lly of “ R o u ssette, R o u te i . ” —W . L.]
“ W e s tro n g ly recom m end clim bers to avoid th e E . a rête “ of C assio rte. I t is a t p re se n t in a d a n g e ro u sly ro tte n con- “ dition.
“ H . V. Re a d e, A .C. “ L . W . Ro u.e s t o n, A .C.
“ A u g u s t 3rd, 1S99.”
G l a c i e r a n d Col d e s I g n e s . (N o g u id e.) F ro m
the “ C o rn e r of the G lacier des Ig n e s ” (p. 6) one can ascend the g la c ie r easily. In the fro n t of one a re tw n “ Cols des I g n e s ,” betw een C a ssio rte an d the a rê te of the A guilles R o u g e s. O f th ese the m ore n o rth erly can alw ays be ascended w ith o u t c u ttin g step s ; th e m ore so u th erly ju s t u n d e r C assio rte, g e n e ra lly needs steps.
T im e from A rolla 3 h o u rs o r so.
A rope should a lw ay s be used on covered g lacier.
T h e M a n g e t t e G l a c i e r can easily be reached.
W . L „ ’83.
T o u r o f C a s s i o r t e . (1) “ W ith ladies a n d one “ g u id e (tim e to col. 4 h o u rs.) I w en t round to the P a s de “ C hèvres, an d so back. A p le a s a n t expedition. F ro m Col “ des Ig n e s to P a s de C h èv res i j h o u rs P. de C h èv res to “ A rolla 2g h o u rs. T h e snow w as good u n d e r the S. Col “ des Ig n e s .
(2) etc. A nyone w ho read s th e ro u te s to C a ssio rte will find it easy to devise several w ay s of p a s s in g on to th e W . side of th a t hill and so m a k in g a ro u n d to th e Col des Ig n c s a n d re tu rn in g hom e by the G lacier des Ig n e s and P ra z -g ra s. (No g u id e.)
A rope should be ta k e n for th e g la c ie r ; an d a n ax e m ay be w a n te d if the expedition descends the so u th erly Col des Ig n es.
W . L ., ’83.
L a c B l e u . (No g u id e .)
(1) T o see th is pool a t ite best, g o w hen no ra in h as fallen recently. T h e colour of th e w a te r in th e pool is due to the fa c t th a t it is fed by w a te r th a t com es pu re an d filtered from u n d e rg ro u n d . U n fo rtu n a te ly th e re is an irrig a tio n -s tre a m tu rn e d into th e pool ; a n d th is, a fte r ra in , ren d ers th e w a te r tu rb id . T h e view fr o m th e la k e is p erh ap s th e best p a rt of it.
G o to S a ta rm e , a n d m o u n t th e p a th b ehind it. W hen you g e t up into a g ra s s y g la d e , b e a r b ack to th e left and you w ill find a w ell-defined p ath th a t leads you u p w ard , n e a r a p ecu liar an d conspicuous fin g er of ro c k —(for w hich M r. S lin g sb y h a s, I see, s u g g e s te d th e n a m e “ A iguille, or D en t de S a ta rm e ” )—to som e c a ttle chalets. A scend be hind th e c h fd e ts ; an d th ere is th e “ la k e ,” a sm all pool.
T h e u su al e rro r is to g o too fa r n orth.
W . T... ’83. (2) “ A stone should be th ro w n into the la k e an d the “ m arvellous irrid escen t reflected rin g s observed. T h is
re-“ flection leads m e to th in k th a t th e c h a ra c te r of th e bottom “ m ay a t least influence th e colour. “ E . A. C . ’’ [T hese irrid escen t colours w ould be due to “ refractio n a n d dispersion ; ” a n d an y sources of w h ite reflected lig h t a t th e b o tto m , a s w h ite stones, should m a k e the p h en o m en a m o re conspicuous. B u t th e blue colour is due to the exceeding fineness of th e su spended m a tte r, a s it is in the case of th e sky. XV. L .].
(3) “ S u r la c a rte a u 1.50000 du C .A .S . le lac bleu est “ d ésig n é so u s le nom de ‘ G ouille p a i.’ C et ad jec tif ‘ pai ’ “ est un ancien m o t fran çais qui signifie bleu. Il y a d an s “ le D a u p h in é , d a n s le val d ’A rsine, un ’lac ‘ p a i.’ (R en- “ se ig n e m e n ts donnés p a r M. C h. R a b o t de P a ris, et M. “ C oolidge d ’O x fo rd .) L e lac bleu a u n e p ro fo n d eu r de
m ètres.
“ (S igned) F . A. FoRF.r. (P rof.),
“ 26 A oût, 1887.” [R e m a r k .—I am n o t su re th a t I h ave read th e patois- w ord, given as “ pai ” above, rig h tly . W . L.]
A ig-u ille, o r D e n t D e S a t a r m e . (see p. 15).
(1) “ W hen w a lk in g up to th e B lue L ak e, everyone m u st “ notice a re m a rk a b ly sh a rp tooth of rock p ro je c tin g fa r “ above th e pine trees w hich g ro w aro u n d it. T h is rock “ affords a m o st c h a rm in g little clim b of a b o u t 120 ft. up a “ steep an d k nife-edged a rête. T h e top o v e rh a n g s tw o “ w ays, a n d is re m a rk a b ly sm all.
I t w a s ascended by M iss B lair O lip h a n t an d M essrs. “ G . S. B arn es, A .C ., H a ro ld T o p h a m , A .C ., A rth u r “ M a c n a n ia ra , an d W m . Cecil S lin g sb y , A .C. (in A u g u st, “ ’87), w ho believe it to be the first ascen t, a s they saw no
“ sig n s of previous disp lacem en t of m oss or loose stones. “ T h ey all h eartily recom m end clim bers to spend a jolly “ h alf-h o u r on th is ro ck on th e ir w ay to o r from th e B lue “ L ak e. A lo n g rope is absolutely necessary.
“ ( S i g n e d ) VVm. Ce c i l Si.i n g s b y,
“ A u g u st, ’8 7 .” (2) “ T h is ro ck h a s evidently been often ascended, b ein g “ w ell scratch ed . W e th in k m o re clim bers m ig h t enjoy it “ if the above description w ere slig h tly m odified. T h e re “ is little to call a ‘ k n ife -e d g e .’ T h e only p a r t th a t p resen ts “ an y difficulty is steep, but b road, an d affords am p le hold. “ F o r th e descent of th is p a rt (15 ft.) a rope is advisable. “ O n e of th e o rd in a ry le n g th is sufficient.
“ W . C . Co m p t o n, A . C . , “ Jo s e p h Co l l i e r,. A . C .
“ A u g u st 5th, 1897.” (3) C a u t i o n . —H a v in g m yself led up th is little “ D en t ” an d com e dow n la s t (once w ith o u t h itc h in g a rope) I am decidedly of opinion th a t a fa ta l accident m ig h t occur on it m ore easily th a n on m an y w ell-know n m o u n ta in s if a t tem p ted by u n p ractise d clim bers. In B a ll’s G uide it is called a “ ro u g h scram b le of ten m in u te s an d th is des cription seem s to m e m islead in g . T h e ro ck is slip p e ry ; an d in th e descent th e hold is not good, a t le a st from th e p o in t of view of o rd in a ry clim bers w ho are not “ c r a g s m e n .” I m ay add th a t th e late M r. C ockin, a w ell-know n “ g u id e- less ” m o u n ta in e e r (not a specialist in rocks), a g re e d w ith m e fully w h en I expressed th e above opinion.
W . L . 1905.
C a s c a d e D e s Igrnes. (N o g u id e) (1) D irect w ay.
the te le g ra p h p o sts g o ro u n d a la rg e rock, w hile th e m ule- p ath rises above th e ro ck . O n d escen d in g (tow ards S a ta rm e ) from th is rise, do not g o dow n to th e stre a m , as for S a ta rm e , b u t follow a p a th th a t leads m ore directly on a n d u p w a rd s. A fter a tim e th e p a th is lost ; b u t if you c o n tin u e sa m e g e n e ra l direction you w ill re g a in it. You w ill find you a re traversing" th e so u th erly side of th e g o rg e dow n w hich descends the T o rre n t des Ig n e s , a n d you will be opposite to the B lue L a k e w hich is on o th e r side.
T h e p ath leads to m ore level g ro u n d ; a n d th e C ascade is seen a n d is easily reached.
(2) A Tour. Go to B lue L a k e an d follow a p a th th a t leads a lo n g n o rth erly side of g o rg e . E asy to reach C a s cade. T o return to Arolla— either follow ro u te (1) or ascend a g u lly th a t lies easterly from the C ascade. By th is g u lly one reached p a s tu re s above. H e re one can see an d follow th e “ h ig h -w a te rc o u rsc ” (p. 6) to the P raz-
g r a s chAlets a n d so hom e.
T h e vicias on hom e jo u rn ev , on fine dav, a rc m a g n ific e n t. W . L . ’83.
Z i g i o r e n o v e G l a c i e r . (No g u id e.) H a s varied so m uch w ith in th e w r ite r ’s rem em b ran ce th a t d escriptions of it, o r directions for tra v e rs in g it, are of little use.
W . L . ’92. “ L e G lacier de Z ig io ren o v e est p arm i les g la c ie rs des “ A lpes S u isses celui d o n t les v a ria tio n s de lo n g u e u r sont “ les plus co nsiderables, et les plus rap id es. P a rfo is il “ descend d a n s la p lain e en tra v e rs a n t la B o rg n e, p arfo is “ il s ’a rrê te s u r la croupe de la m o n ta g n e . Le m a x im u m “ de lo n g u e u r connu a eu lieu en 1S16-1817 ; le g la c ie r “ fa isa it pont s u r la B o rg n e ; il a m êm e occasioné, p a r “ l ’a r r ê t des eau x , un lac tem p o raire, d o n t l ’éco u lem en t n ’a “ du reste pas causé de d ésastres. U n n o u v eau m a x im u m “ a eu lieu vers 1S52 ; le g la c ie r est alo rs descendu ju s q u ’au “ se n tie r p rin cip al de la vallée. D e 1852 1869 g ra n d e et “ lo n g u e p h ase de décru e co n tin u e qui a fa it perd re eau “ g la c ie r environ u n k ilo m etre de lo n g u e u r. D epuis 1869, “ p h ase de cru e trè s rapide.
“ (S igned) F . A. Fo r e l,
“ 21 A oût, ’8 7 .” “ T h is g la c ie r is ad v a n c in g very rapidly indeed.
“ ( S i g n e d ) Wm. Ce c i l Sl i n g s e y, “ S eptem ber, 1888.” ' R o u te s to g e t on to glacier (1884.) O n th e n o rth erly side, i.e., to w a rd s the tip p e r C h alets, the g la c ie r h a s a t least th ree m o rain es. T h e first is th e m odern m o rain e, an d co n sists as u su a l of ice w ith sto n es over it. B u t to w ard s th e n o rth , o r aw a y from th e g la c ie r, it p re se n ts a steep ice- w all on w hich no stones rest. T h is u n u su a l fe a tu re in th e
ed g e of th is g la c ie r is doubtless du e to th e fact th a t it is in a “ p h ase de c ru e ra p id e .” I t is only on th e glacier-side of th e ed g e th a t one can see th a t th is is a m odern m o rain e.
N ext, fu rth e r from th e g lacier, com es a very h ig h g ra s s- covered m o rain e w ith a lo n g slope dow n to th e n o rth ; a t foot of w hich n o rth erly side ru n s a clea r stre a m . N ext, a n o th e r, low er, grass-co v ered m o rain e, n o rth of w hich is a n o th e r clea r stre a m . B eyond th is s tre a m th e g ro u n d rises to th e “ U p p e r C h â le ts .”
T h e se tw o stre a m s u n ite low er dow n (in a “ V ” ) and form the one clea r stre a m th a t ru n s ju s t u n d e r the southerly edge of th e wood n e a r th e hotel.
(1) S h o r t e s t route. P a ss, from the low er hotel, a lo n g p ath u n d er so u th e d g e of w ood ; th e p ath b e in g for m ost p a rt o u tsid e th e w ood. At a fairly level place below the ju n c tion of th e tw o s tre a m s ju s t m en tio n ed , cross th e stre a m (here single) by a w o o d -an d -tu rf b rid g e ; an d m o u n t the m o rain e w hich is th e low er p a rt of second m o rain e m en tioned above. T h is ta k e s u s a lo n g a very sh a rp e d g e ; an d , a fte r a tim e, w e h av e on o u r left-h an d th e steep ice-w all spoken of above. A bout i h o u r from the low er hotel th ere is (or w as in ’Sa-’S.}) a g a p in th is ice-w all, bv w hich one could p ass on to glacier.
In ’82 one could w a lk a lo n g w ay up g la c ie r to foot of the P ig n o d ’A rolla ; no rope then req u ired , few crevasses.
In ’84, S eptem ber, th ere w as m uch new snow and m any crevasses.
(2) Go to “ U p p e r Chfilnts ” and then s trik e acro ss for sa m e g a p in ice-wall.
(3) Proceed as 011 p. 21 up a lo n g w in d in g m o rain e of Pièce g lacier, b u t a t th e p o in t w h e re one passes from one well defined sh a rp a rê te to a n o th e r th a t lies r a th e r to the left, one can descend to th e rig h t an d m o u n t the Z ig io ren o v e g la c ie r th re a d in g the crevasses. W . L. ’84.
P i e c e G l a c i e r . (T h is also m ay h ave c h a n g e d . In fact ro u te (2) does depend on th e y e a r. VV. L. ’92.).
(1) (N o g u id e ; very easy.) T h e re is a lo n g w in d in g m o rain e betw een Pièce and Z ig io ren o v e g la c ie rs ; it is well seen from hotel. T o g a in th is m o rain e, p ass a lo n g th e p ath to A rolla g la c ie r u n til s tre a m s from Z igiorenove g la c ie r are passed, an d fu rth e r on choose sm o o th e st w ay to th e m oraine.
M ount th is m o rain e ; an d , w h e re th e a rê te ceases, p ass to the left on to a rê te of a n o th e r m o ra in e (w hich from hotel a p p e a rs c o n tin u o u s w ith th a t you have now left.) T h is can be ascended to foot of rocks betw een Pièce an d Z igiorenove g la c ie rs (Loitecondoi R ocks.) A ro u g h descent then ta k e s us on to Pièce glacier.
N o te .— I t is b etter, how ever, to leave the m o rain e earlier, d escen d in g to o n e ’s left before the glacier-sid e of the m o rain e g e ts too steep.
T im e on to th e ice 1 h o u r 15 m in u te s from hotel. As a ru le (unless g la c ie r h a s c h an g ed )—one m u st ascend g la c ie r to o n e ’s rig h t, i.e., th e left-h a n d side of the g lacier, in o rd er to p ass by the serracs.
(2) (M ay be h a rd e r, an d m an y v isito rs m ig h t need a g u id e.) M any y e a rs it is easy to g a in th e foot of the V uibez R ocks as explained pp. 23 a n d 24. F rom here one van p ass on to th e Pièce g la c ie r easily.
T a k e rope an d ax es ; th ey m ay be w an ted .
T h is ro u te on to Pièce is m o st d irect w hen asc e n d in g th e P ig n e , provided th a t th e to n g u e of th e Pièce g lacier, jn en tio n ed p. 23, can be crossed. W . L ., ’S3.
(3) T o u r . “ P a ss all the s tre a m s ” (descending from th e Pièce g lacier) “ by the p a th to th e A rolla g la c ie r ; a fte r th e “ la st, tu rn up th e m o rain e ; clim b th e alp n e a r a blasted “ pine, k e e p in g n e a r the g u lly of th e la s t stre a m , as far “ a s m a y be. H a lf-w a y up th e re is a d e lig h tfu l g ra s s g u l- “ ly (in sh ad e a t noon) a n d a t th e top a very sh o rt ‘ m au v ais “ p a s .’ T h en ce a lo n g th e sh ale beds an d m o ra in e a t the “ foot of th e cliffs, to th e m o ra in e on th e ri edit b a n k of the “ Pièce g la c ie r. T h e w hole ro u te is visible from hotel. “ T h en ce cross Pièce g la c ie r a b o u t c en tre an d s trik e tra c k “ u n d e r th e left cliffs an d g e t off on m o rain e on left b an k , “ a n d so descend. T im e, 6 h o u rs. (T w o m en ; no ro p e ; an “ axe.)
“ (S igned) C. II . Pi i.k i n g t o n, A .C ., “ N o rw ic h .” N ote. — I t seem s to m e th a t w hen M r. P ilk in g to n w en t, th e to n g u e of the g la c ie r had g o n e b ack (?) an d did not block th e ro u te to th e “ m o rain e on rig h t b a n k of g la c ie r .” I h ave found th is to n g u e v ary ; a n d g u id e s have, som e years, avoided th is w ay on to th e glacier-—“ on ne pen t pas passer cette a n n é e . ”
Also a s “ no rope ” is w ritte n , th e g la c ie r w as clear of
snow . XV. L. '92.
V u i b e z R o c k s . (No g u id e . B u t not for inex p eri enced persons.)
W ell w o rth clim b in g .
(1) (N o g u id e if th e “ to n g u e of ice ” h a s re tre a te d o r is easy to cross.) T h is ro u te is th e sh o rte r ; b u t, w hen I k n ew it, a to n g u e of th e Pièce h ad to be crossed on w hich a slip w ould in som e y e a rs h ave been fatal. Som e y ears the g u id e s avoided th is ro u te a n d w e n t a lo n g e r w ay round in stead .
T a k e p a th from hotel to A rolla g la c ie r till you h ave passed all the stre a m s th a t com e from Z ig io ren o v e g la c ie r. T h en look S .W . by S. for som e b lasted pines th a t a re h ig h e r up on the rocks th a n the m ain body of liv in g pines. Y ou a re to aim for these.
Y ou slope off to left a n d cross one by one th ree la rg e stre a m s from Pièce g la c ie r, as w ell as som e sm a lle r ones th a t vary from y ear to y ear.
O n th e fu r th e r side of th e third large s tre a m , w hich should be s tru c k above th e liv in g pines is a well-defined p ath . Follow th is p a th .
J u s t bejow th e blasted pines (they existed in ’84) the path branches. T a k e h ig h e r b ra n c h .
Som e ju d g m e n t is th en req u ired in ch o o sin g best sla n t up to h it off the to n g u e of ice th a t w ill h avç to be crossed in o rd er to reach foot of V uibez R ocks.
(W hen I passed in ’82, ’83, ’84, th is to n g u e ended over a steep little can o n , an d it w as im possible to p ass u n d er it w ith o u t d escen d in g a lo n g w ay to th e place w h ere ro u te (2) crosses th is can o n . In ’86 (I th in k ) g u id e s w ould n o t ta k e th is ro u te b ecause of the to n g u e ; b u t in ’87 (I th in k ) I found the slope of to n g u e easy, ice ro u g h , a n d no steps needed.
M r. P ilk in g to n ’s note p. 22 m ak es m e th in k th e to n g u e h as re tre a te d ; for he reach es foot of V uibez R o ck s by th is sam e ro u te w ith o u t m e n tio n in g an y ice.
A fter cro ssin g to n g u e of ice (or p a s s in g u n d e r it if it h as g o n e back) it is easy to m o u n t th e V uibez R o ck s. F ro m top, cham ois can often be seen dow n on th e ea ste rly face (at least in S ep tem b er.) I should say one could p ass all a lo n g top to Col de V u ig n c tte . vu t c en(. 10
(2) Follow ro u te (1) to place w h ere p ath b ran ch es (see p. 23). T a k e low er b ran ch . T h is descends a little, b u t soon rises a n d becom es la rg e an d plain. A fourth stre a m (see p. 23) from Pièce is crossed ; an d w e reach a g ra s s an d sto n e p la te a u of m o d erate slope, betw een u p p er an d low er cliffs. S lo p in g up th is to foot of u p p er cliffs, w e com e upon a fifth strea m . T h is is th e to rre n t from the to n g u e of g la c ie r m entioned above. It h a s a canon-like bed, b u t w e can cross it h ere.
P a s s in g over it, w e ascend n ex t rid g e to o n e ’s rig h t sonic w ay, an d cross a n o th e r stre a m (sixth) a t an easy place. A scend n ex t rid g e to rig h t. H e re occurs a bit of rock- clim b in g . Above the rock one g a in s th e m o ra in e b o u n d in g r ig h t-b a n k of Piece g lacier. It is easy then to sec the w ay up th e Y uibez rocks. W hole expedition up to su m m it and b ack, w ith tim e for lunch, about 6 hours.
R o c k s B e t w e e n P i e c e a n d Z i g i o r e n o v e G l a c i e r s o r L o i t e c o n d o i R o c k s . (N ote. T h ese
m u s t not be confused w ith th e Z oitecondoi R o ck s, q .v .). (No g u id e, a t an y ra te for first su m m it.)
(1) A scend a lo n g w in d in g m o ra in e (p. 21) a s in ro u te 1 to Pièce g la c ie r. G o s tr a ig h t up. S teep er piece a t top m ay be avoided by d e to u r to r i g h t over w esterly face.
T h e second an d o th e r su m m its w ould, I th in k , be best reached by p a s s in g up r ig h t b a n k of Z ig io ren o v e g la c ie r an d a sc e n d in g w est side of ro ck s. W . L . ’83.
“ N ot m u ch difficulty in tr a v e rs in g a rê te a s fa r as th ird “ su m m it, beyond w hich I did n o t p ass o w in g to w a n t of “ tim e ; b u t it ap p e a rs to be a sim ila r clim b a s fa r as fo u rth “ s u m m it. In places a rope w as "Found useful.
“ (S igned) A. B ., A ug. n t h , ’86. “ (i.e., Mr. Ba r r a n.) ” (2) B y w e s t side a lo n g arête. “ (G uide, o r th ree experi- “ enccd m en , ax es, a n d rope.) A scend a lo n g w in d in g “ a rê te of m o ra in e (see p. 21) ; cross Z ig io ren o v e g la c ie r “ a t p o in t 2462 fed. m ap 1.50/000) a n d its e a s t m o rain e. “ T h e n w a lk a lo n g rockv tu r f slopes of L o itecoundoûa, “ k e e p in g up-hill u n til foot of second snow y couloir is “ crossed n e a r a sp rin g . A fter p a s s in g th is couloir clim b “ s tr a ig h t up in a so u th erly direction, a im in g a t a rê te be- “ tw een first an d second su m m it. T h e n follow a rê te for “ a b o u t 25 m in u tes, w hen th e fo u rth an d m ain su m m it, “ w h ere th ere is a cairn , is reached. (T im e ta k e n , includ- “ in g all h a lts a n d d éto u rs (ab o u t 5* h o u rs.) B ad ro ck s all “ th e w ay, few h an d h o ld s, an d d a n g e ro u s loose stones on “ th e m ain su m m it.
“ (G uide : P ie rre C h ev rier.)
“ Au g. Eu g e n e Ku h l m a n n.
“ H . Bl a n d Di x o n, R .N .
M a i n S u m m i t o f Z i n e r e f f i e n R o c k s . (1)
U sual route. (M ay, o r m ay n ot, re q u ire a g u id e . A t any ra te b e tte r th ree p ersons and a rope, for tra v e rs in g covered g la c ie r.) P a ss over P a s de C h èv res an d s k irt G lacier de Sei Ion, k e e p in g close u n d e r rocks to o n e ’s left, a n d m a k in g so u th erly a t first.
T h e n b ear S .S .E . (m o u n tin g in fa c t by a com m on ro u te to th e P ig n e ). A t a su itab le place, w hen th e su m m it of Zinereffien R ocks is n o t very fa r above one to o n e ’s left, s trik e up to left over loose rocks to su m m it.
(2) (N o g u id e, b u t b e tte r tw o m en an d axes. A rope w ould enable trav ellers to g o fu r th e r a lo n g su m m its w ith o u t an y risk .) T h is ro u te is by the g r e a t N .E . by E . arête. T h e w rite r w a s obliged, from p ress of tim e, to ascend alone a n d w ith m uch new snow on th e rocks. H en ce th e follow in g acco u n t m a k e s th e a scen t a p p e a r less easy th a n he supposes it is u n d e r o th e r conditions.
F ollow ed up the g ra s s-m o ra in e s of Z ig io ren o v e g la c ie r an d reach ed foot of above a rê te in I3 h o u rs from hotel. M a k in g a d é to u r to rig h t to avoid steep er end of a rête, ascended screes a n d g o t on to a rê te n e a r a h u g e sto n e p illar a t i j h o u rs from hotel. In 1 h o u r m ore, reached lim it of rocky p a r t of a rête, an d found frozen sh ale w ith new snow on it. T h is soon m e rg e d into p e rm a n e n t h a rd snow or ice w ith new snow on this.
T h o u g h th e a c tu a l a rê te to su m m it w a s p u re snow or ice,. I saw loose ro ck s below th e ed g e to m y left (or so u th erly ), w hich m ig h t be good to m o u n t by. B u t a t this tim e m uch new snow m a d e th em u n a ttra c tiv e , and I k ep t
on th e snow a rê te till n e a re r th e su m m it, w h en I did descend to left a n d u se th e loose rocks.
B e in g alone a n d fin d in g loose snow over h a rd snow or ice, m a n a g e d to consum e 3 h o u rs c u ttin g steps.
R each ed top of a re te , a n d a low er s u m m it of th e Z. R o ck s 5 I h o u rs from hotel. (M uch too lo n g a tim e. C o n d itio n s w ere b ad .) M ade sm all cairn. T h e n w e n t up a rê te so u th erly to w a rd s th e h ig h e r su m m its.
C ould not g a in th ese ; for I found cornices of snow , and w a s alone. B ack to A rolla in 3$ h o u rs.
A good expedition for tw o m en w ith o u t g u id es. W . L . S ep t., ’S3. (3) “ VVe ascended th e Z inereffien R o ck s by a rock-rib “ ru n n in g a b o u t E . from th e s u m m it rid g e , reach ed by “ follow ing th e (lat.est) m o rain e on th e left b a n k of the “ Z igiorenove G lacier to th e top, an d m o u n tin g g r a s s an d “ scree above it. T h e rocks w ere r a th e r ro tte n b u t not “ p a rtic u la rly difficult. T h ey b rin g one to th e su m m it “ rid g e a few y a rd s S. of the N .E . by E . a rê te . T h e rid g e “ w a s followed" to th e tw o h ig h e s t p e a k s w ith o u t difficulty. “ T i m e s : —H o tel to su m m it rid g e, 4 J h o u rs (slow g o in g ) ; “ to h ig h e s t p eak , 40 m in u te s ; d escen t by ro ck s a n d snow “ on W ., an d over P a s de C h èv res to hotel, 2 h o u rs 20 “ m in u te s- “ FI. V . Re a d e.
“ L . W . Ro l i.e s t o n. “ Ju ly 15th, 1899.” Variation on (3). “ A scended a s in (3) an d followed rid g e “ to h ig h e s t p o in t. T h en w e n t b ack a lo n g th e rid g e p a st “ th e "snow slope to N.YV. s u m m it an d descended by the “ rock rib on the A rolla side ju s t before the rid g e dips to “ th e P a s de C hèvres.
Z i n e r e f f l e n R o c k s , N.W. S u m m i t . (N o g u id e.)
T h is su m m it fo rm s a d istin c t m a s s ly in g S. of th e P a s de C h èv res, a n d sep a ra te d from th e m ain an d h ig h e r su m m its by w h a t ap p e a rs from th e U p p e r C hfdets to be a sh arp (snow ) arê te .
(A gain w rite r w a s u n fo rtu n a te ly alone ; new snow and m ist also.) P assed over th e P a s de C h èv res (w hich could h av e been avoided by u s in g th e col S. of the P as). S k irte d th e side of th e Seilon g la c ie r ; p assed ro u n d S.YV. b u ttre ss of m y “ p e a k ,” reached foot of screes 2™ h o u rs from A rolla. Sloped up over th ese an d w en t up a lo n g stre tc h of g reen ish -co lo u red screes ly in g a g a in s t so u th erly face of th e “ p e a k .” Follow ed th ese up to foot of th e cliffs.
( N o te .—A fter I had passed, th e screes w ere sw ep t by fa llin g stones. I do not k n o w if th is is u su a l ; th in k it m ay have been due to the snow y an d m isty w e a th e r.)
T ra v e rse d u p w ard along" led g es of solid rock a t foot of th e cliffs. G ot off th ese (difficulty d u e to new snow ) into a sto n e couloir. F ollow ed th is up a little ; b u t a herd cf c h am o is, sta rtle d by m y n e a r ap p ro ach in th e m ist, w en t off in a h u rry an d se n t sto n es dow n. T h e se I avoided by a h u rrie d scram b le u n d e r a rock ; an d then left th e couloir fo r a b roken slope to m y rig h t. G ain ed m ain a rê te (w hence I could see U p p er C h alets) 4 Ì h o u rs from hotel. So I reach ed th a t p a rt of th e N .W . s u m m it w hich lies n ex t to th e sh a rp a rê te le a d in g to m ain su m m it. As fa llin g snow c am e on, a n d m ist, did n o t tra v e rse b ack to th a t p a r t of N .W . su m m it w hich sta n d s over P a s de C hèvres.
H o m e quickly in 2 h o u rs a n d 5 m in u tes.
C a u tio n .— I n tw o places I ran ris k from fa llin g stones, th e second tim e certain ly from a n u n u su a l cause. I t m ay be a b ad hill-side for th is ; I could h ard ly ju d g e - in su '-!!
P T . D U V O U A S O N 29
Pt. d u V o u a s o n . (N o g u id e. T h re e p erso n s and
rope. T w o m en can ta k e a lady.)
T h e view is m ag n ificen t, h a rd ly to be su rp a sse d by any a b o u t A rolla. T h e w a lk over, an d view s from , th e U p p er G lacier des A iguilles R o u g e s very fine. F ew asc e n ts in w hich you h ave fine view s for such a considerable p a r t of th e ro u te.
F iv e h o u rs up a n d 4 h o u rs b a c k sh o u ld be q u ite e n o u g h . ( N o te : E rror in older m a p s .— In th e older m a p s th e re is n o t re p re se n te d a t all a very definite ro ck a rê te th a t se p a ra te s th a t G lacier des A iguilles R o u g e s w hich one tra v e rse s from one fu rth e r S. w hich is (now a t least) m uch low er. T h e tw o g la c ie rs, now w ell se p a ra te d , a re given a s one an d a t one level. I a ltered old m ap in h o tel in ’83.)
(1) G ain “ C o rn e r of G lacier des Ig n e s ” (p. 6.) F ro m h e re th e A iguilles R o u g e s lie a b o u t N .W . by W . ; a n d , to the r i g h t of th em , th e u p p er G lacie r des A iguilles R o u g e s w ith its h u g e a n d steep m o rain e. A t th e top of th is m o rain e, a n d a b o u t N .W . is seen a la rg e b la c k rock.
C ro ss over to w a rd s th is a n d ascen d m o rain e, h a v in g th is b lack ro ck on o n e ’s left. So one sh ould reach ed g e of u p p er G lacier des A iguilles R o u g e s a b o u t 2 h o u rs 50 m in u te s o r so from th e hotel.
As a rule it is best th en to ascend a rê te to left u n til th e g la c ie r on o n e ’s rig h t h a s a n easy slope. (T h is is a rê te n ot m a rk e d in old m aps, an d p u t in by m e in old m a p in hotel, ’83.) T h e n ro p e ; a b o u t 3 h o u rs o r so from hotel. In ’S3 w e found it b est to keep w ell up, n o t fa r b elo w b c rg -sc h ru n d , a n d so to p ass a lo n g g la c ie r u n d e r th e foot of the ra n g e of th e A iguilles R o u g e s. A t la s t one sees
