Saturday 1st, after a really relaxing day in the van, (breakfast, coffee, more coffee, washing pots, sorting kit, washing hair, reading, talking, composing emails, blogs, facebook posts, lunch, yet more coffee, ohh is it still raining, look at those walkers on the GR54 they’re soaked, discussing houses, calculating rentals and rates of return; you get the picture) we cracked, and thought we’ed go and see Chez Corrie, or more accurately use their WiFi :-). Coffee turned into, a walk above Les Vigneaux, turned into a neighbour’s Birthday Party, turned into late dinner and talking until 2am. I think that the latest by quite some margin, in fact we’ve been in some huts where that’s walking up time. Needless to say, Heidi didn’t move from their drive that night.
Sunday and Judith was heading back to Kendal via Turin and Milan, so an early start for her considering what time we all got to bed. Some fairwells, and an afternoon walking up to Refuge Les Bans bumping into Tony and Lu halfway up. (Vallousie is a small place). We liked it so much that we spent the night in the valley plucking some tart gooseberries for our breakfast cereal.
Monday 3rd. After the usual late start, we managed a very pleasant route on Le Drayes, nothing too strenuous given the heat of the day, but a cheeky little 5c on the penultimate pitch. Then up to Pre du Mme Carle, our usual spot for an evening under the stars. It looked so good that we planned a return to a route we tried a couple of years back. 
Tuesday, and the return of Soleil Trompeur. It’s a fantastic route, high up on Glacier Noir, finishing on the summit of the Sagnette, 2,840m, one of the many rock spires that line the valley. But don’t take my word for it. “Magnificent, extraordinaire! Are you words you will hear coming from nearby climbing parties, the route belongs to the absolute best for the grade anywhere” says Plaisir select, the ‘best of’ guide of five Plaisir books, themselves ‘best of’ guides. So, quite a good route then.
An alcohol free night and up early, well, early for us, and out into the cold. It’s a deceptively long walk up Glacier Noir, and then off high into one of the side gullies for the start of the route. A form of a path now winding its way up through the scree to the base of the route, but still often a case of three steps forward, one slide back.
The first four pitches were very familiar, but this time definitely they would have been in the shadows had there been any sun. Instead the top of the valley was obscured with dark clouds rolling over the col, and the threat of rain. The rock was cold to the touch, Sarah in her full winter climbing mode, a la marigolds, they are simply de rigor in the Scottish winter scene.
The route then hits a wide scree filled shoulder. Ropes off, and walk uphill for 5 minutes for the route to continue. By this time it had only just reached 11am. Time for a boiled egg, and only 11 pitches to the summit, happy days. The pitch from the break is the hardest on the route (well, there is one higher pitch with a 6a move, but even the guide book tells you to simply pull on the gear and gives it A0). A steepening corner until you pull round at the top onto the slabs. Beautiful climbing.
Last time we we’re here, we had of course waited until the sun had hit Pre, it was mid September then, and far colder in the morning. We had underestimated the walk in, and finding the base of the route. By then the sun had hit it was too warm; my climbing wasn’t flowing, so we didn’t hit the ‘balcony’ until close to 2pm, far too late to even contemplate finishing the route.
So, topping the hard pitch at 11.30 was promising. The route is then meant to flow up for another 5 or 6 pitches to the ‘picnic’ ledges, where we had planned lunch, before hitting the summit before 3. Then a mere nine abseils to safety.
Ah, Mice and Men. I don’t know if you have ever tried climbing Granite slabs in the rain. It certainly tests your footwork. I hit the top of pitch 6, at the belay, when the first few stops of rain fell. The spots turned in to more of a steady stream, and Sarah made a magnificent effort seconding the pitch with feet skidding off every other hold. We had no choice. If the weather worsened,, it would be epic to even abseil; and even if it stopped we would need to wait for two hours for the route to dry, then we would be too late the get to the summit, and down, in the light. (Incidentally, the local paper reported that two climbers refused a rescue earlier in the week, abseiling down the route at 2am, You wouldn’t want to repeat that) Unfortunately, more abseil practice in the rain.
By the time we had got the the base, the rain had stopped. And Sod’s law, that whilst threatening, the weather held. But we made the only sensible decision we could at the time. In the words of Arnold Swartzeneiger, ‘I’ll be back’
So, that made the decision for us. Back to Heidi, tea and drying damp gear, then time to move on; Farewell Vallouise.
Our journey continues. Susa to stock up at the very competitive Lidi, and then onto Switzerland.
Out for now.
David & Sarah
alpinesummer 