Omega

In 2007 Omega was a route on everyones wish list. Rarely in condition and with a reputation formed from Nick Bullock’s unfortunate ankle snapping fall that seemed to justify its R rating, it was with a bit of intrepidation that I headed in with Andy Benson to the Leschaux hut. As it happened we werent the only ones psyched and a French team came sprinting up the glacier and caught us as we approached the hut. This was less than ideal as the line is a defined gully line that would channel falling ice down it. Come the morning the Frenchies charged off up the glacier in the dark leaving us far behind. I’d had a fever during the week and it started to make itself felt again on the approach so there was no chance of catching the French lads.Going onto a long route was the last thing I wanted as to do in a cold sweat but Andy had limited time so on we went. Luck was in when we got to the foot of the route as the French guys started climbing a wall and we knew the route followed a corner so moving round to the right had us in pole position and Andy launched onwards.  The climbing is sustained and continuously interesting throughout and of a slabby nature so more technical than pumpy.

Colton Brooks

When Ez and myself decided to do the Colton Brooks we had already done a few day routes and so were working well as a team and were fully acclimatised. We wanted to get up and over quickly, which isnt an issue for a man like Ez with his national level of fell running fitness, but we also took skis to get down to Cham quickly. The climb is one of the most esthetic lines I have been on, never hard but the ephemeral streak of ice taking you through stunning and improbable terrain under that enormous shield of rock is a fantastic journey. We took four ice screws and moved together the whole way, only slowing momentarily when Ez decided  that he didnt want to risk his new screw bottoming out in some shallow ice and would retrieve it and place one of mine. He then proceeded to fumble and drop his new screw in an ironic karma moment.

After rapping the couloir we stepped into our skis and glided effortlessly down to Cham in the dark. For some reason I had decided only to take a tikka headtorch. The short beam length and blueish light let me mistake a light grey slab of granite for neve and saw sparks coming off my edges like a locomotive pulling an emergency stop before a couple of tomahawks landed me back on my feet. An hour or so after leaving the couloir and we were back in Cham for a beer then bed.

Me at the start of the ramp above the ice field. Photo Es Tresider
Photo Es Tresider
Photo Es Tresider
Es Tresider at the top of the ramp
Traversing the ridge

Grandes Jorasses, Colton Macintyre

This was a great trip. Turn up in Chamonix, meet up with Houseman and jump on the Jorasses the next day. The weather was perfect, quite mild and conditions fantastic though some ice on the upper mixed pitches would have been nice. Being unacclimatised and arriving from sea level, we bivied at the base and then again on the summit.

Houseman at the lower gully
Houseman coming up the lower gully
Houseman on 2nd Icefield
Houseman on the Crux
Nearing the Walker
The upper mixed pitches
Andy Houseman
Sundown on the Midi
Me on the summit, photo Andy Houseman