Grandes Jorasses North Face – Polish Michto Variation

Last weekend I got a chance to go back to the Jorasses for the first time in 7 years. I teamed up with Ben Tibbetts and we were joined by Misha Gopaul and Jeff Banks for a social day out. I had managed a day acclimatising up the Midi skiing earlier in the week so it wasn’t a straight from the office hit which Andy Houseman and myself had done the last time on Colton Macintyre. After the warmest bivi ever in the mountains at montenevers, we walked in during the early hours, therefore avoiding a bun fight at the overcrowded Leschaux hut. It was a beautiful starry night and Ben caught a fantastic shot of the face under the stars with several teams well established on the Colton Macintyre, Croz and Polish routes. As we arrived for first light the face was relatively quiet and we quickly got to work climbing neve for several hundred metres. A few goulottes of ice and neve followed with fun climbing that was never hard up to the summit ridge where we were treated with gorgeous autumnal milky light over the Peuterey Ridge and the Aosta Valley.

Big thanks to Ben (Misha and Jeff) for a memorable day and the photos!P1040425Jorasses-NF_michto_marked

The Polish Michto Variation on Grandes Jorasses North Face (2011 photo Ben Tibbetts)DSC_8951montenvers-bivi

Our comfy bivi at Montevers
DSC_8966jorasses-night-2 Climbers on the Desmaison, Colton Macintyre and Croz/Polish RoutesDSC_9004gearing-up (1) Gearing up to go DSC_9041rimaye-jorasses Steep Sugar Through the BergshrundDSC_9077ross-ben-jorasses-selfieA Happy TeamDSC_9117jorasses-ross

The First Goulotte SectionGrandes Jorasses Michto Ben Tibbets-1

Ben TibbettsGrandes Jorasses Michto Ben Tibbets-2Ben Climbing a Thinner Seam as We Catch a Spanish Team
DSC_9265jorasses-ross

Me Pulling Through a Steep SectionDSC_9296jorasses-ross

Typical North Face Icy Mixed Terrain Grandes Jorasses Michto Ben Tibbets-3

Ben Pulling Through onto the Summit SnowfieldsGrandes Jorasses Michto Ben Tibbets-4

Gorgeous Warm Day DSC_9478jorasses-exit2

Climbing into the Sun on the Summit Ridge Snowfields
Grandes Jorasses Michto Ben Tibbets-5

Ben Savouring the Summit Ridge ViewsGrandes Jorasses Michto Ben Tibbets-6

Pointe Marguerite – Named After the Queen of SavoieGrandes Jorasses Michto Ben Tibbets-7

Mont Blanc and the Peuterey RidgeGrandes Jorasses Michto Ben Tibbets-8

 

Martin Elias descending after an ascent of Directe de l’Amite with Korra PesceGrandes Jorasses Michto Ben Tibbets-9Ben Approaching the Reposoir at Sundown