Camping on the Glacier du Géant, Mont Blanc : 13 June 2021
Every hour during the night I had peeked outside my tent to view the stars, which were impressively bright in the cloudless sky. And besides the excitement of camping on the glacier, the wind had picked up to help me stay awake to enjoy the experience. But I was warm and cosy in my Samaya tent, and this was great fun!
By five o’clock in the morning we were up and eating breakfast. We couldn’t wait to start our day and head off onto the glacier. Johanna was going to guide Julian, Maria (from Petzl), and myself on a skinning trip across the glacier, and we were keen to get going.
In the lead photo above, we are leaving base camp just before the sun comes up.
At 3,500 m the air is a bit thinner to what we are used to, so we welcomed our little breaks to admire the scenery and take in the majesty of the Alps’ highest mountain and its glaciers.
We learned how to look out for and spot crevasses, both wide open ones, or those still covered over with snow bridges. We were shown how to navigate our way over or around them safely, and how they formed differently on different parts of a moving glacier. This is where the guides really earn their money!
In the photo below, you can see crevasses into which you could easily fit a multi-storey building. You can also see how some of the crevasses are covered in with snow bridges. Needless to say, this part of the glacier is best used only for taking photos!
The next photo shows an ice fall, where the ice is all broken up and slowly rolling downhill. We climbed up to a narrow col and were met with this stunning sight when we looked over the top.
Sightseeing was taken to an entirely different level up on the glacial fields of Mont Blanc, and the effort we put into skinning up the glacier to see these sights couldn’t have been more highly rewarded.
During our rope technique refresher course, Julian had asked if Johanna could give us some tips on performing jump turns on steep terrain. She was keen to find a suitable slope, and in the photo below, she looks rather pleased with her choice!
This was a thoroughly enjoyable mini-adventure and it’s whetted my appetite for camping and spending more time on the glacier. I can’t wait to get back up there!
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