Aiguille du Chardonnet North West Face

Late November, Tom Grant of Haute Pursuit teamed up with Guilhem Martin from Annecy to head up the Le Tour basin and check out the North face of the Aiguille du Chardonnet. This immaculate granite butress hosts a number of very pleasing mixed goulottes and exquisite ice smears of around 500m denievle. Tom and Guilhem climbed a variation of the 1979 Gabarrou line, encountering short steps of M5 and ice up to 80 degrees. While crossing the classic voie Escarra, an Italian team was in the midst of being plucked off the mountain by the PGHM after one of the climbers suffered a broken arm from rockfall. Enjoy the pics.