Midi-Plan Traverse

June 9, 2025

This aesthetic traverse was still on Dale’s to-do list despite his time in Chamonix and so it was a natural objective for us to take on together. We took ‘first bin’ up the Aiguille du Midi and began our way down the now-familiar snow arête at about 8am. Things were reasonably firm at this point in the morning but we knew the risk today which might turn us around would be the coming heat.

After a gorgeous walk down to a notch with views of the entire massif, we roped up and began the first steep snow traverse a little after 9am. Given recent foul weather, there was no boot pack and there was a firm crust that either took a few toe-bashing kicks to yield or required front-pointing. Protection was quite limited but we were able to get at least one piece between us on a 40m line. Dale had not expected it to be this firm or devoid of traffic, so we were each operating with only one axe, which made things feel slightly spicy.

This traverse took a while, taking care to maintain points of contact throughout. We eventually returned to the ridge crest in the sun where we had to make our way down to another saddle. The next section with an hourglass-shaped snow gully looked pretty steep from this point and we knew the snow would continue to be firm, but we could also see enough places to protect it that we decided to continue on. We crested this section into strong sunshine at about 11am.

The snow was already beginning to show signs of instability at this point and, while we both wanted to continue on to the exciting summit pinnacle, it was obvious doing so would have been a bad idea. We turned around here, along with a couple of other parties who made the same call in the same place.

The return was easier, thanks to the toe sacrifices we’d made on the way up, but it was still heads-up down climbing and traversing. Where the crust gave way to sugary snow beneath was especially fraught. Thankfully, it all went smoothly and we made our way back through the sections of steeper snow bathing in the sunshine that we’d been nervous about.

We didn’t finish this one, but we were still able to enjoy some real climbing in a stunning setting together and we came home safely. I’d call that a win.

Mallory-Porter on Aiguille du Midi

May 31, 2025

We decided to stay in Chamonix for 3 weeks during our parental leave trip in Europe after my visit with Dale last September. It was pouring rain the day we arrived from Provence, but the next couple of days were beautiful and sunny over a weekend, which made for a perfect opportunity to get outside with Dale. He proposed the Mallory-Porter (Rectified) route on Aiguille du Midi, climbing from the Plan de l'Aiguille mid-station to the top. The line is improbable and imposing from town looking straight up at a snowy and rocky face but he assured me it was moderate given my limited amount of alpine climbing since having a second kiddo.

We were able to get on the “first bin” up at 7:30am (what casual alpine starts around here!) and were one of 4-5 parties headed for the route. Dale’s friend Brendan joined us and we weren’t in a big rush except for wanting to get past the approach shooting galleries before things warmed up. It hadn’t re-frozen overnight and so we were toeing a line between nice steps and wet slide potential.

The approach went quickly and we headed up the steep snow runnel below a few other parties, taking a bit of hangfire from above but nothing too concerning. This section seemed ok to do unroped up to the first crux. We roped up here but there was enough snow on the route from late-spring snows that the crux was a very straightforward scramble with a couple mixed moves. We just shortened up the rope and kept it on from here, simul-climbing un-protectable snow. The route meandered on the line of least resistance up and then left again to the second crux with a great view of the hanging glacier.

The second crux was a little bit more involved than the first, perhaps due to the line Dale took, but was short-lived (despite being fun!) and we were back on snow from here on out, crossing back right over the ridge and then eventually across the high snowfield right below the tram. This section was much more reasonable than it looked and Dale decided to beeline it for the ice cave, which was a fun bit of steep snow. We got there at about 1:15pm and enjoyed the views for a moment before heading down the Midi for lunch in town.

This ended up being a perfect first climb back in Chamonix with Dale. It reminded me of Triple Couloirs on Dragontail Peak back in the Cascades—but without the long approach and descent!

A view of the route from Dale’s flight the next day

Mont Ventoux

May 18, 2025

I was excited to ride up the Giant of Provence during our parental leave trip in Europe after watching classic Tour de France stages on it over the years and having been to the area before but without having a chance to ride it. On a beautiful Sunday with little wind, the family and I headed out to Bédoin. To make the most of my wife’s generous offer to watch the kids, I mapped out a route that would do the classic climb from Bédoin, then descend to Sault, through the Nesque Gorge, back to Bédoin, up to Malaucène, and then back to Avignon via Suzette. At about 95 miles and over 8,500 ft of climbing, I knew I couldn’t go 100% on the climb up Ventoux, but I still gave it a pretty good effort.

With the weather and being a Sunday, the road was full of cyclists enjoying this classic ascent. Many looked to be laboring with gears that didn’t go quite low enough for the 8.3% average grade. Thankfully, my rental Specialized Aethos had a 34! I started out a bit hard and backed off a touch to keep my heart rate in a more reasonable range as I got onto the steeper wooded slopes. That strategy worked pretty well as I still had plenty in the tank as I got above tree line and pushed up the iconic moonscape. 1 hour 40 minutes from. Bédoin felt like a pretty respectable time with an estimated wattage of 257!

From there, the descent to Sault was a dream on good pavement with lots of cyclists and sports cars heading up the other way. I got an amazing food truck pizza in Sault and then settled in for many more miles on beautiful terrain. The descent through the Nesque Gorge was amazing, with tunnels through the rock and a snaking road through the canyon. I think I saw only one car during that whole section.

The part from Bédoin to Malaucène was fabulous, with a gentle snaking climb in the middle. The col near Suzette was hot and my legs were far from fresh at that point, but I still did ok and enjoyed an awesome descent South through vineyards. From Beaumes-de-Venise the riding was less heroic, but still quite lovely. I finished up in Avignon 6 hours and 15 minutes later, with a little over an hour of stoppage time on top of that during the ride for food and drinks. What a wonderful area to ride a bike!