After a good meal in the Ecrins hut and a few hours' kip, we all headed up the glacier to Barre des Ecrins. Unlike 2003, conditions on the glacier were ideal - lots of snow still around being so early in the season. Unfortunately we soon lost Jason (he turned back, tired). Graham & I plodded on.
Within 2½ hours we were at the breche (col) below the summit. However, now the amount of snow played against us; the normal route, the west ridge was out of condition. The few ascents that were being made were being made via the north face route so we had a brief dalliance with that before thinking better of it and consoling ourselves with the subsidiary peak , Dôme de Neige Double unfinished business...
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