Four via ferrata in one day, surely too much.
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3 4 2 1
Some times you rue the day buying books. Before we came I trawled the internet, particularly Amazon for predominantly trekking books. We particularly like the Cicerone guides. You can really pick up some bargains, especially if you don’t mind second hand volumes, which we don’t. Some of them have travelled around with us but have yet to be used, and will, quite frankly, end up on the bookshelf back home waiting for another trip. But then when you are paying less than £1 plus £2.80 postage you don’t really mind. One I picked up, but wasn’t sure whether we would get any mileage out of has already been well and truly thumbed from front to back cover by Susana and is certain to have a lot more attention before the trip is complete.
Via Ferratas of the French Alps- A cicerone guide by Richard Miller
Today we are upping the ante a little bit. We are trying our hand at Route 39, page 216;
The title of the climb is Via Ferrata de l’Adret and it is located in Pontamafrey- Montpascal, Savoie.
It is in two stages.
Stage A
La Passerelle
| Length | 300m |
| Ascent | 140m |
| Descent | 140m |
| Technical grade | 3 |
| Exposure | 3 |
| Seriousness | A |
| Time | 1:45 |
| Approach | 0:20 |
| Climb | 1:10 |
| Return | 0:15 |
| Notes | No escape points |
So that should be a nice starter for the day. We park Dora and wander back down the road, through some fields and then the path starts to climb. It is not in the most beautiful of locations, overlooking the valley, which is somewhat spoilt by the motorway noise. We make a bit of an error to start with trying out a stupidly steep path, but soon realise our error and try again. We can hear a waterfall above us so this must be the right area.
Yes, I think this is probably the right place, the bridge hanging high above us gives it away really. We try and pick out the route by finding the stemples and cable on the rock. This is really difficult.
The route starts nicely, not too much effort needed, plenty of resting places, but still quite nicely exposed, but not on the same scale as yesterday and the elephant!
And there is the waterfall. I hope we don’t pass to close. Not sure I want to get a soaking, but I imagine the rock and holds would be much more slippery.
I start off first, and wait to watch Susana follow me up. I am getting much more comfortable getting out the camera to take photos, but I am sure I will drop it one of these days!
Ah this is now strange, Susana must have leapfrogged me at some convenient point, but neither of us remember this! Maybe I just got ‘chicken’.
Well you would, wouldn’t you. That is one impressive vertical line of stemples!
Well above those stemples happened to be these crazy ladders, projected into nowhere. You can see them below.
Now that was certainly an entertaining experience. Luckily, the ladders were more study than they looked, although they were just hanging in space.
Next came the bridge. Again no photos here as I obviously could not brave getting the camera out. Although not as precarious as three cable bridges, these are still quite unnerving. The planks that you walk alone are hinged and move strangely as you step from one to the other.
We start to track around the rock, with an awkward move around the corner.
Maybe this climb will be quite short.
So after a little bit of a down-climb…
This stage comes to an end. A nice bit of exposure and some quite energetic moves.
We seem to be doing the climbs much quicker than that indicated in the guide, 45 minutes rather than one hour ten!
We are both interested to see what a French difficulty of grade four has in stall for us.
Stage B
Le Bastion
| Length | 300m |
| Ascent (if combined with A) | 230 (370m) |
| Descent (if combined with A) | 230 (370m) |
| Technical grade | 4 |
| Exposure | 4 |
| Seriousness | A |
| Time (if combined with A) | 2:15 (3:30) |
| Approach | 0:15 (NA) |
| Climb | 1:15 (2:25) |
| Return | 0:45 (0:45) |
| Notes | No escape points |
So the suggestion is this is more difficult and more exposed, so you might expect less photography, especially around those more strenuous moves, and you would be right.
It starts with a gentle introduction, a not so steep wall, plenty of protection.
That bit above Susana is an slight overhang. This means that the stemple underneath is set back from the one above. As you reach up to the higher one, your centre of gravity is pushed out and you have to haul your weight upwards; a strenuous move!
There is nothing particularly difficult so far, that cannot be overcome with a bit of delicate footwork, balance or brute force. The problem with the brute force option is that you quickly become tired.
Sometimes you don’t have other choice but a brute force. It all depends on your body complex; tall people find it easier to reach, if the aid has been spaced out, but they may have problems in lifting themselves up or making dynamic moves. Short people (like me) have difficulties to stretch out, so I save those situations by looking for extra footholds that get me a bit higher. However, I am quite light, my arms feel strong enough to lift my body easily, and go up in dynamic move. SM
We now can see the industrial estate that is referred to in the guide, ‘spoiling the view’, even France might need some industrial estates, but how dare they locate them below vie ferrate!
Another overhang looms ahead, this one is proving to be more energetic than recent ones. We are rediscovering those muscles we developed many years ago when we used to climb.
So it seems I have taken the lead again. Susana seems to be coping well with the grade.
But now she is ahead of me again, I am so confused. I know she moves fast, but did she really overtake me again.
She overcomes the overhang with ease, but just watching her makes my arm muscles feel weak.
Not really. This overhang is the most strenuous move we have come across so far in a via ferrata, and it has been rightly named as the crux of the route. The stemples go around the nose of the rock, following its contour. The cable knot has been placed in the most awkward place, when you feel so edged-out. This means you are having to push yourself in when you are unclipping and clipping to the cable, which is your safety net. This is grade four, this is our limit. SM.
Eventually we pull up over the top, quite exhausted. That will do for our via ferrata for today.
Very scruffy hair, and one of our few selfies. I can’t see what all the fuss is about.
Now on top of the rocky bluff we have to find our way down again and we are certainly not down climbing the vie ferrate.
A few houses are up here, almost a village and some alpine meadows.
We have a choice, down the road or through a gorge. Not much of a choice really, is it?
We find a small stream bed,
which quickly turns into a precipitous path, hugging the walls of the gorge.
And behind us a rather nice waterfall
Perhaps we should have chosen the road after all!
Not far now, we should soon be back at Dora.
But a few more cascades before that.
From below it is so hard to pick out the route, even when you have just finished the climb. Being up close and personal with the rock does not help you identify it from below.
But somehow we managed to haul ourselves up there. We are quite proud of ourselves.
2.5 kms
3 hrs
So we are on a bit of a via ferrata role and Susana has already chosen a nearby area for tomorrow. Apparently there are seven clustered around a river valley. I hope she doesn’t want to do all of them in a day! So we head off hoping to stay near there tonight. I think we can expect an early via ferrata start tomorrow.
The area is scattered with old forts, there seems dozens of them, but we eventually find the one we are looking for; Fort Victor Emmanuel, just outside the village of Aussois.
We have arrived earlier than expected. There is an easy via ferrata, maybe we could just squeeze it in!
The title of the climbing area is Via Ferrata du Diable and it is located in the Haute-Maurienne, set within a gorge overlooking the river Arc.
Stage B
Les Diablotins
| Length | 300m |
| Ascent | 20m |
| Descent | 20m |
| Technical grade | 2 |
| Exposure | 2 |
| Seriousness | A |
| Time | 1:30 |
| Approach | 0:01 |
| Climb | 1:10 |
| Return | 0:20 |
| Notes | Direction W No escape points |
So it would be rude not to and this will be a nice little warm down before dinner. But straight away we are a little surprised by the exposure, this is meant to be 2, but it is quite precipitous.
Maybe the exertions earlier in the day are taking their toll.
Susana is still thoroughly enjoying the climb especially as it is a last minute, unexpected finale for the day.
And they throw several fun elements at us, a balance beam, that feels decidedly unstable.
Where’s she gone!
Phew, she is still OK. (As I take photographs precariously positioned on the beam).
This is less of a climb, more of a traverse around the abutments of the Fort, which sits above us.
We get amazing views across the valley and down into the gorge.
A first proper view of the Fort, really Susana, I wish you would hold on properly, stop playing to the camera!
There are some up and down bits as well.
Another balance beam.
A few bits of exposure.
And a three cable bridge, this via ferrata has everything!
Elegantly done.
A final decent.
Another balance beam.
And this one should almost be finished.
We glance across and can see the excitement that we have to look forward to tomorrow.
Well I thought that was going to be it, but no, there was one final via ferrata for the day. This one was designed for children, and ran around the walls of the Fort. The light was getting bad so less photos here.
Stage A
Les Angelots
| Length | 400m |
| Ascent | 30m |
| Descent | 30m |
| Technical grade | 1 |
| Exposure | 1 |
| Seriousness | A |
| Time | 1:30 |
| Approach | 0:15 |
| Climb | 0:30 |
| Return | 0:15 |
| Notes | Direction E 1 escape point |
So this really must be the last for the day. That will make a total of four.
And the technical grades, in the order we climbed them 3, 4, 2, 1; the title of the post.
We actually missed the start point of this one, so had to retrace our steps. This one really does track the walls of the fort, sometimes you are literally hugging them.
And by this time we are both getting a little tired, but this is the last of the day, and it is designed for novices.
Now children seem to have very little fear when it comes to these sorts of activity, and therefore I am sure they would cope with this very well.
Just as well as Susana is, even after a long day.
What I am not so sure about is English Heritage allowing a via ferrata tracking around any of their buildings, which is a bit of a shame really. Maybe the National Trust should also consider it.
The reality is the cables and stemples would do very little damage and it would encourage more people to visit.
Maybe not everyone, but maybe the Tower of London, Windsor castle, and I could see some excellent bridges, and Tyrolean zip wires linking Stonehenge.
Maybe we need to start lobbying, the UK has far to few of these types of activity, and getting children out into the open air, having some good honest exercise must be a good thing.
We retreated to Dora, alone in the car park, sat atop a rocky bluff overlooking the fort, the valley below, the gorge and tomorrows challenges. It would be a peaceful night.
0.7 kms
1.5 hrs
GDR
02/09/2015
