Chamonix climbing - DAVE SEARLE

Weekend Bliss And Suffering.

11/10/201506/09/20193 Comments

I’m really digging having an extra day off a week. This weekend was a good mix between sublime autumnal adventures and purgatory suffering, topped off with great weather and alright company. I guess.

Friday

Psyche was high and the weather was good. The plan was to meet up with fellow Salomon athlete (ahem) Philipp Brugger for some easy mixed cragging on the Triangle du Tacul. I haven’t swung tools in what feels like a year so I was glad for an easy re-introduction into mixed climbing. We climbed most of the German gully then finished up the Cosmiques Arete.
Conclusions: Mixed climbing is in fact like riding a bike. Even if you never do it, you still remember how its done. Got cold toes and fingers but I remembered how to suffer. Drank 6 pints to try and forget the pain.

Saturday

Woke up with inevitable hangover as Midnight Express was shut and we couldn’t buy cheep burgers to absorb the beer. Drove to Italy (where the weather is always nicer) with Ally, Ross and Tom (who seemed less hungover than me (perhaps not Tom)). Flailed about on some rock climbs that I shouldn’t have been flailing on. Enjoyed the sunshine and amazing scenery of the Valgrisenche. Ate pizza, drove home.
Conclusions: Beer is bad, especially for my guts. 6b+ is hard. Italy is beautiful.

Sunday

When the alarm went off at 6.45 I thought it was a bad joke. Driving to the Midi my psyche was low but the can of red bull helped a lot. The plan was to climb the Eugster Direct on the North Face, again with Phillip. Stumbled over the moraine to the bottom and got to the Bergshrund in good time. Spin-drift hell was pouring down the gully and we decided it wasn’t for us. We ummed and arrred about what to do and took a look at another entry to the face to the right (about 150m to the right). It went and we were soon (but not that soon) in the gully. The crux pitches looked kinda dry and we didn’t want to sleep in the toilets (we have jobs don’t you know) so we bailed up the Diagonal instead. I was feeling the burn in the top half but we made alright time. Cheese burgers at Macky D’s afterwards.. Cus we are true athletes.
Conclusions: 4h 30m on the stair-master-3842 is tiring. Weekends are great. Water is overrated.

Summer…..Done?

08/09/201508/09/2015Leave a comment

Irene Munguia Exiting the Tunnel from the Aiguille du Midi, Grandes Jorrases in the background.

Its been a funny kind of summer. My residing memory of it has been extreme heat from which the mountains have really taken a hammering. Big crevasses, deep instability and a general grey feel means that this winter needs to be a good one otherwise the classic Ski descents like the Vallee Blanche might not come into condition until early spring.
For me though, I’ve not had much of a chance to get into the Mountains this summer for various reasons. Mostly because I had a full time job, but also because I spent a few weeks back in the UK ticking off Multipitch E1+ routes. In little over a week I’m going to be in North wales with 10 other eager beavers doing the first part of the British Mountain Guides course, the rock climbing induction. The powers that be (the BMG Committee) decided to give me a chance and let me start this year despite picking up on my lack of British climbing experience. They told me I had to climb 25 more Multi-pitch E1 or above routes in serious or mountainous crags before I could start the course in September. When I heard the news I was worried. I desperately wanted to start the course but I had commitments with work and I know how fickle the weather in the UK can be. I completely agree with the committees decision and in hindsight it was awesome to get a load of amazing trad climbing done and now I feel a lot more comfortable going into the test. I managed to pack it all into two weeks, where I often climbed 3 or 4 per day but always did at least one route a day despite the mediocre weather. E2 in drizzle isn’t my idea of fun but needs must and it was a relief to finish all the routes and get the all clear.
Apart from this I have been operating at full “Weekend Warrior” status and despite not doing anything major or massive I’ve racked up a fair amount of millage all over the place as well as rock climbing and running. I’m feeling fit and ready for the Autumn, but one thing is for sure, it won’t be as good as last years conditions. Hopefully there will be some routes to scratch up and some big adventures to be had.
Routes I’ve done this summer include The Traverse of the Perrons, Aiguille Entreves traverse, Cosmiques Arete, Rochfort Arete, Papillons Arete and the South Face of the Moine. Great experience for guiding I think you’ll agree and a lot of fun too!
I also bought a new camera which I’m pretty excited about because I’ve been a bit uninspired by photography recently so its been great to get an upgrade!
Pictures tell the story the best so here’s some shots for you! The first three are Iphone Photos BTW! Click one to see them in gallery format!

Nightride Gogarth — Ben Silvestre Soloing The Classic Nightride (E1 5b) on the Main Cliff of Gogarth in North wales

Anarchist, Red Walls, Gogarth — Seconding Anarchist on Red Walls, Gogarth.

Walking accross the Emosson Dam to reach the Perrons traverse

Irene Munguia on the Traverse of the Perrons.

View From Papillons Arete — Looking over towards the Midi north face from the Papillons Arete.

Irene following the crux pitch of the Papillons Arete. Her first Alpine D!

Irene getting to grips with Ice on the Contamine grisole.

Crevasses — Massive crevasses under Pointe Adolphe Rey.

The Vallee Blanche looking very very dry!

Peutery Ridge — Irene Munguia on the Entreves traverse with the Peutery ridge in the background.

I guess the remaining question is will we get to climb on chamonix’s best crag this autumn….?

What is FOMO?

27/12/201413/11/2020Leave a comment

“Fear/Feeling Of Missing Out”. The fear that if you miss an event you will miss out on something great.

A phrase which has only, in the last few years it seems, come to fruition. Most likely because of the massive surge in popularity of social media sites over the past decade. If you ain’t bloggin, instagramin or updating your facebook status with all the rad stuff you’ve been up to how will people know you’ve had the best day ever skiing neck deep pow or climbing a perfect splitter in the sun? Without this huge and constant stream of media coming our way every minute of every day would we even have the sensation of FOMO? Would we live in the here and now more? Would we be happy with what we are doing and where we are?
I’ve had massive bouts of FOMO in the past when I’ve been stuck someplace I didn’t want to be, working a job that I didn’t want to do. I would live vicariously through my friends and those I follow on social media, wishing away my time to something better. I can’t complain though. This past year alone has been pretty damn good with lots of fun skiing and climbing memories behind me. I’ve had a pretty good innings this far!
FOMO is and will always be intrinsically linked to weather and conditions in the place you’d rather be. No snow = No FOMO. Since the end of my autumn of climbing I’ve been working, nearly every day, in somewhere that I wouldn’t necessarily choose to spend my time. I’m back in Cham now and yes there hasn’t been much snow…or ice but times are changing (its dumping). I’m still working for the next week and I suspect that what is typically my most FOMO intense period will in fact pass quite easily. Yeah there’s people getting after it and I would rather be skiing or climbing if I wasn’t working. The thing is, I have to work. I’ve spent too long avoiding it and its caught up with me. I’ve just left one of my worst financial periods behind (all be it self inflicted) and I’ve promised myself that I won’t be back in that position ever again.
The key thing that has changed in my mentality over the past year is trying to live more in the here and now. Wishing I was somewhere else doing something else seems like a complete waste of my time when I really think about it. Better to accept life for what it is and find happiness in the small adventures or moments spent with friends and family. Good times come and go and without the bad (or even not quite as good times) I’d never really appreciate the best days to the fullest. Soon it will all kick off for me and I’ll be out doing the things I love again and it’s the knowledge of that that keeps me happy and sane. Feeling like your missing out? Book a trip to go climbing or skiing or whatever you really want to do. Even if you don’t have the time or money just do it. It will happen if you really want it to. 🙂

New rainy day activity…. BLOGGIN.

21/07/201121/07/2011Leave a comment

Right, its wet as f**k here in Chamonix so I am relishing the opportunity to work on my drinking. Last night was fun but this morning as the hang over subsides I realize that in reality I am itching to get back in the hills soon, but the weather is really working against us all here. One thing for sure though, when I do get out hopefully later this week I will be updating this here blog with some pictures and maybe some wise words.

I am a Chamonix based climber enjoying all aspects of the sport, even sport climbing, but I really love getting out in the mountains for long days. In winter I have been skiing more and more and starting to tick off some big classic Chamonix lines such as Col des Courts, North face of the L’ Amone and the Y couloir on the Aiguille Argentiere, but still regularly get out winter/ice/mixed climbing. In the last few years the highlights have probably been Pinocchio on the east face of Tacul and the Carrington/Rouse on the N face of the Aig. Pellarans.
As I mentioned this summer is not going to plan due to weather but started off really well with a early season one day ascent of the classic ’38 route on the N face of the Eiger with Ally Swinton. Buzzing off that and last season’s highlights such as Colton/McIntyre on the N face of the Jorrasses and the Ginat on the N face of the Droites I am planning on ticking off as many big routes as I can with sights set on all the big classic North Faces, as well as harder modern test pieces like ‘Beyond the Good and the Evil’ on the Pellarins and the Dru Couloir (rematch pending!) to name a couple….

Right enough of this, gonna’ leave you with a couple of pictures but please check back for some updates soon!