Follow the Sun

With a couple of down days in-between the semi-finals and finals of the World Cup we met up with Local Guide Thomas Clement for couple of days of climbing near Grenoble. On Thursday we spent most of the day in preperation and skill development on a local crag just near Grenoble. The gang spent the day reviewing belaying and lead climbing skills as a team. Many of which haven’t spent much time climbing. Each of the girls and Jackson were able to develop skills and the confidence needed for the expedition tomorrow.

Due to traffic and weather concerns we decided to grab a Hotel just a couple of miles from the trail head for the climb.

Morning View of the climb in Lumbin, France

That morning we meet at the base of Saint-Hilaire-de-toulet and took a tram way about half way up the mountain. From there we had to bushwhack though the French Forrest to base of the Via Ferrata. A Via Ferrata is a fixed mountain or climbing route which provide climber the opportunity to climb more exposed routes with higher safety. Along the route there were fixed anchors and steel to help beginner climbers move through the route.

Jackson pulling through the crux of the first pitch

The First pitch was pretty challenging due to the length, heat, and exposure that place many of us on the edge. Through some tears and sweat we were able to make it up the first 100 meter and lunch and a rest up a beautiful alpine waterfall.

From the water fall we followed a fixed traverse which was one of my favorite parts which allowed everyone to be more to stay relaxed and calm in the shade when preparing for the Second Pitch.

The second pitch we followed this view in the sandstone climbing right if you look closely you can see the teams white helmets as the navigate the route.

Due to the difficulty of the route I put my camera away for the rest of the trip only to video some footage at the end. The last section was another long fixed traverse that lead to the mouth of the water fall. From the there the girls has one last pitch towards the top. Once at the top we presently surprised to find the city of Saint-Hilaire to breathtaking with a restaurant overlooking the paraglider’s take off.