Aiguille du Tour

Date 1st - 2nd August Length 12.5 km Highest point 3544m (peak) Starting point Col de Balme Finishing point Col de Balme Height gain 1400m Approx. time 7-8 hrs total

The Emosson Dam from near the Col de Balme

The weather on the 1st August was wet in the morning, however the forcast was for the day to improve, and for 2nd August to have a good morning. With this in mind we set off from Chamonix in the early afternoon, getting the train to Montroc (near Argentiere). It was an excellent train journey, and the price of a return ticket was very reasonable (this seems to be common for public transport in the Chamonix region). From Montroc we walked up a road to the cable car which took us up to the Col de Balme. From here there are good views to the Emosson Dam (used in the James Bond film Goldeneye), however we were unable to see these today.

From the Col de Balme we followed a path South which after about an hour brought us round a corner to the Glacier du Tour. The glacier looks quite spectacular with numerous seracs. These are formed when the glacier goes over a rounded slope and the top is stretched more than the bottom, thus causing the ice to crack. From this point it was a matter of a fairly steep (or at least it felt steep whilst carrying all the kit) walk up to the Albert Premiere Hut where we stopped for a drink before heading back down to the glacier. We decided to bivvy for the night on the moraine at the edge of the glacier, sheltered by a rather large rock. The weather during the night was mirky with some rain causing Al to consider a quick run up to the hut - but fortunately he refrained!

Table Rock

The next morning was much better, and we started off at approximately 4:30 a.m. We headed off under a star lit sky straight on to the glacier, and carried on in a South Easterly direction, aiming towards a large snow dome. The route across the glacier was quite reasonable with the crevases not causing us too many dificulties. After thirty to fourty five minutes I insisted on stopping for a map check. It was then that we decided that we should not be heading for the snow dome, but rather the mountain we wanted was to our left. Later in the day we would see how clear the Aiguille du Tour is from the Albert Premiere hut, and had we just been that little bit further in the light of the previous day, then we would have avoided our mistake - a lesson learned.

We therefore headed off to the left, and as the sun came up we had some excellent views to the Aiguille Rouges and Auguille du Chardonnet, now behind us, as well as Aiguille du Tour ahead. By 7:30 a.m. we were at the bottom of Table Couloir, and were looking up the slope which we were about to ascend. It appeared steep, and the guidebook gave the exit slope as 50 degrees. The route is rated as PD, and this seemed to be quite reasonable. With some effort we climbed the slope. As we approached the top of the slope we could see the magnificent Table Rock to our left with a group getting ready to climb on to it. Behind us there were views to Mont Blanc, which make up the introductory photo to the Alpine section of this site. When we were at the top of the slope we headed East along rocky ground to a cross. Having looked at the map again it seems that this is not one of the two main summits. We headed on past the cross, and after a short time rached the lower (3542m) South summit.

Al by the cross on Aigulle du Tour. The Mont Blanc range can be seen in the background

The time was approximately 9:30 a.m. when we reached the summit. From here there were magnificent views of the surrounding mountains, and we could see across to the Mont Blanc range which was planned for later in the week (weather permitting). The North Summit can be reached by descending what the guide book terms a deep gap, however we did not do this, instead heading off to the South. The descent down to the Plateau du Trient was rocky and steep at times, however did not pose any major difficulties.

We walked along the glacier for a while, crossing a bergschrund before heading back to the correct side of the mountain by crossing the Col Purtscheller. Once again the snow was starting to become soft with the warmth of the sun on it, and had we been a few hours later it would have been much harder work descending. We passed Table Couloir where we had ascended earlier in the day, and headed off in a North-Westerly direction, basically following the trail of footprints across the glacier. When we neared the hut we chose the higher of the two possible routes to avoid a tricky descent on melting ice. This brought us on to the rocky outcrop on which the hut stands, and we made our way back to the hut before descending to our bivvy site by the glacier to collect the sleeping equipment which we had deliberately left behind in the morning. On the walk down it was clear that this had been a wise choice as I would not have wanted to carry that weight all the way up the mountain. On the walk back to the cable car at the Col de Balme the weather remained good, and we were able to get the views across the valley to the Emosson Dam which we had missed the day before.

Andy climbing Table Couloir

Aiguille du Tour. Note Table Couloir to the left

We were back at the cable car by 1:00 p.m. The lady at the cable car station reminded us that the descent might be cold, and had we got a coat to put on, however after a night on the moraine it felt positively warm. As we reached Chamonix in the evening the weather was looking like rain again, however the rain is always a good excuse to have a rest!

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