Autonomy on the Papillons ridge
Weekend of autonomy training in the Écrins with a fine team from the CAF of Valence.
With Jean-René, Denis, Greg, Claire, Sylvaine, Seb, Seb, Lorène & Monique.
As part of my mentoring with Jean-René Minelli, a guide from Ornon, he offers to take me along on an outing with the Valence Alpine Club (CAF) aimed at learning to be autonomous.
This Saturday looks wet and we head up near the Col d'Ornon for a first day learning moving-together belay techniques. Jean-René knows a spot well suited to these exercises, with an approach on a steep snowfield and then varied terrain where a whole fun course can be set up to place protection, play with rope-up variations, etc...
Despite the rain, the day goes by quickly and in the late afternoon we go up to the peaceful Lavey hut, where we are warmly welcomed. The whole group is keen to apply in real life the techniques covered in the morning.
After an excellent meal, a briefing sets out the plan for the next day's route with the key points, the expected timing, etc... The choice of the Papillons ridge on the Aiguille d'Entre-Pierroux seems ideal for practising moving-together belaying.
Wake-up at 5am, departure at 5:45: not bad for a group of 10. The approach goes smoothly, with Claire leading the way. A small hard-snow snowfield, made easier by Jean-René's nicely cut steps, and here we are on the ridge.
Everyone ropes up; Jean-René festoons himself with a good amount of gear to place protection in front. The other rope teams will follow and add whatever they feel is necessary. That's the idea. So I find myself with Monique, who will lead our rope from start to finish! Denis and Greg, the two CAF instructors, will also be seconds so that everyone can take their first steps towards autonomy.
And we're off! Jean-René sets the pace that everyone tries to follow. He's efficient, the rascal, but Monique doesn't give up and follows without (too much) grumbling. A cam here, a spike there, a few slings more or less, watch out for the loose spike and the flared crack: the manoeuvres follow one another at a good pace and in good safety.
With the Tête des Fétoules in the background and the north face of the Aiguille de l'Olan as a companion, the setting of this route is magnificent.
The pace picks up a little and here we are already at the top of the descent couloir. Timing respected! After a quick bite in the sun, Jean-René rigs the couloir with fixed ropes to make the descent more efficient for a group as large as ours. A few tips on crampon technique and the whole team goes down step by step on very hard snow.
A short break to get rid of all the technical gear and we are off again for a few nice glissades down to the Lac des Bèches, where we pick up the descent path.
The beer was appreciated as it deserved and, after a good debriefing of the day in which everyone was able to express how they felt and analyse their progress, we leave La Lavey in the late afternoon and stroll down in beautiful light.
Thank you to the whole team and to Jean-René for offering me this instructive weekend.
Photo gallery...