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LPINE MAGAZINE
SUMMER 2014
01
FREE
alpine magazine
alpine magazine
Issue 01
summer 2014
6 - 19 Gallery
Inspirational images from around the Alps.
20 -31 Red Bull X-Alps
One of the Worlds toughest adventure races
shows what is possible with modern paragliders and a bit of effort.
32 -35 Climb out from under
your rock
Bouldering session as the summer sun goes
down at the Col du Montets.
38 - 49 Winter melt
As the snow melt the rivers become amazing
white water playgrounds in the spring.
50 - 59 The six classic north faces
of the Alps
For all mountaineers these mythic faces hold
fascination and respect.
60 - 63 True Grit
Riding in the rain on the Col du Joux Plane.
64 - 69 Cormet du Roselend
Riding over one of the Alps most beautiful
and classic cols.
72 - 79 Summer breezes
The wind blows nearly ever afternoon in the
Alpine valleys. Lake Monteynard in France is
where the windsurfers and kite surfers mix.
80 - 83 Run the trail
Running the paths in the Aiguille Rouges
above Chamonix.
84 - 85 Flat or Fat
There are two new schools of thought for
trail running shoes, barefoot minimalist and
extra large maximalist like the Hoka One One.
cover The Grandes Jorrasses from the
Midi-Plan ridge, Chamonix.
right Looking down at the Bossons
glacier from the summit of the
Cosmiques arete on the Aiguille du
Midi, Massif du Mont Blanc.
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86 - 95 Enduro
and the Mountain of Hell
Enduro is the next big thing in mountain
bike racing.
96 - 99 Hydro power
An important source of electricity in the
Alps. The Nant de Drance is the latest hydro
project in Switzerland.
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SPREAD Lake Brienzersee,
Bernese Oberland,
Switzerland
Here you can:
hike, run, climb, fly, ride, jump, sail, paddle...
Alpine Magazine
Alpine Magazine is a FREE publication distributed through out the
UK and the Alpine region. www.
A beautiful playground
Sir Leslie Stephen, an 19th century English
author, critic and mountaineer, wrote in his
best-selling book first published in 1871 defining the Alps as “the Playground of Europe.”
alpinemag.com
Editor
tim@alpinemag.com
Art director
tim@alpinemag.com
Advertising
advertising@alpinemag.com
Website editor
tim@alpinemag.com
Photography
tim@alpinemag.com
Photo Credits
All photography is by Tim Barnett
unless otherwise indicated.
Contact
Alpine Magazine is published by
Edi-Line SARL. Geneva.
If you have any questions about
one of our publications, please
contact us by e-mail:
info@alpinemag.com
Subscriptions
If you would like a free copy of
Alpine Magazine posted to you
please send €10 or 12CHF per
issue or €30 or 36CHF for 3 issues
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Paypal.com and include your mailing address with postcode.
Even back then this book highlights both the
incredible success of the mountains but it also
reflects on the tensions of the clash between
the “real enthusiasts” sensitive to the beauty,
and the “flock of ordinary tourists” sticking to
their customs and comforts.
The same clash is still very much present. As a
child I was driven to the Alps and alpine sports
by the images I saw of snow-capped peaks and
innumerable possibilities to climb or ski down
them. Now travelling throughout the Alpine
regions, it seems the inspirational images have
been replaced by those of luxury, with every
mountain village competing for a clients that
can afford the pampering of spas, five star
hotels and high end boutiques. Despite the
hotels using old images of the pioneers and
guides of their region, adventure in the mountains seems to be an afterthought.
The focus of the resorts seems so often to sell
expensive accommodation, real estate and
wellness, which is really a none activity, to
an older more affluent visitor rather than the
mountain activities that they were in most part
developed for in the first place. The spirit of
adventure and attraction of outdoor sport is
lost and very few people are communicating
the fun and coolness of adventure. The desire of
previous generations to climb and ski amongst
these amazing peaks is what built these destinations and it is a shame to see so many areas
not promoting outdoor sports as they did in
the past.
So here is a small publication and website that
hopefully will inspire readers to get out and
play in the Alps, appreciate the beauty and
possibilities of this incredible mountain range
whatever their preferred flavour of sport.
Happy adventures.
Website
Get more photos, articles and
videos at www.alpinemag.com
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Tim
Chamonix, Mont Blanc, France
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The Alps
An amazing NASA satellite image
showing the Alpine arc on a cloudless
day. This is our all season playground.
Source and credit: NASA/Wikimedia
Commons
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The Mont Blanc Massif
Mont Blanc is the highest summit in the
Alps at 4810 m, seen here from the Aiguillette
des Houches, Chamonix
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Rock climbing in the
valley d’Aosta
The side valleys from Aosta offer solid granite
rock climbing,.
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Summer Ice
The crevasse walls of the glaciers offer climbers a
chance to practice their ice climbing and cramponing skills. Here a climber plays on the Mer de Glace,
Chamonix, France.
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Dolostone rock climbing
Ozein - Aymavilles is near Cogne above the Aosta
valley, Italy. The Mont Ross wall is made up of the
sedimentary rock called dolostone which is typical
of the most famous rock walls in the Dolomites.
The climbing here is almost always on a vertical or
overhanging wall, especially challenging for average
climbers.
Via Ferrata
The via ferrata de la Tour du Jalouvre near Grand
Bornand, Haute Savoie, France is south west facing
with stunning views during the ascent. It includes a
cool suspension bridge crossing, and a steep vertical rock wall. It climbs from 1410 m to 2000 m for a
length of 1100 m. Difficulty is D and D+ and typically takes 5-6 hours.
Access: from Chinallion the via ferrata is a 20
minute walk off the road climbs up above the Col
de Colombiere.
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Wilder Kaiser
The “Kaisergebirge” is a nature conservation area
in the Austrian Tyrol and incorporates all the summits of the Wilder (Wild) and Zahmer Kaiser (Tame
Emperor) mountain ranges, covering some 102 km²
and extends from 480 m to an altitude of 2,344 m
at the Ellmauer Halt peak. The range is part of the
Northern Limestone Alps and consists most notably
of Wetterstein limestone, which gives it a silvery
appearance, and dolomite limestone.
Hiking the Wilder Kaiser
Paths with ladders and cables climb up into the
heart of the Kaiser mountains. Here hikers descend
under the Vordere Karlspitze.
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Above and below Mountain Biking - Tour du Mont Blanc, La Vormaine, France
Above and below mountain Biking - Lake Garda, Italy
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- flying - red bull x-alps
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Spread Flying cross country from the turn point
Tre Cime at the Red Bull X-Alps in Italy on the
21st of July 2011.
Photo: Felix Woelk/Red Bull Photofiles
Red Bull X-Alps
Flying and hiking over 1000km across the Alps.
This two yearly event is one of the toughest
adventure races in the world and show what
can be done with a modern paraglider and
some effort
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Left X-Alps 2009
Photo: Olivier Laugero/ Red Bull Photofiles
Above The 2013 race route from Salzburg to Monaco.
The Red Bull X-Alps is one of the world’s toughest adventure races that is a formidable undertaking in the most
breath taking but unforgiving environments. The elite competitors entering the race, must either fly or hike over 1,000
km across the Alps from Salzburg to Monaco in the fastest
time possible. Every kilometre must be covered either on
foot or flown using a paraglider. The event takes place every
two years with each team consisting of one athlete and up
to two supporters. The assistants can provide information,
food and equipment and act as a link to the race control,
but no technical or outside assistance is allowed. It requires
expert paragliding experience combined with a very high
level of endurance fitness as competitors can end up hiking
up to 100 km in a day. The 2013 race was the sixth edition
and was the ten-year anniversary of the first race.
The 2013 race started in Salzburg at north eastern corner
of the Alps and finishes at the Mediterranean in Monaco, a
distance of approximately 1,000 km as the crow flies. Each
race has different predefined turn points to follow along the
course. The first race took the athletes from the Dachstein
glacier in Austria to Monaco and only had two defined turn
points that had to be taken within a radius of 100 meters.
For 2013, competitors had to pass 10 turnpoints: Gaisberg,
Dachstein, Wildkogel, Zugspitze, Ortler/Sulden, Interlaken,
Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Saint Hilaire, Peille.
The idea for the race was developed by the Austrian pilot
Hannes Arch.
“Its simplicity is what makes it most appealing. We start
in Salzburg and whoever arrives in Monaco first wins. That’s
it. It’s about body and soul, not about hundreds of rules and
regulations.”
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His idea was that when conditions are good, athletes fly,
and when they are not they must run or hike, carrying their
paraglider and other mandatory safety equipment. No other
form of transport is permitted. Incredibly, it only took about
7 days for the winner to reach Monaco in 2013, but the race
can last up to 12 days. The competition stops 48 hours after
the winner touches down at the finish line and the other
competitors are then ranked according to their distance
from Monaco.
In 2011, a new rule that did not allow travel at night was
introduced for safety reasons. Between 22:30 and 05:00 the
athletes are forced to have a mandatory rest and stay within
a radius of 250m of their resting position, however for one
night of the race they can have a ‘Night Pass’ which allows
them to hike through the night once during the race.
“The idea behind the Night Pass is to allow athletes a
chance to advance their position by tactical means. They
may be able to hike to a key point where they can extend
their lead or pass teams in front. But the price is a missed
night of recovery. And they can only do this once,” says Red
Bull X-Alps race director Christoph Weber.
Also for the 2013 event the use of prototypes was
banned so paragliders, harnesses, safety equipment and
helmets had to have an EN or LTF certification. A paraglider,
harness, rescue parachute, helmet, emergency flare, reflector
belt and tracking device must be carried at all times.
At the very first Red Bull X-Alps in 2003, the participants
used off-the-shelf paragliders that, along with the rest of
their minimum equipment, weighed 20kg. Now the equipment is down to more like 8kg with the flying harness
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Right 3 Time winner Chrigel Maurer at 24hr test for Red
Bull X-Alps, Niesen, Switzerland on 28th May 2011.
Photo: Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Photofiles
doubling up as a backpack and which can be packed up
with their paraglider upon landing in less than four minutes.
The development of lighter, nonporous materials and
the growing popularity of the event meant that the paraglider manufacturers have had an incentive to produce
better, more portable equipment that could be shown off
to the flying world every two years at the Red Bull X-Alps.
Paragliders have evolved hugely over the years. Primarily
the amount of lines connecting the harness and pilot to
the wing have been reduced massively cutting down the
amount of weight and reduces the glider’s drag as it cuts
through the air to making the glide and speed more efficient. Compared with the very first paragliders the lines of
these modern competition gliders are thinner by more than
75% and made from lighter stronger materials that are only
about 2mm in width and made with Kevlar.
The paragliders are now much more blade-shaped with
an impressive glide ratio (the distance forwards that a glider
travels in still air compared to the distance it drops downwards during that period) and are faster, they must still be
safe and hardy flying machines. The gliders have to perform
in very tough conditions during the Red Bull X-Alps, which
includes the extreme take-off places and in strong air turbulence .
The Red Bull X-Alps will be won by the athlete with the
best overall strategy, fitness tactics and skill but the most
advanced equipment is also vital just to stay on a level with
the pack. A lightweight glider is essential on foot, but it must
perform in the air too.
All competitors are required to carry a Pieps Globalfinder
for safety reasons. Using GPS technology the athletes can
be followed in real time via Live-Tracking by the organisers
and Red Bull X-Alps fans. The exact position of the athletes
is monitored via data loggers and GSM cell phones and
their live positions and traces can be viewed on the official website.
The 2013 race
The race started in Salzburg on July 7th amid a cacophony of crowds and excitement that saw the athletes burst
out of the city centre and up to the Gaisberg, the first of
10 turnpoints between the start, and finish line of Monaco.
Athletes have to hike or fly a straight-line course of 1,031km,
carrying their flying equipment at all times, which even with
the latest technological developments, still weighs 8-10 kg.
In reality, the athletes cover more like 2,500km by the time
they finish.
“It’s not just a physical challenge,” says race mastermind
Hannes Arch. “It’s about the body and the mind. The athletes
have to perform for 18hrs a day and sustain that for 10+
days. It’s hugely demanding. If you make a wrong decision
you don’t just fall back in the rankings - you can seriously
hurt yourself or worse. That’s why it’s the world’s toughest
adventure race. It’s still an adventure!”
With the physical effort and tough decisions involved in
racing it’s easy to see why it is known as one of the world’s
toughest adventure races .
“What you can’t get across is just how mind-blowingly
epic this race is,” says Stephan Haase, of the USA. “It’s the
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Left Flying in front of the
turnpoint Tre Cime at the
Red Bull X-Alps in Italy on
the 21st of July 2011
Photo: Felix Woelk/Red
Bull Photofiles
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Top Hiking in front of the Tre Cime at the Red Bull
X-Alps in Italy on the 21st of July 2011
Photo: Felix Woelk/Red Bull Photofiles
Right Taking off after a
thunderstorm at the Red
Bull X-Alps in Pfalzen, Italy,
on the 21st of July 2011
Photo: Felix Woelk/Red
Bull Photofiles
decisions. You make one decision, and there are just many
permutations that lead out from that decision that affect the
race and your ranking.”
This year, on its 10th anniversary, the Red Bull X-Alps was
undoubtedly the best edition yet of the race. With a high
pressure system building, perfect paragliding conditions
were set up over the Alps. A light northerly airflow swept in,
producing good, strong thermals that blasted the athletes
skywards and enabled them to make good distances by air
each day.
But conditions needed to be good. The 2013 route had
a truly difficult course line set, requiring some really high
passes to be crossed. Organisers were left scratching their
heads, wondering how the leaders made such quick work of
it, as they bounced from climb to climb, reaching heights of
up to 4,000m near the Matterhorn and Mt Blanc.
Some, like Ferdinand van Schelven (NED), set personal bests.
On his penultimate day of racing, the ‘Flying Dutchman’ flew
153km.
“I looked at this new route through the Vercors, with some
locals, and I thought why not, let’s try it,” he said. Conditions
were incredible. “I flew for 11 hours, and even after 8 pm, it
was going up everywhere - I was on full speed bar trying to
get down!”
“The good weather also brought a lot of windy and dangerous conditions as well,” reported Max Fanderl (CAN) on his
blog. “We had flights in plus 50 km winds, in rain and thunder storms, but at the same time we had some long flights,
flying over glaciers and very beautiful terrain. We had hikes
in areas we never would have gone.”
The 2013 edition of the race was also taken the most seriously by athletes. Haase moved from his home in the USA
to Austria in January specifically to train for the event. He
was eventually forced to quit after blisters on his feet turned
nasty and he became at risk, as he put it, of ‘losing body
parts’.
Latour’s team spent months working on his harness, flying
the routes and preparing the Frenchman for success. As one
athlete put it, ‘unless you’re born in the Alps with a paraglider
in your cradle, you don’t stand much chance in this race’.
Ultimately, Christian ‘Chrigel’ Maurer won the race convincingly, for the third time in a row. On the second day of
the race, he launched with four others but he simply flew
faster and better. By the sixth day, he was 300km clear of his
nearest rival. Spectators following the race the world over
were mesmerised by Maurer’s ‘magic moves’. On the third
day, at 8:10am he caught a 4 m/s thermal. This is unheard
of in flying. Paragliders don’t normally launch until late in
the morning, when the sun has heated the slopes enough
to generate lift - and here was Maurer, riding some strange
convergence of winds up high. He then glided some
20km, hugging in close to the forested slopes. Maurer later
revealed his trick - he was surfing a buoyant cushion of
warmer air that lifts from the trees in the hours after dawn.
It’d be too easy to attribute Maurer’s success to his talent alone. But it’s been the small details, the planning, the
equipment development, the training, the check-lists, that
have contributed to his victory. A professional athlete, he
dedicated seven solid months to the race in equipment
preparation and physical training. As just one example,
Maurer explained that through the winter he’d go groundhandling in 40-50 km/h winds in snowfields, to experience
what it’s like at and beyond his level of abilities. That way,
when he’s stood on a cliff edge with 30-40 km/h of wind,
he’s that much more experienced at handling the wing.
Theurillat, his supporter, is a mountain guide and psychological coach who would put Maurer through a meditation
programme in the evening to relax and recharge. Their tactic
of sleeping high in mountain huts and getting early glides in
before the day had even got going also paid off. As Theurillat
puts it - “20 to 30 km might not seem like much, but over
seven days that could make 150 km.” “And we are still learning,” he added. “We have a list of things we want to change
for 2015!”
One of the things that makes the race so special is the way
its fans could follow the race unfold with Red Bull Mobile
Live Tracking and see the athletes’ flights in real time and 3D.
Every athlete was also given a Nokia Lumia phone for them
to blog and share their pictures, giving fans another unique
behind-the-scenes account. The interest was also reflected
on the ground. At the turnpoint high above Interlaken,
hundreds of spectators waited for Aaron Durogati’s arrival.
He top landed and ran through a cordon of photographers
and spectators to the sign-in board as a helicopter buzzed
overhead, filming. The excitement was palpable.
Maurer eventually won the race in 6d 23hr and 40m, almost
two days ahead of his nearest rival.
But the fight for second place was probably the most exciting, intense element of the entire race. Frenchmen Clement
Latour and Antoine Girard raced to the wire. Having flown
different routes down the Alps Maritimes, they landed within
approximately 15km of each other. They then proceeded
to run almost eight hours non-stop through the night.
Eventually, at 03:30am, Latour arrived, ecstatic but exhausted.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said.
Thirty minutes later Girard arrived to equally rapturous
applause.
Theurillat, who stayed up to watch, shook his head. “After
9 days of solid racing, no let up. How many thermals, how
many glides, how many decisions have led to this point?”
he asks.
That the pair should arrive so close together after jostling for
position most of the race is nothing short of incredible - but
their physical endurance, stamina - and paragliding skill sums up what makes the race so special.
For the 2013 event conditions were truly incredible. The
lift was so strong that athletes could climb faster with their
paragliders than the average Boeing 747 can leave the
airport. Entering a strong thermal that’s going up at 10
metres per second is like stepping in a super-fast elevator in
Chamonix valley and being on the top of Mt Blanc within
seven minutes!
The field was super-strong. There was only one retirement
due to injury - Stephan Haase left due to blisters that
became infected. Normally four or five drop out in the
first few days. It didn’t rain. Much. Austria isn’t known for
dry weather in July - the last time the Paragliding World
Championships were held in the Pinzgau valley, it was a total
wash-out.
Left Evgeny Gryaznov from Russia at Seetalhorn 3037
m Grachen, Switzerland during the 2009 event.
Photo: Vitek Ludvik /Red Bull Photofiles
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Christian Maurer defied belief, again. “Watching Maurer fly
has been sublime,” as one follower put it. His ‘magic moves’
have been uncanny, and he makes the others look average.
But they’re not. One of the best adventure pilots in the world
was the race back marker. It’s just that Maurer is exceptional.
He is gifted, and he showed us what he can do with that gift.
The race in the front pack was so addictive. Chambers, Latour,
Muller, and Girard were all jockeying for second place the
whole way with their support crews were completely on
it, screeching around the valleys of the Alps like Formula 1
pitstop crews. alpine
The next Red Bull X-Alps is scheduled for 2015
The Race in Numbers
• The 2013 course was the longest yet at 1,031 km
• Chrigel Maurer drew out a 300 km lead on his nearest rival
• On his final day of racing, Toma Coconea ran and hiked 130
km - the equivalent of 3 marathons!
• Maurer performed 50% faster than any other athlete
• Athletes reached heights of 4,000 m while flying around
the Matterhorn
• Each athlete consumed an average 5,000 calories a day - twice
a normal adult male’s intake
• 10 athletes made it to Monaco - the most ever
• Maurer has now won the Red Bull X-Alps an historic 3 times
Top Michael Gebert/ GER, is hiking towards the mountain
pass near the Grossglockner, Austria
Above Jan Skrabalek (CZE) is flying over the Glockner
strasse direction Grossglockner
Right Above Canazei/ Sella Joch in the Dolomites during
the 2009 event.
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- climbing -climb out from under your rock
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Climb out from
under your rock
Climbers have always bouldered. When rock
climbing first emerged as a sport in the mid 1800s,
early records describe climbers engaging in what
is now referred to as bouldering, not as a separate
discipline, but as a form of training for larger
ascents. Whether for training or as a separate
sport chalked up holds can be seen on boulders
lying on the valley floors throughout the Alps.
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Back in the 1980s the emergence of bouldering
mats also known as crash pads and the introduction of artificial climbing walls greatly increased the
popularity of bouldering and helped to define it
has a sport in its own right.
The mats prevented injuries from falling as even a
fall from a low boulder problem can result in a serious injury or break. They also enabled boulderers
to climb in areas that would have been too dangerous to attempt as so climbers could really start to
push the limits and find new problems.
Indoor climbing walls helped spread the sport
of bouldering to the cities and to areas without
outdoor climbing or boulders, plus allowed serious
climbers to train year-round regardless of weather
conditions. The sport has grown in popularity
since the early 2000s, with new bouldering areas
constantly being found and developed. The sport
has been greatly helped with videos on sites such
as Youtube and climbing blogs allowing climbers
quickly learn techniques, find harder problems, and
announce newly completed projects.
The difficulty of problems being climbed now is
unimaginable even to experienced boulders as
‘specialists’ have evolved the sport making what
appear to be impossible moves.
Photos: Mat Perrier bouldering at
the Col du Montets. Haute Savoie
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- whitewater - winter melt
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Winter melt
The rapidly melting snow in spring brings new playgounds to the Alps,
with rivers prime for whitewater fun with high water and clean lines.
Alpine river running is not for everyone, but for those who love the
thrill and adrenalin rush of paddling long and classic runs can be had
throughout the early summer.
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Wild water
Whitewater kayaking is and will always be a niche sport.
Despite the media and a cool image it will never be fully mainstream as it demands too much from the participants. There
are ten to fifteen times as many lake and touring kayaks sold
than whitewater boats as few people want to run hard whitewater, drop waterfalls, or even simply paddle rough Class III
whitewater in a kayak. It requires a lot of motivation to learn the
skills and get the experience, and it is in reality a group sport for
safety reasons.
It can be terrifying to go upsidedown in flat water let alone in
the rapids and so the sport appeals only to those with the ability to keep cool under pressure and love the rush of acceleration
heading into the tumbling chaos of a rapid.
For those who do love the feel of the water’s flow and pulse
of the river flowing down the mountain and through the narrow
valleys they are the ones with the personality and character of a
true explorer, always looking for challenges, and know there is
not much better am adventure than a day of paddling down a
wild river in the spring.
Whitewater kayaking means figuring out how to meld with
the water, to plane across it, plough through it, dive under it,
twist and cartwheel above it, and to plunge over falls. To be able
to read the flow and then weave the most powerful and complex currents.
It is as close a relationship with Mother Nature as it gets with
moments of calm and adrenaline rushes all wrapped up in one,
surrounded by the sights and smells of the river and the wild
surroundings of the canyon walls
It is a sport that is very easy to push your limits but it is those
challenges that help improve your skills and abilities. It is a sport
that is done is small groups of friends and one of the best things
for those who paddle white water kayaking is the ‘family’ that
emerges within the boating community of passionate people
who are all ready for the next adventure.
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Paddler: Chris Shields
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Whitewater kayak hot spots
Val Sesia, Italy
Northern Italy’s Piemonte region offers one of
Europe’s best creeking destinations. With bedrock rapids, a short but predictable high water
season and plenty of gradient.
Piemonte’s rivers tend to be steep and committing so best suited to paddlers used to tackling
grade 5. The rapids are also often in remote
gorges so for the experienced, Piemonte is a
truly amazing destination during the snowmelt,
normally April through to May.
For the Val Sesia valley prints an excellent Carte
Fluviale, a map of the region’s white water that’s
available from tourist information offices or the
campsites. As well as your creek boat you will
need some elbow pads for some of the world’s
best whitewater!
Above The Val Sesia river valley. Map by Google.
More info: http://world.rainchasers.com/
asset/val-sesia/plughole-piemonte.pdf
Gene17 kayaking
http://gene17kayaking.com
Above The excellent Carte Fluviale river map available from Val Sesia tourist information
centres and camp sites.
Durance Valley, France
In early June, traditionally the French Alps location of the Durance Valley is in prime condition for
experienced kayakers, with high water and clean
lines. Early season it is full on alpine river running
and this style of paddling is not for everyone, but if
those can paddle Class IV they can do some classics, running 20 km or more of Class III/IV+ and
enjoying the best of high water runs, Guil, Durance
and the Ubaye, regarded as the very best of the
French Alps.
By mid June, the peak of the winter snow runoff
has past, making the rapids with more structured,
and the paddling lines more defined, a perfect
time to hit the classic runs for less experience
paddlers and still have the push and excitement of
excellent water flow.
More info and organised trips from Gene17
http://gene17kayaking.com/
whitewater-kayak-guiding/
french-alps-kayaking/#sthas
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Above The Durance valley heads south from Briancon.
Map by Google.
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- climbing - the 6 classic north faces
alpine magazine
Left The top of the north face of the
Matterhorn in the sun
The six classic north
faces of the Alps
These climbs hold a special attraction and status to all
mountaineers, not only because of their difficulty, but
their history
The six the six ‘classic north faces’ are still respected for their difficulty and
seriousness and on every serious mountaineers tick list.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Eiger (1938 route)
Grandes Jorasses (Walker Spur 1938)
Matterhorn (Schmid route 1931)
Petite Dru (Allain-Leininger route 1935)
Piz Baile (Cassin route 1937)
Cima Grande di Lavaredo (Hasse-Brandler route 1933)
Back in the 1930s attaining the first ascent of each of these six faces was a
major preoccupation of the best European climbers. The first to climb all six
was Gaston Rébuffat, a Chamonix mountain guide and renowned French
alpinist, chronicled in his 1954 book, Etoiles et Tempêtes (Starlight and
Storm).
Britsih mountaineer Alison Hargreaves was the the first climber of any gender to solo the six classic north faces of the Alps in a single season in 1993.
The North Face of the Matterhorn
The Trilogy
The Eiger, the Matterhorn and the Grandes Jorasses are regarded as considerably harder to climb than the other three and are also known as ‘the
Trilogy’. The first to climb these three faces within a year was the Austrian
Leo Schlömmer, from the summer of 1961 to the summer of 1962 .The first
woman to climb all three was Catherine Destivelle. Ivano Ghirardini being
the first to climb the Trilogy in winter, solo 1977-78.
The next challenge was an ‘enchainment’, which meant climbing all three
faces in one trip, and the race was on in the 1980s to be the first. It was
realised by one of the most important mountaineers of all time French
mountain guide Christophe Profit between 11–12 March 1987 in a time of
42 hours.
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First climbed in 1931, and at that time regarded
as one of the last great big wall problems in the
Alps. First climbed by the brothers Franz and Toni
Schmid on July 31–August 1, 1931. They reached
the summit at the end of the second day, after a
night of bivouac. Because they had kept their plans
secret, their ascent was a complete surprise. In
addition, the two brothers had travelled by bicycle
from Munich and after their successful ascent they
cycled back home again.
The first winter ascent of the north face was made
by Hilti von Allmen and Paul Etter on February 3–4,
1962. The first solo ascent was made in five hours
by Dieter Marchart on July 22, 1959.
Walter Bonatti climbed the “North Face Direct” solo
on February 18–22, 1965. This Bonatti direct route
was not repeated solo until 29 years later, in the
winter of 1994 by Catherine Destivelle.
Ueli Steck set the record time in climbing the north
face (by the Schmid route) of the Matterhorn in
2009 with a time of only 1 hour 56 minutes.
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Both the north face of the Petite Dru with its oval
niche and the north face of the Grandes Jorrasses
can be seen reflected in the Lac Blanc.
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North face of the Petit Dru
The Aiguille du Dru consists of two summits and sits on the shoulder of the Aiguille
Verte. The Petit Dru 3733 m is the lower one
of Les Drus, as they are commonly named.
The Grand Dru is 3754 m. The Aiguille du
Dru is shape and beauty is legendary and
the needle point view of the west face is
particularly spectacular.
The classic north face of Petit Dru, with a
difficulty of TD-/TD+ was established from
31 July to 1 August 1935 by Pierre Allain
and Raymond Leininger.
Another route on the north face is the Voie
Lesueur, first ascended by the brothers
Pierre and Henri Lesueur from 25-27 July
1952.
The Drus have had significant amount of
rock fall in recent years as can be seen by
the lighter grey scars on the right of the
photo. The falls have mainly affected the
west face, but there has been rock fall on
the north face too.
For those planning on climbing on the face
it is highly recommended to check locally
about conditions of the routes.
Below: Routes on the north face of the Grandes Jorasses.
Photo: Creative Commons cc-by-nc-ndcamptocamp.org
North face of the Grandes Jorasses
Located on the French side of the mountain, the face towers
1200 m above the Leschaux Glacier. The classic route on the
face is the Walker Spur first climbed by Cassin, Esposito and
Tizzoni in 1938. It is graded as TD+/ED1, IV, 5c/6a, A1, leading
directly to the summit of Pointe Walker. The other major buttress on the north face is the Croz Spur, which leads to the
summit of Pointe Croz.
What’s called the Grandes Jorasses is actually a collection of
summits, linked by a relatively regular ridge, 1 km long. Less
well known than the Matterhorn, and less slender than the
Aiguille Verte and Dru , this famous north face has an air of
mystery and power that has no rivals in the entire Alps. The
imposing wall has an almost mythical status in mountaineering circles, and there’s little doubt that opening a new route on
the “Paroi Nord” of the Grandes Jorasses means gaining a lot
of respect and prestige and some of the hardest climbs of the
entire history of alpine climbing have been made on this face.
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Above NE of Piz Badile 3305 m. Photo: Giovanni Rovedatti Creative Commons CC-by-nc-ndcamptocamp.org
alpine magazine
Above The Tre Cima di Lavaredo at sunset. Photo: Jon Shave Source: Wikimedia Commons.
North face of the Piz Badile
The name Badile means spade or shovel which
the mountain’s resembles when viewed from
the Val Bregaglia situated in the South Eastern
corner of Switzerland.
The classic north face route is the climb is on
the north-east face. The Cassin Route (V+/A0
or VI+), named after Ricardo Cassin, who first
limbed it with V. Ratti and G. Esposito, together
with the Como team of Mario Molteni and
Giuseppe Valsecchi on 14–16 July 1937.
Molteni and Valsecchi were already on the face
when Cassin and his party started out, but the
climbers subsequently joined forces. In this
famous alpine epic, Molteni died of exhaustion
and exposure on the summit, whilst Valsecchi
died on the descent by the south ridge just
before reaching the hut.
Above The Tre Cima di Lavaredo Photo: Luca Lorenzi (GNU) Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Cima Grande north face
Above The Cassin route on the granite slabs. Photo: Thierry Mesot Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Below Piz Badile, Graubünden Photo: Biovit Source: Wikimedia Commons.
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The Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Italian for “the three
peaks of Lavaredo”), also known as the Drei
Zinnen (in German, meaning “three merlons”),
are three distinctive battlement-like peaks in
the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern Italy.
They are one of the best-known and recognisable mountain groups in the Alps.
The three peaks, from east to west, are:
Cima Piccola/Kleine Zinne (“little peak”)
2,857 m.
Cima Grande/Große Zinne (“big peak”) 2,999m.
Cima Ovest/Westliche Zinne (“western peak”)
2,973 m
The peaks are composed of well-layered dolostones of the Dolomia Principale formation,
Carnian to Rhaetian in age, as are many other
groups in the Dolomites.
Until 1919 the peaks formed part of the border
between Italy and Austria. Now they lie on the
border between the Italian provinces of South
Tyrol and Belluno and still are a part of the
linguistic boundary between German-speaking
and Italian-speaking majorities.
The Cima Grande’s partly overhanging northern
face was first climbed by Emilio in 1933 in a
party of three, over 3 days and 2 nights.
Right: Routes on the Cima Grande (Große
Zinne): 1= Dibona, 2= Via Camillotto
Pellesier, 3= Das Phantom der Zinne,
4= Hasse/Brandler (Direttissima), 5=
Sachsenweg (Superdirettissima), 6= Comici/
Dimai (19311 first ascent route)
Photo: Bartcockx, derivative work: Svíčková
Source Wikimedia Commons.
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Left The Eiger north face as seen from the road heading
up to Grindlewald.
Below Routes prior to 1965 on the Eiger’s northern wall
with the original Heckmair 1938 route in green in the
central part of the face. Photo: Creative Commons
Right The Hinterstoisser Traverse. Photo: Franz-alpin.
Creative Commons. Source: Wikipedia
The Eiger
The Eiger is at 3,970 m situated in the Bernese Alps in
Switzerland is the eastern most peak of the ridge crest that
extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at 4,158 m. The
Nordwand, German for “north wall”, is the spectacular north
or, more precisely, northwest face of the is the biggest of
the six great north faces of the Alps, towering over 1,800 m
above Kleine Scheidegg and the Grindlewald valley.
It was first climbed on July 24, 1938 by Anderl Heckmair,
Ludwig Vörg, Heinrich Harrer and Fritz Kasparek, a German–
Austrian group. They were originally two independent
teams, but Harrer who did not have any crampons and
Kasparek were joined on the face by Heckmair and Vörg,
who had started their ascent a day later and had been
helped by the fixed rope that the lead group had left across
the Hinterstoisser Traverse. The two groups, led by the experienced Heckmair, joined forces on the more difficult later
pitches, and finished the climb roped together as a single
group of four.
A portion of the upper face is called “The White Spider” as
snow-filled cracks radiate out from an ice-field in the form of
spider’s legs. Harrer used this name for the title of his book
about his successful climb, Die Weisse Spinne (translated
into English as The White Spider: The Classic Account of the
Ascent of the Eiger). During the first successful ascent, the
four men were caught in an avalanche as they climbed the
Spider, but all had enough strength to hold on and prevent
themselves from being swept off the face.
Even today the north face is regarded as a formidable
challenge more because of the increased rock fall and
diminishing ice-fields than because of its technical
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difficulties It’s not the hardest or steepest of the six north
faces to climb, but it is the hardest to retreat from in a storm.
The rock is limestone that is so loose and rotten that it’s
hard to get pitons or cams to hold in the cracks for protection. Notorious for bad weather, the face often turns into a
death trap spewing avalanches and falling rock. Climbers are
increasingly choosing to climb the north face Eiger in winter
when the crumbling face is held together by ice.
It is not only regarded by many as the most dangerous face
in the Alps but one of the most deadliest mountains in
the world. Because since 1935, at least sixty-four climbers
have died attempting the north face, it has been given the
German nickname, Mordwand, or “murderous wall”, a play
on the face’s German name Nordwand.
Other notable ascents.
• 1964: 1–3 September: German Daisy Voog becomes
the first woman to reach the summit via the face (with
Werner Bittner).
• 1992: 9 March: Catherine Destivelle (France) solos the
face in 17 hours. It is the first solo female ascent of such a
serious and dangerous Alpine face.[23
• 7 August: Dean Potter (USA) free-solos Deep Blue Sea
(5.12+) on the face, then BASE jumps from the top using an
ultralight rig he wore during the climb.
• 2011: 20 April: Daniel Arnold (Switzerland) solos the
face in 2 hours 28 minutes, using the fixed ropes on the
Hinterstoisser Traverse. Arnold was 19 minutes faster than
Ueli Steck in 2008, but Steck climbed the route entirely
without aid and, unlike Arnold, completed the route in the
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- cycling - true grit
alpine magazine
True grit
Some say there is no bad weather only bad equipment and sometimes
you have no choice but to ride in the rain, like here on the Col du Joux
Plane in Haute Savoie, France.
Col du Joux Plane
Well sometimes you just have no choice but to ride and continue your journey through the bad weather. Being well
prepared and having the right clothing and gear helps, but we
all know it is tougher to power through a summer down pour.
The col de Joux Plane is one of the toughest climb in the Haute
Savoie. Situated on the southern end of the Chablais, at an
altitude of 1691m. It links the town of Morzine to the north with
Samoëns to the south.
The Joux Plane is a tough climb from either side, but is significantly harder from Samoëns, which is almost 300m lower in
altitude than Morzine, and longer at 11.6km with an average
gradient of 8.5% and a maximum of 12% as opposed to 10.9km
with an average of 6.5% from Morzine.
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- cycling - cormet du roselend
alpine magazine
Cormet du Roselend
A classic alpine col and etape in the Tour de France that will
never disappoint.
The Cormet de Roselend lies between the Beaufortain and
Mont Blanc mountain ranges linking the towns of Beaufort
and Bourg St Maurice, well known as the hub for the ski
resorts of Les Arcs, La Plagne, Tignes and Val d’Isère.
The word “cormet” means col or pass in the local dialect.
The col can be approached form either side and in terms
of difficulty there’s not much to choose between the two.
Both directions are long Alpine climbs at around 20 km.
The rides go partly around Lake Roselend which is one
of the most beautiful man-made lakes in the Alps built
between 1955 and 1960.
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From Beaufort
From Bourg St Maurice
The climb begins immediately at the exit of the
very attractive village of Beaufort, famous for
the excellent Beaufort cheese.
From this side the summit is 20.3 km away and
1227 m higher up. The average grade is 6% but
quite variable. The first part of the climb is fairly
gentle as the road follows the narrow valley, but
soon kicks up and rises more steeply through
the dense forest. The kilometre markers come
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and go without much change in the gradient
until you arrive at the Col de Méraillet, where
the road forks left to turn around the lake. For
3 km Another 6 km and 374 m to climb before
the summit with the last 3 km slightly easier on
a pretty plateau surrounded by peaks.
The climb from Bourg St Maurice is almost as
long at 19.4 km rising 1154 m at an average of
5.9%.
The climbing starts immediately at the exit of
the town and consists of two distinct parts separated by a kilometre and a half of easy riding in
the middle. The first part heads up the narrow
Vallée des Chapieux, alongside the white water
of the Torrent des Glaciers. The steepest part of
the climb have a series of hairpin bends above
the tiny hamlet of les Glinettes, before arriving
at the Crêt Bettex where the slope eases off. The
second part begins with a long straight before
the road twists and turns again, offering amazing views. The head of the valley obliges a final
effort at 8% before the road eases up again for
the final few hundred metres to the top of the
Cormet.
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- cycling - passo del stelvio
alpine magazine
Passo del Stelvio
The legendary Stelvio pass in the Italian Alps is
Europe’s second highest paved mountain pass
at 2,758 m but superior than the higher Col
de l’Iseran thanks to history, pedigree and the
sheer experience of climbing and descending
this giant.
There are two main routes to the top and a
third via Switzerland.
The SS38 goes from Bormio on the west to
Ponte di Stelvio on the east via the pass. Each
side offers a similar experience being 22km
from Bormio at 7.1% and 24km from Ponte di
Stelvio at 7.4%.
The Bormio side offers more variety, a flat section 5km from the top and 12% for most of the
last two kilometres. The Ponte side, this photo,
is regular and the carefully placed Trafoi bends
are a work of engineering and a “must do” riding experience.
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- watersports - thermal breezes - monteynard
alpine magazine
Thermal breezes
Summer winds blow nearly every afternoon down
the alpine valleys, and even on the smallest of lakes
or reservoirs water there will be kite surfers mixing it
up with the windsurfers.
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Lac Monteynard, France
At 500 m of altitude, this reservoir with an area of 657ha
stretches its turquoise waters for a length of 20 km. Mostly
navigable, and famous for kite surfing and windsurfing, the lake
is a paradise for other sports and water activities such as wakeboarding, fishing, canoeing, speedboating, and water-skiing.
Dominated by the Sénépy massif at 1,769 m of altitude this
huge lake was created in 1962 when a dam was built for hydro
power making an amazing playground for water sports with
shady banks and beaches perfect for summer barbecues and
waiting for the afternoon wind to blow down the valley.
More info at: http://www.lac-monteynard.com
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Location of Monteynard
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- trail running - run the trail
alpine magazine
Spread Running around the lacs des Chéserys 2211 m
in the Aiguilles Rouges.
Run the trail
Chamonix may be well known for the Ultra
Trail du Mont Blanc that runs around the
Alp’s highest massif, but the there are many
beautiful paths in the region, especially in the
Aiguilles Rouges.
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- trail running - run the trail
The trail to Lac Blanc in the Aiguilles Rouges.
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Running in the Aiguilles Rouges with Aiguille Verte
behind in the setting sun.
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- trail running - flat or fat
alpine magazine
Hoka One One
Flat or fat?
Vibram’s minimalist Five Finger shook up the world of running
a few years ago and now Hoka is the opposite with ‘maximalist’
shoes, but how much does the choice in running shoe
really matter?
To date, there has been very little scientific
research on the benefits of maximalist shoes,
but runners using them say they have a more
relaxed ride and they reduce recovery times
after long runs or races. Runners with chronic
injuries say the shoes have let them run comfortably again, and another possible advantage
for max-cushioning shoes is that Hokas users
say they are much more comfortable on rocky
trails and descents.
However, minimalists enthusiasts still don’t
believe in the Hoka bigger-is-better concept
,with some saying that the soft foam absorbs
too much of the energy runners get to push
them forward that helps them to run efficiently
and faster. Minimalists say that one of the
advantages of barefoot type shoes is that they
teach the runner to use their body to cushion
impact so when cushioning wears out in a traditional shoe or ultra-thick cushioned shoe, the
body won’t be able to absorb the impacts and
the pains, aches and injuries will start.
However biomechanics have shown that actually runners automatically adapt their running
style by adjusting muscle tension in the legs
and knee flexion to keep impact forces to tolerable levels. This means runners using Hokas
will land a little harder than they would in a
less cushioned shoe, and runners in minimalist
shoes will land a little softer than in a more
cushioned shoe automatically.
To date there are no long term studies showing
a strong link between running shoe types and
running injuries, which explains why stability
shoes don’t appear to help runners who over
pronate. There is suggestive evidence that
minimalist shoes might influence foot strike,
and that certain kinds of foot strikes, such as
landing on the forefoot, lead to a softer landing
and less impact, and so perhaps, fewer injuries.
A five month long random, controlled study
of 247 runners published in 2013 in the British
Journal of Sports Medicine showed no difference in injury rates between runners who wore
soft shoes and those who wore hard shoes,
although the research did find, not surprisingly,
that body weight and training intensity did
affect injury rates.
As we all know from a very age we don’t need
shoes to run and you only need to watch a
race to see that a of runners at the front have a
terrible running so success in running is much
more a function of fitness than the shoes you
are wearing. There’s not much evidence that
you need to worry too much about shoes, just
pick a pair that you feel good in and that make
you want to run, then focus on training, eating
and sleeping correctly. alpine
Hoka One One is the brainchild of two French
adventure sports experts Jean-Luc Diard
and Nicolas Mermoud, both high achieving
trail runners.
Both Jean-luc and Nicolas felt that something was
missing from the freedom and enjoyment part of
to the running experience so they started to look
at what variables affected the performance and
sensations of different types of runners.
They quickly came to the conclusion that fatigue,
impact and muscle strains were challenges that
runners of all types had to deal with every day. So
they came up with the idea to design a shoe that
would help to alleviate those problems - the Hoka
One One.
The word Hoka comes from the ancient Maori
language and is roughly translated as “now it is
time to fly”.
Hoka One One believe their shoes allow users to
enjoy running, perform with a sense of freedom
whilst be cushioned against shocks, jolts and protected from injuries.
Above: The Spyridon MR barefoot shoefrom Vibram Five
Fingers, the brand that helped the minimalist movement
gain more adopters. The Spyridon is designed for the
minimalist trail-runner and offers a 3D Cocoon technology moulded into the sole for lightweight protection.
Speed laces and canvas fabric finish this shoe off for a
rugged and secure fit, while a 360 degree lug pattern
offers additional grip in all directions for trail racing.
Weight: mens 43: 222g womens 38: 188g
Above: Hoka One One Mafate 3 Men trail running shoe (410g for 8.5 US)
Hoka One One maximalist technology
Above: Hoka One One Stinson Trail Women
280g (in 6.5USW) and right, Stinson Trail Men
320gr (in 8.5USM)
Above: The minimalist Merrell Ascend Glove Trail-Running
shoes feature a zero drop with a light layer of cushioning
for versatile, barefoot-inspired performance.. 222g (Size 7)
Left: The men’s Trail Freak from VivoBarefoot,
the brand that in 2004 became the pioneers
of the barefoot movement by launching the
first minimalist shoe with a patented, ultra
thin puncture resistant sole that offered
maximum sensory feedback and maximum
protection.
No heel, no midsole, no arch support, no
gimmicks says Vivobarefoot. They believe
that their products help encourages us to
move as million years of evolution intended
- barefoot.
The principal of Hoka One One oversized mid soles
that have up to 2.5 times the volume of the EVA in
the midsole of a standard running shoes is that the
extra cushion provides impact absorption and a
highly comfortable underfoot feel.
Hoka One One shoes are designed with a last that
provides rolling motion from a 50% rockering
profile giving a smoother, energy efficient stride
transition from the heel strike to push off from the
ball of the foot that propels the runner forward. To
ensures a superior level of responsiveness foot /
ground, despite the high level of cushioning.
For control, Hoka One One have a unique patented
design with a recessed heel holder in the mid sole
that is between 20mm to 30mm deep to firmly
support the heel and allowing precision striking
and optimum foot stabilisation.
The A 35% wider platform is designed to enhance
underfoot stability which is provided to counteract the extra height of the midsole ensuring that
the runner comfortable and confident with every
strike. Reinforced sidewalls, precision fit and close
lacing systems are there to enhance the feeling of
stability and support.
Considering the extra bulk of the shoes they are
still flexible and lightweight to help to alleviate
fatigue over longer distances.
http://www.hokaoneone.com
Right: The semi-minimalist Salomon S-LAB Sense 3 Ultra
is a shoe that is designed to encourage natural motion of
the foot with a reduced heel drop for an even foot strike.
Promoting midfoot striking and better agility.
Weight: 240g
Weight: Mens 260g / Ladies 210g
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- mountain bike - enduro
alpine magazine
Left Enduro riding rather than racing on
the rocky trail around the Chamonix valley
Enduro
Enduro racing is said to be the next big thing in
mountain biking, but what exactly is it?
If you live for riding fast downhill but don’t
have access to or don’t like chairlifts, then
enduro is for you.
Enduro is currently a popular buzz word and
many of the brands producing mountain bikes
in the category, however even amongst those
sitting outside the cafes with their ‘enduro’
machines, having ridden their favourite ‘enduro’
trail there seems to be quite a lot of differing
opinions about what enduro is and what an
enduro bike is.
In racing at least, the enduro category is more
defined than it is for non competition riding. As the name suggests it is racing with an
endurance element. The confusion starts as the
term ‘enduro’ was also used for long-distance
cross-country (XC) races, but those now tend to
be known as marathon races. Modern enduro
events have an emphasis on downhill gain over
uphill pain, with the category split into two
main race types: enduro downhill and gravity
enduro.
On the Spezialized bike brand’s web site pages
about their enduro bike they show a video of
riding the Tour du Mont Blanc on their latest
Enduro bike with the rider Matt Hunter saying it
is an amazing enduro ride. However, it is a ride
regularly done on XC bikes and even on cyclocross bikes by guys in their 70s. Depending on
which way round you ride it there are only a
couple of chairlifts or telecabins so the epic ride
requires a lot of uphill pedalling. Is such a ride
really enduro?
Enduro downhill events, such as France’s classic
Megavalanche at Alpe d’huez every July and
the Mountain of Hell, are long distance races
down big mountains, with mass-starts and
short uphill sections and even snow and ice on
the upper slopes adding to the fun.
Gravity enduro is a race format that combines
timed downhill sections with none timed uphill
connecting sections, although these often have
to be completed within a time limit. In North
America, gravity enduro is sometimes called
Above Enduro racing on the rocky descent of the
Mountain of Hellevent , Les Alpes, France
Photo: Office de Tourisme Les 2 Alpes
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- mountain bike - enduro
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Above Enduro racing on the rocky descent of the Mountain of
Hell event , Les Alpes, France
‘all-mountain racing’, and the unofficial AllMountain World Championships is held every
August at the Downieville Classic in California.
The term enduro in motor biking is a category
of races and riding on bikes similar motocross,
but outside of a circuit on dirt roads and road
sections. For mountain biking the term was
adopted in France in 2003 for races with a similar format to motorbike enduro and car rallying
time trial competitions with timed racing over a
series of special downhill stages with the winner being whoever had the fastest combined
time after the stages wins.
Gravity enduro Tribe events in France are over
ten timed stages, in Italy the Superenduro PRO
races are over four or five stages, and in the UK
the Gravity Enduro races have five. However
three stages are becoming a popular number,
with all competitors riding the same mostly
downhill courses. Roughly enduro races aim to
have 10-15% uphill, but basically if the course
has technical uphill sections or long climbing
stages in then they are not regarded as true
enduro.
Enduro is a relatively new format in many
countries so there is still some confusion as the
format settles down into something stable, but
race organisers need to describe their races in a
way that riders understand to avoid confusion.
Describing the enduro race course correctly
is important for the race category format to
establish itself, because if a competitor turns
up to a race with a 160mm, 20kg+ enduro
88 alpine summer
bike with big, dual-ply tyres and then the race
is actually pretty much a 100km, relatively flat
XC race then they will not be very happy. The
same goes for the other way round if a rider
turns up with a 10kg carbon XC race bike to a
real enduro course then there’s a good chance
that they will break both their expensive bike
and themselves.
There’s nothing in the rules to stop a racer using
a hardtail or lightweight cross-country bike
but they would have no advantage and find it
hard work on the descents. Big bouncer longertravel freeride and downhill bikes will be a drag
on the climbs and may have to be pushed
rather than pedalled. Most enduro racers opt
for a full-suspension trail or all-mountain bike
with 140mm to 170mm of travel often fitting
a chain device or clutch-equipped rear derailleur mechanism so that the chain doesn’t get
bounced off in the rocky sections. Big volume
downhill tyres increase puncture resistance and
add comfort, plus a short stem and wide bar
improves control. A dropper seatpost to lower
the saddle in the technical downhill sections
makes it easier to throw the bike around when
things get sketchy.
Although there are no rules about it, lycra has
no place in a real enduro race. Racers should
expect to bring at least a good set of kneepads,
gloves, eye protection and in Italy and France a
full-face helmet is compulsory and very necessary for the terrain. A hydration pack with basic
spares is a good idea too. alpine
Photo: Office de Tourisme Les 2 Alpes / Ruppert FOWLER
Above Canyon Spectral AL 9.0 EX is designed for the
uncompromising demands of all-mountain riding. A high
quality aluminium frame comes with 150mm of travel
and features such as integrated chainstay guard and
an integrated derailleur hanger. Built for versatility, it is
perfectly at home on steep ascents, flowing singletrack
and technical descents. The 27.5” wheels provide the ideal
compromise between lively handling and super smoothness as well as low weight. and the SRAM 11 speed X01
system fives simplified gearing. Weighs: 12.5kg.
http://www.canyon.com
Enduro events
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tribe Events (France): www.tribe-events.com
Superenduro (Italy): www.superenduromtb.com
Gravity Enduro (UK): www.ukgravityenduro.com
Gravity Enduro (Ireland): www.gravityenduro.ie
Enduro (Germany): www.enduroseries.net
Oregon Enduro (USA): www.oregonenduro.com
• Enduro World Series (rounds in Italy, France,
USA, Canada)
• Bluegrass Enduro Tour (Italy, France, Scotland,
Ireland)
• Specialized Enduro Series (Germany, Austria,
Italy, Switzerland)
• North American Enduro Tour (Oregon, Colorado,
Utah and British Columbia) Coupe de France
(France) Superenduro (Italy)
• UK Gravity Enduro (England, Scotland, Wales)
• Gravity Enduro Series (Ireland)
One-off events:
• Mavic Trans-Provence (France)
• Megavalanche Alpe d’Huez (France)
• Mountain of Hell (France)
• Downieville Downhill
• All-Mountain World Championships (California)
Above Specialized Enduro Expert Carbon 29 2014 Mountain
Bike. A 155mm travel 29er. offering a tight wheelbase for
agile handling, plus lightweight, yet strong, wheelsets and
components, the Enduro 29 is a true All-Mountain machine.
the new X01 shifting makes a quiet and reliable single-ring
setup. The-hidden Specialized Command Post IR uses a
remote lever to adjust saddle height on-the-fly to maximise
climbing and descending performance.
Using the super-light, custom SRAM carbon S-2200
11-speed All-Mountain crankset chainring matched up with
http://www.specialized.com/
alpine summer
2014 89
alpine magazine
- mountain bike - mountain of hell - les 2 alpes
alpine magazine
Mountain of Hell
The race with a very simple concept: a start at an altitude of 3400 m at the
top of the mountain, wheels in the snow... then a crazy downhill enduro
with a massive dose of adrenaline... first to the bottom wins!
The now legendary “Mountain Of Hell” at Les 2 Alpes was created in 1999 and was hugely successful since its inception as an
Enduro event. In mid July each year sees some 700 riders take
on 2500 meters of vertical descent over 20 kilometres after a
spectacular mass start on snow at 3400 m. Half an hour later, the
first riders are down in Venosc, at 900 m. Among the 700 participants are some of the world’s best riders, including 10 women.
For the 2013 event the winner in the mens category was NewZealander Jamie Nicoll taking only 30 minutes and 28 seconds
to cover the 25km trail over 2,500 m of vertical descent. In a
time of 42 minutes and 35 seconds, Isabeau Courdurier (France)
was the first woman.
http://www.les2alpes-evenements.com/mountain-of-hell
http://ete.les2alpes.com/
Photo: Office de Tourisme Les 2 Alpes / Ruppert FOWLER
90 alpine summer
alpine summer
2014 91
alpine magazine
alpine magazine
Mountain of Hell..Photo: Office de Tourisme Les 2 Alpes / Stéphane CANDE
Above and below Mass start at 3,400 m of the Mountain of Hell. Photos: Office de Tourisme Les 2 Alpes / Ruppert FOWLER
right A caption for this image.
92 alpine summer
alpine summer
2014 93
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alpine magazine
Above and below The Mountain of Hell. Photos: Office de Tourisme Les 2 Alpes / Ruppert FOWLER
94 alpine summer
alpine summer
2014 95
alpine magazine
- environment - hydro power
alpine magazine
Left The two reservoirs of the Nant de Drance
project currently under construction on the Swiss/
French border near Mont Blanc.
Photographer: Michel Martinez Sion
Hydro power
The same gravity that powers skiing, mountain bike and white
water descents provides Hydro Electricity, a major source of
power from the Alps.
The mountainous geomorphology of the
Alpine arc mean that hydropower presents a
significant energy resource producing environmentally-friendly electricity but as with any
power source you can’t keep any in reserve and
even the best solar and wind power stations are
useless at night and on windless days.
Electricity grids cannot store energy, so electricity consumption and production from a power
plant must always be balanced and energy
suppliers have to respond to consumption
fluctuations or short-term peaks quickly to
meet capacity.
Pumped storage power stations as batteries.
Pumped storage power stations allow spontaneous compensation for the over-production or
under-production from wind and solar energy
sources and if necessary permit the temporary
storage of the electricity for days or weeks.
Crucial to the flexibility of these power stations
is the size of the available reservoirs.
Pumped-storage hydroelectric power plants are
one way to produce the energy needed within
minutes and store surplus energy reliably, day
and night. Using upper and lower reservoirs
water is channelled downhill from the upper
reservoir through turbines, which in turn drive
generators. When surplus energy is generated,
it is used to pump water back up from the
lower reservoir to the one further uphill. This
means there is a continuous store of potential
energy which can be used to generate power
during peak consumption periods.
The concept of storing energy with the aid of
water power is not new and the first pumpedstorage power plants were built in Central
Europe in the 1920s. However, such power
plants are not necessarily very efficient as
96 alpine summer
pumping the water back uphill requires more
energy than can be recovered.
Nevertheless, pumped-storage plants are
needed to compensate for the fluctuations in
demand for electricity so the systems are balanced so that electricity produced in off-peak
periods such as night time for instance, is used
to pump water to the upper reservoir, which is
then used to produce electricity when demand
is high.
The Nant de Drance Alpine power station which
is currently being built in the Swiss Alps is one
of the most modern pumped hydro facilities in
the world. This joint venture, under the management of Alpiq and with the participation of
the Swiss Railways (SBB), IWB and FMV started
in 2008 and due to be finished in 2017, will connect two reservoirs: the Lac d’Emosson, which
at 227 million cubic meters is the second-big-
reservoirs at 1,700m above sea level with two
separate water channels connecting the two
reservoirs.
The complex construction work required a
5.6km-long access tunnel being bored into
the mountain, then making a machine cavern,
a transformer cavern and two parallel waterways consisting of inlet and outlet structures,
upstream and downstream pressure tunnels
and vertical pressure shafts.
The new plant with its 900-megawatt pump
and turbine capacity will contribute significantly to Switzerland’s future energy security.
Most of the facility is underground and according to the operating company, the power plant
will have the minimum impact on the surrounding environment.
The work for the Nant de Drance project is
on schedule, even though the excavation
The new Nant de Drance project in Switzerland
will provide electricity for 650,000 households.
gest reservoir in Switzerland, and the higher Lac
du Vieux Emosson reservoir, situated at 2,200m
above sea level which currently holds 13.5
million cubic meters of water, but by raising
the dam wall by 20 meters will almost double
the capacity.
Six 150-megawatt turbines will be powered by
the stored energy held in the reservoirs driving generators capable of supplying 625,000
households with electricity. The turbine station is being built in a church sized 190m long,
52m high cavern situated between the two
work for the access tunnel took longer than
planned due to geological problems. In winter
work stops on all construction sections above
2,000m as they can only be reached from the
outside and therefore under snow.
A tunnel-boring machine with a 10m drill head
chews into the mountain at an average rate of
20 meters a day, depending on the type of rock.
Impressively, the record for one day currently
stands at 40 meters.
alpine summer
2014 97
alpine magazine
- environment - hydro power
More than half of Switzerland’s electricity
production comes from hydroelectric power
generation. With the planned phase-out of
nuclear power, the Swiss Federal Council wants
to expand hydropower. However, the available
potential is really quite limited, and even in the
best-case scenario will not be more than 3.2
TWh or around 10% of the current hydropower
generation. One third of this will come from the
upgrading of existing power stations, and one
third each from the construction of new small
and new large hydroelectric power stations.
Hydropower is not only necessary for Swiss
electricity supply, but is also an important economic factor, particularly in the mountainous
regions as the local cantons and communities
hold sovereignty over the water and lease the
water for an agreed period, usually 80 years, to
be used by the electricity companies, receiving
concession fees, water rates and tax revenues
in return.
Switzerland tries to ensure a balanced yet
practical relationship between the protection
of nature and the environment and the use of
which has resulted in the implementation of
large energy-economic projects such as Nant
de Drance and others such as Linth-Limmern
or Lago Bianco. However it is yet to be seen
if the Swiss population, which in their various
referendums have always placed great weight
on nature conservation, will agree with more
hydro projects that will have greater effects of
the environment and surrounding nature..
Hydroelectric power while it can offer a
relatively sustainable solution to the energy
requirements, it can also be ecologically
destructive to the landscapes and freshwater systems.
There are around 550 hydro plants in the Alps
with more than 10 MW and 2900 GWh of
annual output (Source: Alpine Convention). This
kind of pressure severely impacts on the ecological integrity of Alpine rivers and lakes. These
energy systems require widespread river and
stream diversions and the construction of large
storage reservoirs that destroy natural living
spaces. Hydroelectric power plants constitute
one of the most serious threats to natural
Alpine river systems, interrupting migration passageways for animals and wildlife and causing
frequent flooding.
Although in theory hydroelectric power can
be considered ‘clean’ energy, using water and
gravity the generate electricity, many hydroelectric installations in the Alps use cheap coal
or nuclear sourced power to pump water back
up to the reservoir. alpine
98 alpine summer
alpine magazine
Above The schema for the new Nant de Drance project.
Below The Emosson dam wall and view of Mont Blanc to the right. Photo: Nant de Drance
Below The lower Emosson dam wall. Photo: Nant de Drance
Below Extending the height of the upper dam wall. Photo: François Perraudin/ Nant de Drance
Excavation of the machine tunnel.
Photo: François Perraudin; Nant de Drance
alpine summer
2014 99
LPINE MAGAZINE
Next Issue: early winter 2014/15
MOre PHOTOs, videos, ARTICLES and NEWS online
100 alpine summer 2014 - more photos, articles and videos at www.alpinemag.com
www.alpinemag.com
Mountain biking above Lake Garda, Italy.

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