My partner was sick yesterday so I went out on a solo mission and wanted to see some new terrain. Not knowing exactly what I was going to get into I packed my Deuter Speed Lite 20 and took off for the Aiguille du Midi.
Looking at the tinny point, Aiguille du Plan
After leaving the Midi I could see the Aiguille du Plan and it seemed the obvious choice for an outing but I knew nothing about the route. In my Speed Lite 20 pack I brought a 7.5mm tag line if I needed to rappel, a half liter of water, one GU, my Petzl Altitude harness, my Reverso, Sarken crampons, a sling and locking carabiner, and my La Sportiva Hail Jacket. So I was definitely going light but had options.
The Snow climbing was amazing as it follows a few knife edge ridges with views
out of the many glaciers of the area as well as the valley of Chamonix. The rock climbing was also spectacular. With know information of the route and how hard it was I decided not to do any rappelling and instead just down climb. This would allow me to know that I could feel comfortable climbing back up the terrain in my crampons. The hardest moves were 5.5 or maybe 5.6 (YDS) and the splitter cracks made the climbing fun and secure. The traverse ends on the top of the Plan in which you stand on a refrigerator sized block. Absolutely spectacular. Of course you have to retrace your steps but in this case I was looking forward to it because you get to experience it all again!
Days out in the mountains like this is what it is all about. Freedom, movement, great views, and no rules. Just you and the mountains!
Here is another write up on the route by Cosley and Houston: