Page 96 - QDG Volume 9 No. 5

94 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
The highest Welshmen in Italy
Ex DRAGON GAUNTLET AIGUILLE
In June of this year, Ex DRAGON (unfor-
tunately dictated by AATG, not a spelling
mistake) GAUNTLET AIGUILLE saw 6
Dragoons head to the Chamonix Valley
for two weeks of Alpine Mountaineering.
The planning for this expedition started
in late 2023 and saw several redrafts
due to funding and twice came phone
calls away from cancellation – thank you
to Major Matthews and Capt Rowe. So,
it was to my relief, and everyone else’s
surprise, when we stepped into the
Chamonix chalet we would call home
for (most of) the next two weeks. 5
bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a sauna, hot tub
and a garage to store kit. No complaints
from the troops!
We were lucky to get hold of three
outstanding instructors. Even luckier,
they bought into our relaxed but profes-
sional approach to climbing. Alpine
Mountain Leaders (AMLs) are becoming
fewer and farther between. As the Army
tries to do more with less the “woolly
hatters” among us have fewer opportu-
nities to move through the AT schemes
to instructor level. This leaves Reservists
holding the majority of higher-level qual-
ifications and even they are now being
limited further in the number of days they
can work.
Chamonix for mountaineering in June
is a little like the rest of the Alps for
skiing in December – you never know
exactly what you are going to get. This
produces one of the two key planning
considerations, weather. The second is
hut bookings. The long-term forecast did
not look overly promising for our planned
itinerary of increasing altitude and
severity. Nevertheless, we would make
do. Starting with our first morning, which
was rained off. Rope skills and refreshers
hanging from the wooden beams inside
the chalet filled the morning, and by
the afternoon the skies had cleared. We
walked the short distance to Gaillands
crag in Chamonix Sud – an afternoon
of rock climbing in the sun dried out the
morning’s damp spirits. Which were wet
again by a pint in the local afterwards.
All agreed the
quieter, more
challenging
routes
had been
brought more
enjoyment and
satisfaction
Mont Tondu
The second day saw another thorough
skills-based day. This time we were up the
mountain and in the alpine. Crampons
were donned. Ropes were tied. Ice axes
wielded. Crevasse rescue, abseiling and
glacial travel techniques were taught. As
were a number of other tips
to avoid injury from all the
pointy things and much to
everyone’s entertainment,
glissading – sliding down
snow on your backside in
order to descend rapidly.
Though stunted by the
weather the first two days
were key in teaching all
the skills needed for the
remainder of the trip. Now
time to put them into
practice. Starting with the
SE Ridge of Index – the first
of a number of Chamonix
classics climbed. It was on
this route Cpl Rugen, along
with a few others, realised
alpine mountaineering
wasn’t quite hill walking or rock climbing
as hanging off a belay at 2600m with
nothing but fresh air and a few clouds
below, he found himself in “stretch”. A
perfect choice of route to introduce the
novices to the discipline.
As day 3 had been a perfect alpine rock
route, day 4 gave us a classic traverse.
Crochues Traverse on a clear day was a
highlight for one or two, topped off by a
lunch spot with views across the valley to
Mont Blanc whilst Al (instructor) regaled
us with stories of climbing in Bolivia, and
on Mt Everest.
Towards the end of the week, after
rescheduling a hut booking the team
set off to Conscrits hut – a hefty 6 hour,
1550m walk in under cloud and rain. By
the early hours it had cleared, ready for an
alpine start. Descending back down onto
the glacier as dawn broke, surrounded by
the peaks and ridges of the Mont Blanc
Massif really was a memorable moment.
We climbed Mont Tondu
that day and the Domes de
Miage the following. The
altitude and technicality of
the latter made it the most
arduous but rewarding climb
of the trip. At times the route
was a narrow as your boots
with only sheer rock faces
dropping away to the sides.
Few failed to concentrate on
the task at hand.
The culmination of the
expedition saw all members
summit Gran Paradiso
(4061m), the highest in Italy.
Whilst the highest of our trip
and an excellent mountain
to finish on, the unique,
but commercial, one-way
system at its summit detracted from the
enjoyment. All agreed the quieter, more
challenging routes had been brought
more enjoyment and satisfaction.
The team worked well to climb around
the changeable weather of the early
alpine season and limited hut bookings.
It was noted by all three, highly expe-
rienced instructors that the soldiers
worked far harder than expected at the
novice level, choosing to limit their rest
days to make the most of good weather
windows and complete all of the planned
climbs. A testament to the endurance
and professionalism of QDG soldiers,
long may it continue.
HMM