Page 20 - 2021 AMA Summer

EXPEDITIONNEWS
EXERCISE SELVA BACKSTOP:
29 AUG – 12 SEP 21
Luke Denby-Hollis, Expedition Leader
HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Corps’ Alpine mountaineering expedition to the French Alps
Exercise SELVA BACKSTOP (Ex SB) was a Type 3 Overseas AT expedition to the French Alps, that
took a group of 8 novices through the Alpine Mountaineering Foundation (AMF) course, before finishing with a summit attempt on Mont Blanc. Ex SB was HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Corps’ (ARRC) headline AT expedition, and as a result, the team was a fully NATO one, made up of 2 Americans, 3 Brits, 1 German and 2 Italians. The instructor team consisted of 3 AMLs and 1 civilian IFMGA guide who was based in France. Rather than just giving an account of the expedition, this article provides an overview of the trip and then focuses more on some of the planning challenges stemming from this NATO expedition, and some thoughts on the Ecrins National Park that might be of use to others in the future.
EXPEDITION OVERVIEW
This expedition was originally due to take place in Aug 20 but thanks to the COVID pandemic, it was quickly realised that it wasn’t going to happen then. Initial planning had taken place, with an itinerary devised which we were able to take forwards, but detailed planning began in earnest in Sep 20. This will discuss planning in more detail shortly but the enduring theme could be summed up as a hurdle race – every time one planning hurdle was overcome, another immediately reared its head.
Two ARRC rope teams on the Summit of Mont Blanc
The team spent the first week and a half in the Ecrins National Park. Starting in La Grave, they began with some skills training on the glacier, introducing the team to the core skills they’d require for the rest of the trip. From there, the team moved between mountain huts, heading first up to the Goleon, then after a long day and a drive, to the Chátellert for a few days, then into a 3-day package from the far more remote Ecrins hut. Once the AMF phase was complete, the team had a rest day where they relocated to Chamonix ahead of the Mont Blanc attempt. The
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