Page 23 - 2021 AMA Summer

way of an example, we had a hut cancel on us at less than 24hrs notice, as we were walking into a route. James was able to call other huts in the area and work with the expedition leader to work out a contingency plan with alternate accommodation. Finally, it helped with risk mitigation in the mountains. Again, his extensive knowledge of the routes we were doing meant he could advise on conditions etc., but under the eyes of French law, the most qualified person in a group is held legally responsible for them. This meant that risk to the AMLs was reduced, as French law considered the guide as the responsible party, should there have been an incident.
AMF IN THE ECRINS
Following the expedition, the AMLs pointed out that the AMF element of Ex SB wasn’t necessarily a ‘traditional’ format for the course. There wasn’t necessarily the option to base from a single location and do routes from there, returning to the same place each night. Although there were plenty of great routes, they were
well dispersed. There were also a lot of long walks in to access some of them. The Ecrins hut being a good example where the climb over the Col was graded PD before you reached the valley that contained the routes we had our eyes on. That said, there were lots of good routes and options, and the area was certainly much quieter than the Chamonix valley and many of the more popular and well-known mountaineering desti- nations. The challenging routes, mileage and altitude did prepare the team very well for Mont Blanc though. By the time it came to the final phase, they’d already done harder routes, and summited peaks over 4000m, giving everyone the skills, confidence and conditioning needed for a successful summit attempt.
It’s worth noting though, that for the Ecrins, the guidebooks we used appeared to be slightly dated. There were numerous occasions where we experienced different conditions to those described in the guidebooks, and the team consistently took considerably longer on routes than
the guides indicated. By way of example, the Tete Nord du Replat was suggested as being an 8-hour round trip. The team found that the glacier/snow on the Eastern side of the summit though had gone – whether that be the result of an end of season hot summer or global warming over the past few years. That left the team crossing a large and fairly grim loose boulder field rather than cramponing across snow and ice. The fast team took 10-hours, the slower team 13!
SUMMARY
Ex SB was a highly successful expedition that achieved all its aims at a time when many were still questioning whether it should deploy. All 8 ARRC members achieved their AMF qualification and gained some notable alpine QMD’s, including other 4000m peaks, besides Mont Blanc. While not all of the NATO members of the team will be able to carry on with the JSAT scheme, Ex SB provided a fantastic opportunity for participation in an arduous but rewarding AT expedition.
All AMA members receive a special discount of TRADE + VAT which is approximatley 30% off SRP. If you run a Unit Climbing Club contact us to set up a Unit account to receive the same deal! We also offer a RoSPA certified PPE Inspection course, why not use your SLC to offset the cost? We are able to provide access to other top brands for expeditions, please contact us for details.
If you wish to receive info on our special offers and
sales@helixoperations.com
+44(0) 1286 873583 exciting new products then please sign up to our
helixoperations.com newsletter by scanning the QR code. Follow us on facebook and instagram (helixtactical)