Page 21 - 2018 AMA Winter

Chris Wright leading on ice
The AMA run two expeditions each year to compliment the weekend meets put on by our Meets Coordinator. Usually, one will be a sunny rock climbing expedition and the second, although not necessarily later in the year, will be an expedition to the greater ranges or somewhere that the Mountaineers among us can get excited about. This year, the previously advertised trip to Tajikistan was unable to go ahead due to administrative complications and so Chris Wright stepped forward and put together an expedition to Chamonix. While to most it was going to be a great opportunity to go to the Alps, Chris’ intent was to try to resurrect JSAM. The Alps used to be on the annual meets list, however has since been replaced by the JS Alpine Concen- tration.
Having not been alpine climbing before my awareness of this was somewhat limited to what I’d seen in the Journal previously (a fine source of information, if I do say so), an array of both classic and frankly absurd accounts of the joys of alpinism from YouTube and via other publicly available video media. Clearly I’d be hoping to come back better informed and with the offered JSAT Alpine Moun-
AMF in practice
Overlooking Chamonix
taineering Foundation qualification from the exped. What more could I want!
Applications were received by the organizer even before the official advert was received in the Winter 2017 edition of Army Mountaineer. Word of mouth and ad hoc conversations with those in the know were to pay off this time but are, however, not the ‘norm’ for how AMA expedition participants are selected. In this case, due to the lateness of organizing the exped it was a necessary evil to meet the planning deadline.
At the start of the expedition, to make the initial transition from U.K. rock and winter climbing experience to alpine, Chris Wright devised a dastardly plan to shake out in 3-man rope teams over the first few days before reorganizing to meet our expedition aims later in the week. Some were keen to pursue the Big Cheese himself - Mr. Mont Blanc, while others were looking to scratch their alpine rock route itch.
CLIMBING ETHICS ARE NOT INTERNATIONALLY COMPARABLE...
It became abundantly clear early on that climbing on the continent, particu-
East Ridge of the Nadelhorn
larly in the mountaineering mecca of Chamonix, is somewhat different to that featured in the U.K. The French are first and foremost (prepare for sweeping gen- eralization time) bonkers, cavalier and sometimes downright frivolous with life in the mountains. In the first day, my rope team along with another 3 AMA members were distracted from the serenity of fine alpine granite to the wails of a 10 year old French girl being ‘led’ by her mother up our 5 pitch route on Aiguille du L’index. The mother placed no gear through each pitch (clearly having forgotten to bring any with her) and secured her emotional daughter at the cramped belay stance (there were 6 of us already on it). She used a span of 6-8mm chord over a precarious flake meaning she had to hunker down into a depression on the sloping stance. Cold and frightened she was then left in situ while her mother careered past our two rope teams, pulling on our gear and continued to solo the pitch across a colossally exposed arête before disap- pearing over the next peak on our route. Her daughter then had to follow on with no protection for the traverse. Well, at least she didn’t have to worry about taking the gear out at the crux!
Andy Stewart having fun
ARMY MOUNTAINEER / 21