Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
'No I'm not. I'm in trouble here. I can't lead this in a boot that's the wrong size.'
I take over the lead. It is cold, steep and loose. I decide for the sake of speed to
lead for the rest of the day. I remind Alex never to climb again with boots of two
sizes - he looks very unsure of his footing.
The pitches drift by, the sun comes up and the glacier falls away. It is pleasant.
We are on our first Alpine route together and love climbing. Where are John Pow-
ell and Bouchard and the rest our team? Somewhere on peaks nearby, moving up-
wards as we are, sharing the same time and space but unseen. We are up with the
clouds in no time. Or is it that the clouds come to greet us? On the summit, a mist
envelops us and the wind picks up as I begin to rig an abseil. And then it gets
worse. The mist seems to be buzzing. Then the ice axes start humming.
'Bugger. We've got to move quickly. Forget the Fou. We'll find our way along the
Fou traverse.'
A cold rain begins to fall and the cloud thickens. I put on my anorak before clip-
ping in my figure of 8. Almost immediately, I am dropping over an overhang. I
spin round as I abseil and realise something is not right. The wind whips the
clouds away beneath me. The ropes are hanging into a void. I am abseiling the
wrong way and nearly panic when I see there is no knot where the ropes end. A
sudden and unknown strength takes hold. With one hand I hold my weight and
with the other manage to get two prusik slings onto the rope. The strength stays
with me back up the ropes. When I get back over the overhang, it drains from me
like water from a sink. I lean against the rock in the lashing sleet until I recover.
When I reach the stance, it is getting decidedly dark.
'What a fucking shambles,' Alex shouts. 'Are you trying to kill us?'
'This is great fun, kid, isn't it?'
FLASH - CRASH
A bolt of lightning X-rays our immediate surroundings; the pink granite spires
seem to shake in the second the flash illuminates the col. The shape of the Fou ap-
pears projected against the swirling clouds by lightning. Then there is only murk
and sleet sheeting across the ridge.
FLASH - CRASH
The Fou appears again. I see the direction we need to go but the wind is so fierce,
to abseil in that direction will be tricky. I am still unsure of the exact line. I make a
decision and shout it into Alex's ear.
'Back down to the top of our route. It will be safer there.'
FLASH - CRASH
'Yeah, if we don't die first.'
