The following day was devoted to glacier-walking training on the Mer de Glace. From the railway station for the Montenvers train, we climbed the steep mountain railway to the terminus at Montenvers, then descended onto the Mer de Glace glacier. We made our way down by changing from one long iron ladder to another, all fixed against the rock wall.
At first, the surface of the Mer de Glace was covered with rocks and small stones, but as we climbed farther up, it gradually turned into pure ice and snow. Quite a number of climbers had come there as part of their snow and ice training. In several places the glacier formed steep slopes, which were being used for beginners’ training. Secured firmly from above, they were practicing crampon techniques and double-axe climbing.
There was also a French military mountaineering team training there. It seemed to be a special unit accustomed to this alpine region, and, as expected of young soldiers, they were full of strength and energy.
We passed beyond them and continued deeper into the Mer de Glace.
To our left rose the sharp rock walls of the Dru, overwhelmingly imposing. Farther in the distance, beyond the Leschaux Glacier, the massive walls of the Grandes Jorasses dominated the horizon. When I asked our guide, Gigi, he told me that he had climbed both the Dru and the Walker Spur of the Grandes Jorasses more than fifteen years earlier. It was deeply moving to stand so close to the legendary walls once climbed by the great alpinist Walter Bonatti.
After proceeding for a while, the guide asked if we wanted to continue farther, but I replied that I was tired and preferred to turn back. The weather, which had been fine on the way out, gradually turned rainy. Perhaps because of that, by the time we faced the final ascent of the ladders, my legs had completely stopped responding.
With the real climb scheduled for the next day, I could not help thinking that this might be rather tough for me. I also wondered whether the guide’s initial “good” impression of me had dropped considerably after seeing my condition.
Still, I was glad simply to have seen so much.
That night, the accumulated strain of several demanding days finally caught up with me, and my lack of training showed itself when my hamstrings nearly cramped.
English version prepared with AI assistance
(Originally written in Japanese)
Japanese version:
https://hifuka-otibohiroi.net /シャモニの休日2/
Aiguille du Dru
With my guide Gigi
Aiguille Verte?
Grandes Jorasses
The Mer de Glace Glacier
Looking toward the Dent du Geant in the far left distance