L’Enclume, Les Fiz

This weekend we took advantage of some reasonably priced flights and took a trip to Chamonix. The main objective was to bring back our skis for a potential trip to Scotland this season (please note that I now predict the warmest, mildest winter in history). Any climbing we managed to do was going to be a bonus.

On Saturday the weather was good, so we went climbing.

For those that have driven to Chamonix, just past Sallanches you may have looked to your left and seen the huge cliffs overlooking Passy. Or those that have been to the top of Le Brevent, you may have looked over the other side and seen the impressive cliffs in the distance. That is Les Fiz.

We decided upon the fairly easy L’Enclume, because we knew it would be cold despite the sun, and we could also have plenty of time to take the advantage of the walk off rather than the awkward abseil.

Getting to the route is an interesting adventure in itself. Driving up and up and up first along a proper road to Plaine Joux, and then more up and up and up along an off-road track to the small group of cabins at Ayères des Pierrières. Much better to be done in a 4×4, but with some careful driving was just about passable in a 206.

From the parking it’s only about an hour up a well marked track.

The views were amazing all around.

The route started a bit loose, with not a lot of places for gear, but at least the belays were well equipped.
The second and third pitch were up an obvious slab, with a couple of bolts along the way to protect the most exposed sections.

Following that there was a horizontal traverse along some very very loose rock, and then up the corner to the top.

The views were still amazing all around.

Once we were at the top, after a quick bite to eat, we decided to try to work out how to get down. The guidebook directed us towards le passage du Dérochoir, which would have some fixed ropes and a ladder, but without a map we didn’t actually know where le passage du Dérochoir was. We knew it was West somewhere, but which col… we assumed it would be a col?

Off we went to the nearest Col to the west. Nope! That was a loose and steep scree slope to a huge cliff. We decided to work our way round the next hill, a small peak, and pick up a path. From the path we thought we could see an obvious path over a col in the distance so we made our way towards that. Unfortunately that col was completely bypassed by the path which led us even further away, but as the path was such an obvious one we decided to continue. A hard push past a big peak (la Pointe de Platé) and up a steep section took us to what we now know to be le col de la Portette. We knew instantly that we had gone too far. From the col we looked down in to what was obviously the wrong valley, and more telling, there was a sign to le passage du Dérochoir 30 minutes back in the direction we had just come… doh!

It was getting late by then and we were worried about the hours/minutes left of daylight, but we decided we had to go back and find the right way down. Perhaps it was just this side of that small peak we had bypassed…?

We turned round and marched along the track as quick as we could, and eventually got to a path that led up to the small peak. Could that be it? It had to be, so we carried on up, and much to our relief, and annoyance that an hour ago we had bypassed this peak, we found the fixed lines.

The views on this side were also amazing. The land that time forgot. It was totally isolated.

With a final last push we managed to get down the fixed line, then along the track, back under the route and back down to the car in about an hour. That left us about 15 minutes of dusk, and Pete managed to finish the off-road section just before it went completely dark. Phew!

Time for a double g&t.