7/6 Stage 7: Cabane Chanrion – Cabane Vignettes
7/6 We got up early and had breakfast at the hut and were out the door by 6:10a. The first section of the route was along a track south, past a ski area and then along a second track leading to narrow rocky gorge which led up to the foot of the Glacier d’Olemma. As we approached the Glacier clouds began to descend promising to obscure the route up the glacier. We continued on following a trail along the lateral moraine of the glacier until we were able to gain the glacier itself. The first mile or so of the glacier was old dirty ice with a lot of girt in it so the going was pretty easy and the danger of crevasses was very low.
We gradually emerged onto the snow covered portion of the glacier and then roped up as the clouds descended. We stayed to the left side of the glacier and continued to slog our way upward for several hours in the fog and soft snow until at last the clouds burned off and we were left with only the soft snow to deal with. At about 3000m (9842ft) we started a traverse under the south east face of Pigne d’Arolla and approached the Col de Chermotane (3053m – 10016ft). From the col we turned northeast and ascended a steep rocky quasi trail up to a snowfield on the southeast face of Pigne d’Arolla. We headed across the snowfield and arrived at the Col des Vignettes just above the Cabane des Vignettes. A short airy down climb along a rocky ridge brought us to the hut (3160m – 10,367ft) (1:15p).
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- On the track leading from the Cabane de Chanrion to the Glacier d’Otemma
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- Snout of the Glacier d’Otemma
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- On the moraine near the snout of the Glacier d’Otemma
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- Roping up on the Glacier d’Otemma
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- Rest stop on the Glacier d’Otemma
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- Nearing the Cabane Vignettes
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- The ridge route to the Cabane Vignettes
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- Down climbing to the Cabane Vignettes
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- View from the Cabane Vignettes
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- The good life at the Cabane Vignettes
