Last week, we noted that many difficult new climbing routes still exist around Mont Blanc. But at his current pace, Leo Billon might scoop up most of them before winter ends.
Two weeks after opening Les Barbares 2 on the Pointe Raphaël Borgis (3,683m), Billon moved to the Italian side of the Mont Blanc massif. There, he opened an even harder line: Les Barbares 3, a 500m mixed route on the north face of 3,659m Pre de Bar. He tentatively grades it as M10!
Billon did the feat from February 18-20 with partner Enzo Oddo.
‘It’ll crack your neurons’
The team has not yet shared a detailed report, but Billon warned future repeaters: “Be careful, it will contract your shoulders, pull on your wrists, hurt your calves, crack your neurons, and tighten your buttocks.”
One of the bivouacs on ‘Les Barbares 3.’ Photo: GMHM Chamonix
The M (M for mixed) grades go from M1 to the extremely rare M14. According to the American Alpine Club, an M10 route must include “at least 10 meters of horizontal rock or 30 meters of overhanging dry tooling with powerful moves and no rests.”
An overhanging section of the route. Photo: GMHM Chamonix
While we wait for details, the photos give a good sense of the magnitude of the adventure.
The wild side of Mont Blanc
The duo had to deal with rough weather on Pre de Bar. Photo: GMHM Chamonix
The Italian side of the Mont Blanc massif faces the Aosta Valley and includes a lot of ragged peaks and some of the most difficult routes in Western Europe.
The Pointe de Pre de Bar rises above the glacier of the same name. It is sandwiched between well-known peaks such as the Aiguille du Triolet and Mont Dolent.
A night section of the climb. Photo: GMHM Chamonix
Overshadowed no longer
Until recently, Leo Billon’s career has been overshadowed somewhat by the spectacular exploits of regular partner Benjamin Vedrines. However, Chief Corporal Billon (he has belonged to the French High Mountain Military Group since 2017) is a remarkable climber who, like Vedrines, represents a new generation of superb French alpinists.
In the fall of 2024, he was part of a group that attempted the north face of Jannu East in Nepal in alpine style. To prepare, Billon and Vedrines climbed three of the legendary North Faces of the Alps in winter — the Dru, the Droites, and the Grandes Jorasses. They completed the triple on-sight and in just three days. They also paired up on speed traverses on skis.
