Even if it didn’t go exactly as planned, Charles Dubouloz finally managed to complete his climbing trilogy on France’s three main ranges: the Mont Blanc massif, the Ecrins, and the Pyrenees.
On February 25-26, Dubouloz soloed the west-northwest face route of the Pic du Midi d’Ossau, one of the Pyrenees’ most iconic peaks. But what was to have been an enjoyable experience in nice mixed conditions resulted “a fierce struggle.”
Objectively, the chosen route is graded ED, Eb+/6a A2, but the level of difficulty suddenly increased when the climber’s backpack accidentally fell off mid-face while he was preparing his bivouac.
A lighter-than-expected bivy night on Midi d’Ossau. Photo: Charles Dubouloz
This was the final unexpected obstacle during the trilogy, which was planned to combine three high-difficulty routes solo, without motorized support between them.
No solo, no single push
Dubouloz started this past December by cycling from his home in Annency to the Chamonix Valley. There, he climbed the Divine Providence route on Mont Blanc. This monster line goes up the Grand Pilier d’Angle and the Peuterey ridge to the top.
He then rode south to the Ecrins massif in worsening weather. By the time he reached the second range of his projected trilogy, the north faces he had in mind were undoable due to an excess of snow. Dubouloz had to adapt and sought a “rockier” line: the south face of the Barre des Ecrins, the highest peak of the massif.
He chose Gamma, a 1,100m, ED 6b+ route that is too dangerous to attempt in summer due to constant rockfall, but offered a possibility in winter. With no information on the route and uncertain conditions, he gave up the idea of soloing and climbed with Antoine Bouqueret. They spent four days on the face.
Dubouloz, again facing the unexpected on Midi d’Ossau. Photo: Charles Dubouloz
Next, Dubouloz cycled to the Pyrenees, on the Spanish border. He barely managed to cover the distance because of high winds and frozen roads. He hoped the front would pass soon, but it didn’t. After two weeks of relentless snowfall and increasing avalanche risk, he surrendered and took a train back home, thus forgetting about completing the trilogy in a single push.
Back to the previous point
“After more than 40 days of waiting…the window of opportunity finally opened, and I launched myself into the climb, determined to finish what I had started,” Dubouloz said.
Last week, he returned to the exact point where he had left before and set off toward the Midi d’Ossau (2,848m), a characteristic steep peak right on the border with Spain. It offers some of the most interesting rock and mixed climbing in the range.
The French climber chose the 650m WNW Face route, opened by the Ravier brothers and Patrice de Bellefon and S. Sartouin in 1960.
“This route on the north face of Ossau was one of my two main goals, together with the Dièdre Jaune on the Vignemale, but as I didn’t have much time, I chose Midi d’Ossau as it was more accessible,” Dubouloz told ExplorersWeb. “It is a wild and serious route.”
No backpack
On such a route, the loss of his backpack with all the bivy gear, food, water, and extra warm clothes (and no partner to help out) was a shock.
“It was hard…I had no hoodie, no sleeping bag, no water…I wasn’t even halfway up the face; there were still many pitches to go,” Dubouloz said. He seriously considered quitting. “However, I was more than determined; I really wanted to complete this project…so I pushed through!”
Dubouloz suffered through the night in a light jacket. He was lucky that the weather was milder than in previous weeks, but it was still winter on that wind-exposed face. By the time morning came, Dubouloz had to struggle to get moving again.
“I was exhausted, not managing to get warm, and, of course, I was dying of thirst,” Dubouloz said. It was that thirst that prevented him from enjoying the summit when he finally got there at the end of the day.
Route topo. Photo: Charles Dubouloz
Wanting to finish the project as he had planned, Dubouloz hopped on his bicycle again for the return trip home to Annency, which he expects to reach tomorrow.
