Arc'athlete Alex Chabot recently climbed "Les Intouchables", a famous route at Trident du Tacul, Mont Blanc. Here's his first-person account of the expedition.
"Les Intouchables" is a route in Trident du Tacul that is just next to Grand Capucin. Piola made the first ascent in 1992. The climb is fantastic, leading up on the granite of Mont Blanc through lines of small cracks, with spectacular views of the mountain range. (Personally, I think this is one of the most beautiful routes in Mont Blanc).
We have an opening in the weather and I call Yves to ask if he wants to join me on the project. Next day we leave, carrying heavy loads with progression rope of 2x50m, 10 quick draws, a big set of Camalot and bivouac gear that we place below Grand Capucin.
We pass the rimaye without a problem, heading up the first pitches trying to save as much energy as possible for the last 7c+ pitch (graded 7b+ after the removal of the bolts!). The climb is steep and smooth following a logic line of great cracks and pass through a few overhanging roofs making sure we warm up for the upcoming difficulties.
We were eager to get to the most interesting pitch. After a last steep pitch of 7b, we reach two parallel cracks. The difficulty is obvious: we want to do this steep pitch on-sight while carrying many kilos of equipment, knowing that the lactic acid reaches the under arms fast being up 3,600 meters. It is a climb with fist-sized cracks where we quickly need to decide what protection to put on. Two hundred fifty meters of alpine paradise and the satisfaction to succeed the pitch on-sight! Thank you Yves for joining me on this adventure.
Alex sent us a lot more great photos from the climb and we've put them all in an album on our Facebook page. Have a look.