One day rest is enough after our biggest challenge, the climb of Monte Rosa. We are now heading towards France to try out the French Via Ferrata.
| Come late September, Dora is up for sale.
If you or anyone you know is looking for a reasonably priced motorhome then please check out the following link; https://www.2wanderers.com/dora-for-sale/ or if you have any questions email us at; Thanks |
We have nothing else to do in Switzerland; we’ve climbed Monte Rosa, Swiss Vie Ferrate are not challenging enough and it is too expensive. So time to move on.
Our wallet is bare! GDR
So we head off towards France, a country we are becoming so fond of.
France also has a good share of the Alps and there are plenty of Vie Ferrate. Like for the Italian ones, we also bought the Cicerone guide: Via Ferratas of The French Alps, with 66 routes to choose from. Italian Vie Ferrate impressed us, the Swiss ones disappointed us, what will the French ones have to offer.
I understand that the singular Italian form is via Ferrata and the plural is vie Ferrate, so there should be no such thing as Ferratas, Has our guide got it wrong, of have I? You may see that our previous posts have been incorrectly worded, sometimes using via ferrata as both singular and plural and probably also using via ferratas, sorry for that. GDR
We drove all day yesterday and crossed the border late in the afternoon. It was Sunday, it was unlikely that any supermarket was open. However, we found one online in the village of Chatel, which was closed when we got there. Never fully trust what internet tells you!
What we found though was a Lavanderie. We have been holding our laundry for three weeks, which is quite long for us, but we rejected the idea of doing it in Switzerland, we would have to re-mortgage for that!
So, we popped in there this morning. It wasn’t the cheapest laundry we’ve done; €30 for 20kgs, although, undoubtedly, it was better value than in Switzerland. This would be our last laundry. The final one would be done back in the UK. 
So this afternoon we head off to our next destination, St Jean d’Aulps, where our First French Ferrata (FFF) starts. We have chosen the following route from VF du Rocher de la Chaux;
La Tete De ‘Elephant (Stage A)
| Length | 300m |
| Ascent | 300m |
| Descent | 375m |
| Technical grade | 3 |
| Exposure | 5 |
| Seriousness | A |
| Time | 2:30 |
| Approach | 0:25 |
| Climb | 1:30 |
| Return | 0:35 |
| Notes | Direction SE No escape points |
Notice, we have gone straight for grade 3. We managed well on VF with the same grade in Italy but France could grade their VFs differently. We will find out soon.
Our French Cicerone guide has introduced a new element to assess the difficulty of the routes that the Italian one didn’t; exposure. It goes from 1-5. We have chosen a route with grade 5, not because we want to go extreme but because it has been given a technical grade 3. Technical grade is what we normally focus on when selecting a route because it gives us a good idea of whether it is within our capabilities.
We get to the start of the route at 15.00, get our kit out, pack up and go up. Approaching the route should take 30 minutes.
A bit sluggish on the way up, it feels like our bodies would have done with a bit more rest after climbing Monte Rosa.
This Via Ferrata has also another route, more difficult. It is called: L’Oeil de l’elephant and it is grade 5, exposure 5, seriousness A and it starts in the same place as our route. Perhaps this one is for another day, we stick to plan A.
Straight in, a 50 m vertical climb on stemples.
The body continues to be reluctant to move. Arms are fine, but legs are a bit lazy and slow.
The climb is comfortable, the stemples are well spaced for a short person like me.
Mmmm… nice and solid stemples, the cable is fairly tense, sometimes a bit loose. Loose cables make you lose balance and push you off the rock. On these occasions, you have to use other types of aids, such as handrails, handholds, footholds or body balance. We are becoming more comfortable in finding this extra aid, which means we are making good progress in developing our Via Ferrata skills.
The climb is fairly steep but not strenuous, at least for now.
The exposure is progressing, which is not surprising as the route has been given the highest grade.
But so far we are coping well.
Who would have told me a couple of weeks ago, I would feel immune to hundreds of metres of immediate fall beneath me. After six Vie Ferrate experiences, exposure is the least element which affects me.
What does then? Strenuous moves, where protection is intermittent and you need to use your arms to lift you up. Too may of those and you lack energy pretty quickly. Lack of energy could put you in danger because you may find it difficult to finish the route, and there aren’t many escapes points!
Ooops, another couple is following us.
For the moment, the climb progresses purely on stemples, with very little contact with the rock. This means I have less opportunities of using nice climbing moves, never mind!
I think we are getting closer to a traverse that our route has described as vertiginous, and it is probably the reason for the route been given grade 5.
I won’t get too anxious about it. Vertigo is just psychosomatic. This is easy to say when you are not clinging on the rock!
jesus!
The couple was making quick progress earlier but they have now fallen behind us, which is probably a good thing, so we are not slowing them now. All of us seem to be keeping the pace we are comfortable with.
Fifteen minutes later and I am at the top, mission accomplished. One and a half hours route done in 50 minutes. I secure myself to the cable whilst I am waiting for Gary.
who is not far behind me.
How was that vertiginous corner?
Ooops, I didn’t notice. Either French are overcautious with grading exposure or we are getting used to it. I think it is likely to be the later. I answer
But we shouldn’t under-estimate the climb, we are at 1173m, and have ascended 795.
Everything looks miniscule from here. Being so high feels good, feels fresh, feels free.
Meanwhile, the couple has also finished the route and they overtake us on the way down.
Another couple is going up now. Is this route a thing to do as couple?
Would you like to do the difficult route? Gary says once we get to Dora.
No, why? even if I wanted to, it is a bit too late now, isn’t it?
The other couple went off to do it. I thought I better not say anything until we got to Dora, in case you were tempted he says cheekily.
From Dora, we look at what we’ve done. Do you get why the route has been name as The Elephant?
La Tete de l’Elephant (the Elephant’s trunk), the one we have done is marked in pink. L’Oeil de l’Elephant (the Elephant’s eye), the one that the couple went off to do it, is marked in blue.
With the binoculars, we think we are just about to see them.
There they are.
Two tiny little ants getting closer to the Elephant’s eye.
We cannot possibly comprehend the scale of the rocks we climb when we are up there. We are so tiny, so insignificant, so crazy.
We are very satisfied with the effort after 24 hours of climbing Monte Rosa and very impressed of being unaffected by the high exposure. So we leave and head off to Samoens, our Vie Ferrate for tomorrow.
What do we think of the route?
It is a nice, fairly challenging, suitable for half day outing.
The climb is relentlessly vertical, resting points were pretty much absent, but there were sections where we could find good balance comfortably to take a breath and some water.
There were also a couple of strenuous moves but quite spaced out.
So the verdict?
La Tete de l’Elephant 
.
1.4 kms
2 hrs
SM
31/08/2015
