Winter Alpine Ice

Guides and Ratios

Course Directors

IFMGA Guide, Jim Blyth coordinates our Alpine Ice courses in the Alps. In the French Pyrenees, Richard Dupont directs our courses at Gavarnie.

Jim Blyth BMG IFMGA
Jim Blyth has over sixteen years experience of climbing ice in the Alps and has been our Course Director for the ice climbing and skiing for the past decade. He is a talented mountain guide and instructor who has also led a number of expeditions for Jagged Globe. He lives in France throughout the year with his wife and two children. Consequently, as you might imagine, he has excellent knowledge of the Alps, including the language, as well as of the mountains themselves. A native Scot, Jim is fluent in French and speaks German. As previous course members have demonstrated, he is much appreciated for his excellent instructional skills, his in-depth mountaineering knowledge of the course venues and for his immensely amenable personality.

Richard Dupont IFMGA
Richard Dupont, was born in Annecy but has lived in Luz (our base for the Pyrenean Ice courses) for the past 20 years. Additional English-speaking IFMGA guides from Luz and the local area will work with Richard on these courses. Richard guides each summer on Jagged Globe Alpine Mountaineering courses, and has climbed with Jagged Globe Marketing Director, Tom Briggs, in Gavarnie. Richard speaks excellent English, knows the local climbing as well as anyone and is of course very familiar with the climbing conditions. In his back yard at Gavarnie, you could not wish for a more hospitable ice climbing guide. Supporting Richard on some of our Gavarnie dates will be Jim Blyth.

Guides
Our Guides in the Alps are mostly British Mountain Guides who are either based there all year round or know the ice climbing areas extremely well. We also use some local English-speaking French guides who have a particular flair for ice climbing and who work for us regularly. Some of the personalities you may meet on a Jagged Globe Ice course are:

Andy Owen BMG IFMGA
Andy Owen has been a regular member of our Alpine Courses instructor team since his days as an Aspirant Guide and now works for the duration of the summer on Jagged Globe courses. He is also one of our key guides in Scotland, typically working on our more technical Snow and Ice Climbing courses. For the coming 2007/08 season, Andy will also be working on our Alpine Ice courses. He has an outgoing and cheerful personality and is a pleasure to be with in the hills. His experience extends far beyond the Alps, to South America where he has climbed Aconcagua several times, and the Himalaya, where he has led Jagged Globe trips to Ama Dablam and the Khumbu Climber.

Neil Brodie IFMGA
Based in Cluses (halfway between Chamonix and Geneva), Neil qualified as an IFMGA Guide in 1999 and has been involved with Jagged Globe courses since 2000. A fanatical and talented ice climber, a recent interview throws some light on his most memorable outings in the mountains and on ice:

What significant first ascents have you made on ice, if any? Every ice route is a first ascent at the start of the season. And they always feel significant!
Favourite ice routes? Lyre Directe (Cirque du Fer à Cheval), Hagg'ice (Les Aravis). Will they ever form again? Do I care?
Favourite mixed route? The one I did above my house with Tom Briggs (Marketing Director of Jagged Globe in his spare time and total wasted talent on ice). It has since been bolted up and turned into a mixed, sport route that you can comfortably get in before picking the kids up from school. I wasn't going to do it again anyway. [Photo of this route here - Ed ]
Favourite big routes? Anything that gets me alternately tired and scared (both at the same time is less fun) in good company. Highlights include the North Face of the Eiger with Jon, Supercanaletta on Fitzroy with Marc, Colton/MacIntyre on the North Face of the Grandes Jorasses with Jean-François, Dru Couloir with Jean-Jaques, Peuterey Intégrale on Mont Blanc with Neil and Rick, Supercouloir Intégral with Pascal, Mescalito on El Capitan with Tim, various things in Bolivia with Patrick, Rory and Steve, traverse of Mont Blanc de Cheilon with Keith and Steve (OK, so I was tired and scared at the same time on that one).
Skiing highlights? Anything with knee-deep powder, a decent slope and a bit of banter.
Gnarly descents? Hitting the deck from the top of Three Pebble Slab at Froggatt, aged 18 [A famous E1 5a in the Peak District - Ed]
Famous couloir descents? Whymper on the Aiguille Verte, Y-couloir on the Aiguille d'Argentière, NE slope on the Courtes, and numerous unfamous ones...

Rick Marchant BMG IFMGA
Rick was born in Hayes, Middlesex but has been based in the Chamonix Valley since 1991. He qualified as a guide in 2000, having been alpine climbing since 1983.

What significant 1st ascents/repeats have you made (alpine or ice)? - When I've finished all the classic Alpine climbs, I'll start climbing some new ones. Climbs I have enjoyed - Colton/Macintyre, Jorasses. Peuterey Integral, Mt Blanc. North face routes on the Droites. North face of the Eiger, Central pillar of Freney, Mt Blanc.
Favourite ice routes? - It has to be the Cascade de Lillaz in Cogne. You always finish the day with a smile on your face.
Favourite routes in the Alps? - Oh la la.. The Alps are so vast I wouldn't know where to start the list. It's never ending, from classic alpine rock to alpine ice. One of the perks of working as a mountain guide is that you slowly work your way around the entire Alpine arc and eventually the map becomes a patchwork of memories, moments of intense satisfaction shared with friends, the overcoming of fatigue and fears, the fulfilment of unthinkable goals and that amazing sense of well being at the end of a good day in the hills, feet up with a beer in your hand as the sun goes down.
Favourite skiing venues in the Alps? - wherever the snow is good. The trick is having the snow sense to find it.
Any skiing highlights/gnarly descents/famous couloirs - Gnarliest descent - Bochard piste, Grands Montets, on Easter weekend. Comparatively anything in the mountains, touring or off piste is easy (He's being modest! - Ed)
When did you first start working on the Jagged Globe courses? - I've been with Jagged Globe since my first days as an aspirant guide.

Accommodation

Chamonix/Cogne
We are based at two excellent family run hotels, Hotel de L'Arve in Chamonix and La Barme in charming Valnontey. Both have a sauna to help you unwind before dinner! Please note that you have 4 nights in Chamonix and 2 nights in Cogne. The course starts and finishes in Chamonix at the Hotel de L'Arve.

La Grave (L'Oisans, France)
We are based at Eric and Pauline's lovely Chambre de Hôte. This family run gîte is a delight to return to after a hard day's climbing, when the log stove welcomes us back and Pauline's excellent meals set us up for the next day's adventures. For those with any strength left, there is always the climbing wall in the attic to hone skills yet further. For the rest, there are plenty of cafés and bars in the nearby town centre.

Pyrenean Ice - Gavarnie (Luz St Sauveur)
Our base for the Pyrenean Ice - Gavarnie courses is the delightful mountain village of Luz St Sauveur. Luz is a sunny little town with a 12th Century church and many beautiful buildings in the old part of town, where we stay. Our first choice of accommodation is the Hotel les Templiers on the Place de la Comporte. This charming little hotel is owned and managed by Sian and Laurant Grandsimon. We may also accommodate course participants at Les Remparts, just off the square. All courses are organised on a half-board basis and will eat at the Hotel led Templiers' excellent restaurant. It is a 25-minute drive to where we walk into the cirque from the small village of Gavarnie itself.

Travel

Week-long courses start on Sunday evening and finish the following Saturday morning. The Chamonix Long Weekend starts on Friday evening and finishes after climbing on Monday (3 night's half-board accomodation - we can book you an extra night at the end if you wish).

Chamonix/Cogne
The course starts and finishes in Chamonix, France. The easiest method of reaching Chamonix is to fly to Geneva and use a shared transfer service to take you to your hotel in Chamonix. The taxi is £30 each way and can be booked through the Jagged Globe office.

La Grave (L'Oisans, France)
Our course base is the town of Bourg d'Oisans, the gateway to Les Ecrins National Park in the Western Alps. It is the main town in the area and just one hour from Grenoble. The most straightforward and cost-effective method of reaching Bourg from the UK is to fly to Lyon airport and use the efficient coach service via Grenoble. It is also possible to fly to Grenoble from the UK, but this is more expensive. Other possibilities include flying to St Etienne or Nice, although train connections from these airports are difficult. Alternatively, you can drive from the UK, which takes about 10 hours from the Channel.

Chamonix Long Weekend
The Long Weekend courses start and finish in Chamonix, France. The easiest method of reaching Chamonix is to fly to Geneva and use a shared transfer service to take you to your hotel in Chamonix. The taxi is £30 each way and can be booked through the Jagged Globe office.

Pyrenean Ice - Gavarnie (Luz St Sauveur)
The village of Luz is 30 minutes from Lourdes, 1.5 hours from Pau and 2 hours from Toulouse and Biarritz. Easyjet and Ryanair fly to Pau/Toulouse/Biarritz. Lourdes has good train links direct from Paris or from Toulouse. Jagged Globe can arrange transfers from any of these arrival points to our hotel. Please contact us for details.

Visit our Links Page for travel websites.

Equipment

We include the loan of top of the range ice axes and crampons, helmet and harness in the course cost, should you need to borrow them. On booking a course, you receive Joining Instructions, which contain an up-to-date and definitive equipment list for your course. To help you make the right choice of gear, we include recommendations for specific items and brands.

Inclusions and Exclusions

Inclusions (European Courses)

6 nights' half board accommodation (3 nights' for Long Weekends)
5 days' instruction/guiding at a 1:2 ratio
Local transport (including transfer between Chamonix and Cogne on the Chamonix/Cogne course).
All group climbing equipment, including ropes and leader-placed protection
Loan of technical climbing equipment if required (Charlet Moser Quarks ice tools, Charlet Moser M10 crampons, helmet, harness), if booked in advance
A chance to try out climbing with leashless axes

Exclusions (European Courses)

Transport between the UK and the course venue
Mountaineering and travel insurance (available from Jagged Globe)
Lunch
Cable car and mechanical uplift costs
Personal clothing and equipment (including Plastic boots*)

*Available to hire in advance from Jagged Globe (£25 + P&P) or locally at the course venue.

Insurance

Insurance for helicopter rescue, medical and repatriation costs is mandatory. Full insurance cover for this and including cancellation or curtailment is available through us.

Up to 5 days - £40
Up to 10 days - £48
Up to 17 days - £59

The insurance period can be extended to include personal climbing, private guiding and travelling before or after the course. Please note the important features of our insurance certificate.

On-line booking

You can book any of our courses securely on-line by selecting your preferred dates and paying a deposit by credit/debit card of £150 per course. We will send you a confirmation of booking and comprehensive Joining Instructions, which includes travel information and a detailed equipment list...

Winter Alpine Ice Courses