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EXERCISE BRITANNIA ENDEAVOUR – SUMMITING MONT BLANC
Signaller Muir , 251 Sig Sqn
On 5th June 2022 , six members of 251 Signal Squadron were given the opportunity to climb Mont Blanc . This expedition involved two weeks away in the French Alps . The first week consisted of completing an Alpine Mountain Foundation course and the second would focus on summiting Mont Blanc and visiting a few other 4000m mountains along the way .
After a long journey we arrived in the breathtakingly picturesque French town of Chamonix , staying at a Folie Douce hotel . This would be the last of our luxury stays for a while as the real adventure was about to begin . Our journey began by passing under Mont Blanc over to Italy with the plan to climb Gran Paradiso ( 4061m ), after a couple of days training on the glacier . Our instructors made quick work of getting the team up to speed in glacier drills , tying-in with ropes and harnesses , using pickaxes and other various bits of equipment .
As soon as we all felt ready , and the instructors were confident , we set out on our first 4000m ascent , Gran Paradiso . The trek began well but , as we climbed , the conditions worsened to the point of complete white out 500m before the top . With wind and snow coming in , the temperatures dropped to around -18 degrees Celcius . Our clothes and faces were freezing as we walked . The conditions made everything a lot harder physically and mentally . After reaching the top and grabbing some icy action shots on our phones , we pushed on back down the mountain . Our instructor though decided the night before that we ’ d take a different path back down . This proved harder than expected . Due to the freezing conditions , all our phones were useless . Luckily at this point , sat under a wind battered bright orange emergency shelter , hands and feet frozen like popsicles , we stared at the instructor holding a map and a compass . We worked out our location and set off on a bearing . Not long after the clouds dispersed , and the realisation hit that this expedition would be no walk in the park .
Our next climb would contain two mountains in one day , Punta Giordani ( 4046m ) and Pyramide Vincent ( 4215m ). Still on the Italian side of the Alps these two mountains would test our technical and climbing skills at heights most of us had never experienced before . The early start would prove to be a test of endurance from the get-go as we slowly headed up the steep climb to our first summit of the day . After a gruelling slog up , we were greeted by an incredible sunrise at the top of Punta Giordani and a safe box with a book and pen inside with the names of all who had come before us . Inevitably , we wrote our names too . We quickly refuelled with some saucisson and cheese and headed to the next on our list for the day , Pyramide Vincent . Our trek would take us off the steep climb up the snow and on to a rocky ridge to the summit . We were making good progress until LCpl Chapman had the mishap of dropping his pickaxe over the edge . Everyone ’ s faces dropped at that point . Fortunately , the pickaxe snagged on a rock 40m below us . There was no way he could continue without it , it needed retrieving . Our instructor explained to us he would have to climb down over a ledge into a shear drop , with LCpl Chapman and I belaying . We lowered him down over the ledge and as he climbed down he disappeared from our field of view . We kept feeding rope through the belay device until we heard a shout to start pulling back up . After 45 minutes from when he left us , Marcus ’ head popped up , pickaxe in hand . We regathered ourselves and continued to the summit . After a few photos at the top , we made our way back down reaching our hut , seven hours after we had set off . LCpl Chapman never dropped his pickaxe again after that day .
The most terrifying summit would come next : Le Dent du Geant ( 4013m ). For this we swapped our instructors from Marcus to Tarquin . The best way to explain Le Dent du Gean is to imagine a mountain with a large rocky ridge and a massive sharp 160m pinnacle jutting out from the top . Our ascent began in darkness , over the glacier to the very loose rocky ridge . One wrong step and , as Tarquin kept saying , “ It ’ s goodnight , Vienna ”. As we reached the monstrous rock sticking out of the mountain , the apparent dangers of the climb were already apparent . Now , instead of being on loose rock , we ’ d be hanging off a rope clinging onto the rock face . At this point we also ditched our mountaineering boots for rock shoes , but the grippy rock shoes came at a price of having frozen toes for the rest of the duration of the climb . For me , the climb to the top was by far one of the scariest things I have ever had the pleasure of doing with the Army . Being clipped into a tiny bolt in a rock face whilst being climbed over by French and Italian climbers was an experience to remember . The summit made up for it , though . Standing on the top , which was no bigger than the roof of a car , with 360 degrees views of the Alps . Only LCpl Chapman and I made the climb , entitling us to full bragging rights for the rest of the trip .
Finally , Mont Blanc ( 4807m ), the big one , done in two stages . First off , what should have been a four-and-a-half-hour hike we smashed in three , which in retrospect was probably not the best idea before climbing the highest mountain in Europe . Sgt Chadwick and Sig Bennett both suffered from mild altitude sickness , claiming it was because of the snails we all tried the night before . Despite the slight illness we powered on the next day to conquer Mont Blanc . Our trek began by crossing the Grand Couloir , a horizontal crossing bombarded by constant rock fall , slightly hairy to say the least . We all crossed unscathed continuing our ascent to the Goutier Hut to drop off any unnecessary kit and lighten our daysacks . Already at 3835m , with less than 1000m to go , each step feeling heavier and heavier as we went on , 40 mph wind against us . Still determined , we hit the summit . High spirited , we raised the Royal Signals flag , proud of all we ’ d achieved throughout the whole expedition .
We ended our trip back in the Folie Douce - the spa to be precise . I think it was well deserved !
6 WINTER 2022-23 the imjin @ HQARRC Allied Rapid Reaction Corps