To get to my portaledge proves rather less taxing than scaling the Great Trango Tower, however, and involves nothing more than a pleasant 30 minute hike with rucksack, sleeping bag and a few essential refreshments through thick forest from the Col de les Contrabandiers (‘Smuggler’s Pass) above the east shore of Lake Annecy with my guide, professional mountaineer Philippe Batoux, and fellow hack Ed Needham, for whom this whole crags and mountains thing is a first.
SLEEP DOESN’T REALLY COME INTO IT – I REALLY JUST SLIP IN AND OUT OF A REMARKABLY RELAXED DOZE
Eventually we come to the cliff edge and here the fun begins. To get to our portaledge we have to don climbing harness and helmet to abseil some 15 metres down the cliff face onto a wide, shrubby ledge. Many years ago, I used to do a bit of recreational rock climbing so fortunately I’m used to abseiling, enjoy it even, but Ed has never done this before and I sympathise with the look of horror in his eyes as he peers over the yawning void below.
My first abseiling was on 10 metre crags in the Peak District, so starting with the 300 metre behemoth that faces us is perhaps not the best introduction for Ed. A minute or so later Ed, Philippe and myself are safely on our ledge. Off to the side of this is our portaledge, hanging serenely in the evening sun. The views are sensational. Directly below is the lakeside village of Veyrier-sur-Lac, beyond which the blue-green waters of Lake Annecy glitter in the evening sunlight. On the lake’s far shore sits Annecy, one of the loveliest towns in the French Alps, and beyond range after range of mountains fade into the distance.
We’ve brought supplies for the night and this being France it consists of something rather more stylish than the usual luke warm lager and bag of peanuts that have accompanied many of my previous camping/climbing trips. Philippe fires up a camping stove and prepares fondue; with chilled white wine of course (although given the venue we use some common sense and take it easy on the beverage). While we dine Annecy gradually lights up in a dazzling twinkle of thousands of lights as evening slips into night. Eventually the time comes to scramble over to the portaledge and hunker down for the night. When I slip into my sleeping bag I’m surprised at how warm and comfy it is, although I can’t realistically expect to sleep as soundly as a veteran of high mountain adventures like Philippe.
© Alf Alderson
For a start, I have to keep my climbing harness on. This secures me to the cliff edge in case I move around too much in my sleep and it’s not exactly designed for feather like comfort. And with a gentle breeze from the lake way below blowing across my face and the incredible views, especially as the sun comes up at dawn, I invariably spend a lot of time staring into space rather than sleeping. In fact, sleep doesn’t really come into it – I really just slip in and out of a remarkably relaxed doze.
© Alf Alderson
When dawn eventually lights up the mountains, we watch the workaday world grinding into action from what is surely one of the best breakfast bars in France. Afterwards we pack up our gear, climb back up the short, easy 15 metre section of cliff face we abseiled down and wander back through the forest to our parked cars. Later in the morning I find myself swimming in Lake Annecy, and as I float on my back in the warm summer waters I can, I think, just about make out the spot where I spent the night, way up in the skies.
I realise that I’m rather taken by this extreme form of camping; indeed, were there any rock walls close to my home, and were I an experienced mountaineer, I’d be tempted to buy my own portaledge for the occasional night out. But there aren’t, and I’m not, so last night will have to do until I sign up for an expedition up K2.
Inax Aventure (
www.inax-aventure. com) offer a night on a portaledge with guide, all mountaineering equipment (including sleeping bag) and dinner and breakfast for €290 per person.
www.savoie-mont-blanc.com www.en.lac-annecy.com
74 | SPRING 2017 | ONBOARD
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152