Winter Mountaineering Expedition Skills in the Pyrenees by Sophie Loehr
Sophie attended the Winter Mountaineering Skills Course run by 360 Expeds in February 2024. This is her story…
Monday morning, 11am at Toulouse airport, Rolfe, our eccentric guide, herded our group consisting of nine women, ready for a taste of adventure. By coincidence both Daisy and I were booked onto the course. We were all slightly nervous about whether we had the right kit, whether we’d be warm enough and what to expect from this weeklong expedition skill course organised by the Women’s Alpine Adventure Club. We were slightly taken aback when Rolfe informed us that our female guide had to drop out due to a family emergency but that he had been able to recruit Dave, a renowned international mountain guide. After a transfer to the hotel, our kit was thoroughly inspected, crampons fitted and the plans for the next few days outlined.
The first full day was spent crossing the border into Spain where we would start our ascent to the Refugio Renclusa at the base of the Maladeta massif. We each grabbed a pair of snowshoes and off we went. With 15kg of kit on our backs, our hike was at a leisurely pace with many stops where snippets of information about avalanches and path choice was conveyed. Finally, the snow got soft and deep enough that it was time for the snowshoes. Once fitted, we waddled through the snow like a group of ducks and after an agonising last steep slope reached our home for next few days at 2,410m. We were greeted by a group of cats and a big Pyrenean Mountain dog called Coco.
By now we had realised our guide Rolfe was quite a character. From leaving his home in Australia at age 19 to climb the New Zealand alps to paddling down African rivers during a civil war to working as a scuba instructor in Sinai, there seemed to be no adventure stone he had left unturned. Every day we would hear wilder stories, about murderous clients, almost committing cannibalism, saving a woman’s life on Mount Everest, snowholing in Antarctica and Scotland and drinking dubious shots in remote parts of Iceland. Dave on the other hand was the polar opposite of Rolfe: all of his stories had great advice included and he was the calming force in the group, making sure everyone felt safe and had all the information needed.
The first day at the hut was a fully packed skill day: we practiced self-arresting in lots of situations. We then went through different snow anchors (bucket seat, bollard, buried rucksack, buried ice axe, stomper, and natural features) which were thoroughly tugged at. After lunch at the refuge, we learnt how to cross glaciers and what to do if a team member falls into a crevasse.
The next day was the summit day. Our guides chose the nearby Maladeta for our winter peak and we gawped as we were informed the temperatures had hit -30 the previous week, an historic record. We kitted up nervously- thermals, or no? How many layers? Should we take a second extra down jacket in our pack?! We strapped on our crampons and stomped up an immediate steep incline, each taking turns to lead the pack while carefully avoiding avalanche risk zones under the guidance of Dave and Rolfe. The snowpack was deep and soon it became clear that our biggest challenge was to be clambering out of waist-high snow as we sunk into large soft holes on our way to the top. Despite the sub-freezing conditions and the unpredictable terrain, our spirits were high as we moved together through the mountain range, chatting, laughing, and sharing our past adventures. We supported each other through tough steep sections, along nauseatingly exposed ridges and while clambering over icy rocks. There was much cheering when one of our team slipped and successfully arrested her fall, a skill which had only been mastered the previous day. Finally, we reached the peak in what Rolfe described as “record time” (surely he wouldn’t lie to us) and spent a few moments taking in the view, reflecting on what we had achieved and wishing there was a cable car to bring us back to the bottom again.
Our last full day at the hut was spent honing our skills. It had gotten quite a bit colder overnight, so the key was to stay warm outside. After having an avalanche lecture over breakfast, we abseiled down a line to then jumar up again imitating fixed lines on bigger mountains. After a few rounds of this, we had a go at mixed climbing which was quite tricky with a thick layer of snow covering the rock. After lunch, we learned about how to use our avalanche transceivers and had little competitions about who could locate and uncover their buried transceivers quicker. Time was of the utmost essence as asphyxiation and hypothermia are two of the three main killers when buried by an avalanche – trauma is the third.
We concluded the day by finding a slope to dig some snow holes for emergency shelter while Rolfe told us stories about being stuck in a snow hole in Antarctica for four days while a storm was raging and the temperatures dropped to -60°C and another about digging a snow palace over the course of a week in the Cairngorms as him and his client had loads of time on their hand. Said palace included her bedroom, his bedroom, a kitchen, bathroom and living area!
On the day of our departure, David and Rolfe set up some ropes on the side of the hut for us to ascend on two prussiks. We then packed our bags to descend the mountain in our show shoes again. Our whole group left with a laughing and a crying eye, sad that our week in the mountains was over but also excited to put our new skills to use. We had all decided to meet up again for a week of summer mountaineering in the Swiss Alps. Watch this space!
