Our innovations call for the guidance of the finest mountain professionals.
Frédéric Souchon, high mountain guide and rescue specialist at the PGHM in Chamonix, chooses CimAlp for his personal equipment.
Looking for new ideas for your next mountain adventures? Frédéric shares stories from his Mountaineering and Paragliding outings and his "CimAlp Essentials" selection that goes with him on every expedition.
Frédéric recounts his tour of the "Glacier du Tour" via the summits
" Having flown over the area several times and traversed the summits of the Chardonnet and the Aiguille du Tour, the idea came to me to attempt an original route: circling the glacier by crossing every summit, and if possible in under 24 hours! While the idea looks appealing on paper, after an initial study of the maps and topos (a glacier surrounded by a ridge line and summits spanning over 18 km), it soon becomes clear the challenge is far from straightforward, with some rarely travelled sections along the route...
1st July 2015: together with Jeff Mercier, my teammate and colleague at the PGHM, we finally decide to go for it! The link-up started from the hamlet of Le Tour at 1400m and took us along the normal routes of all the iconic summits surrounding the Glacier du Tour, namely: Péclerey, the 2 Becs Reds, the Aiguille du Passon, the Aiguille du Chardonnet, the Grande Fourche, the Petite Fourche, the Tête White, the Aiguille Purtcheller and finally the Aiguille du Tour...
View of the Aiguille du Tour 3542m at sunrise from the Col du Passon.
At the summit of the Aiguille du Chardonnet 3824m, with the final planned ascent of the day in the background — the Aiguille du Tour, still very far away!
A blend of 20 hours of ridge running, route-finding, rock, ice, climbing and glacier walking.
For this kind of back-to-back summer routes on glacier and rock, equipment is everything: it must be technical, comfortable, stretchy, waterproof, lightweight and easy to carry in your backpack.
Here is my selection of "CimAlp Essentials" for this kind of expedition:
- The Laos 4 mountain trousers: 3D Flex Plus fabric, 100% stretch, durable and ultra-comfortable.
- EMANA compression t-shirt ultra-comfort: the new EMANA® fibres feature thermoregulatory properties that act on blood microcirculation, delivering a sense of well-being during exercise. The 3D-Flex® weave provides greater stretch for a compression/support effect (firm muscle hold).
- VINSON Ultrashell waterproof ultra-breathable jacket with Kevlar reinforcements: a must-have!
- VENTURI ultra-quick-dry & anti-odour t-shirt: dries 10 times faster! Ultra-breathable, lightweight, anti-odour and versatile.
- Primaloft DOWN synthetic down gilet: windproof, lightweight and as warm as down.
- Lightweight 3-layer CROSS softshell jacket: this stretch softshell fabric jacket will keep up with your outdoor activities. Designed for sports such as nordic walking, cross-country skiing, but also ideal for mountain biking and mountain hiking.
3D Flex stretch mesh inserts at the elbows and underarms for maximum freedom of movement. Windproof, waterproof and breathable!
- RAIN hiking jacket with waterproof-breathable membrane: keep it at the bottom of your pack in case of rain! An ultra-lightweight, waterproof, breathable and packable jacket. Stretchy, it protects you from the elements.
- HIKKING performance hiking socks: high-performance and durable for hiking and mountain walking. They feature right-foot/left-foot ergonomics, a heel and toe in CORDURA — 4 times stronger than polyamide — and merino wool to keep odours at bay.
- Airtight waterproof travel bags: these bags save up to 70% of space and protect against water, odours and insects.
Frédéric's flagship project for the autumn: "Alps Traverse by Flight and Bivvy"
This great Alpine traverse will take us from the shores of Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean. We opted for a low-impact, mountain-friendly mode of travel — on foot or by paraglider exclusively. The distinctive feature of this project is to summit the highest point in each of the 6 départements we cross:
- HAUTE-SAVOIE: MONT WHITE 4810m
- SAVOIE: LA GRANDE CASSE 3855m
- ISÈRE: PIC LORY 4088m
- HAUTES-ALPES: BARRE DES ÉCRINS 4102m
- ALPES DE HAUTE PROVENCE: AIGUILLE DE CHAMBEYRON 3412m
- ALPES MARITIMES: LA CIME DU GELAS 3143m
Connections between summits will be made by paraglider wherever possible, or by hiking when flying conditions are unfavourable. This mode of travel will require us to carry all the flying, walking and bivvy gear we need. This project will allow us to combine mountaineering, hiking and paragliding. The mountains will take centre stage throughout our journey, offering us what matters most: effort, team spirit, respect and sharing.
Unlike classic mountaineering, where the summit can be seen as an end in itself, for us the peaks we climb will be the springboards of our odyssey. Today, heading out on an adventure is still possible just a few steps — or a flight — from home!
For this traverse, we chose to pack lightweight, compact and high-performance gear — whether in the air or on the ground during our ascents!
The gear we carry on our backs every day — around 20 kg!
Follow all the news about the traverse on our Facebook page here!
Have a great sporting summer, everyone! "
Fred
