Taking Fundraising to New Heights

Some SCIAF supporters go to extraordinary lengths to raise money for communities in some of the world's poorest countries. None more so than John Clarke from Glasgow who scaled the dizzying heights of Mont Blanc in France - Western Europe’s highest mountain at 4810m (15,813ft). Here, he tells his story.

I had always dreamt of this ultimate hillwalkers foray into the big alpine peaks, and couldn’t let the opportunity to raise sponsorship for SCIAF pass. The international development agency does what we Scots have always done - help less fortunate people around the world. I was scaling new personal heights with this challenge and knowing there was going to be wider benefit to others helped me when the going got tough.

A short flight from Edinburgh to Geneva, and a further one hour drive brought us to Les Houches near Chamonix. Mist settled just above the trees and on any other day it could have been Glencoe or the Cairngorms. After a quick bite to eat and final checks to the equipment it was onto the cable car to leave civilisation for three or four days. We changed onto the Tramway Du Mont Blanc to Nid d’Agile (2386m) and from here the real climbing began.

It was approximately three hours of steep rocky climbing to our first overnight stop at the Tete Rousse refuge. One hour in and what had been rain lower down the mountain had turned to heavy snow which slowed our progress. By the time we had scrambled up the ridge to the glacier we were up to our knees in fresh powder snow.

We had met two climbers from Ireland on route who were happy to join us for the next three days taking advantage of our previous alpine experience; all of one trip to Grand Paradiso and La Trasenta in Italy in 2006. Crossing our first glacier this year heightened the senses. Paul and Alan, the climbers who had joined us, decided to rope up as this was their first ever time on a glacier and they welcomed the practice. David, my climbing partner, and I knew the area was safe and we quickly crossed to the comfortable surroundings, as mountain huts go, of the Tete Rousse refuge at 3,167m.
After good meal and as much rest as possible, we set off again the next day at 7 am for the second stage the Aiguille du Gouter to the Gouter Hut, almost seven hundred vertical meters above. The guide book had given a time of three hours. However, with a storm coming up from the valley this section, the most technically demanding of the climb, took almost double that time. Climbing from the upper reaches of the glacier onto a steep rocky rib, we clipped onto a wire cable to cross the infamous Grand Couloir. Knowing this section was susceptible to avalanche and rock falls, we were not surprised when a large avalanche broke free from the ridge above shortly after we had cleared the danger area. With loud cries to the climbers below, we alerted them to the danger above from which they made a lung bursting run across our tracks to the safety of the rocky slope we had just climbed.

We continued upwards at an ever steeper angle, kicking steps in the snow, hacking away ice to create hand holds and trying to make sure our ice axes had a secure hold to help pull us on. Higher up, after a particularly difficult unprotected section, it was rather disconcerting to come across a memorial cross to an Alpine Guide who had fallen from this part of the climb.

As the course became very steep, we clipped onto the fixed wires in place to arrest a serious fall and continued upwards. By now even with all my physical preparation my energy reserves were failing. This is when the physiological battle is won or lost in the mountains. Preying on my mind was whether I could recover from today’s exertions to the Gouter Hut (3817m) for the summit bid in the early hours of the next morning.
That afternoon in the refuge, talking to other climbers, we learned that the unseasonable weather had deterred many climbers from making the accent and even fewer were going for the summit.

A final check on the forecast gave a reasonable chance of a summit attempt the following day. So after a good meal and two or three hours sleep, we were up again at 1.30 am for our summit bid and out into the blackness of a moonless sky where the temperature was -10c with a biting wind making it even colder.

We roped together on a ridge just a few feet wide where we could see the lights of Chamonix 3000m below. My head torch made no impression on the dark void and this set the scene for the next two to three hours of hard plodding up the steep slopes in darkness. We had to be so careful of the crevasses all the way until the first glimpses of dawn lit up the eastern horizon.

We were now well above 4000m and at this altitude most people slow down to a crawl. We were only taking 50 to 100 paces then stopping for a breath before pushing on again. The wind was blowing at approximately 40mph, whipping up fresh snow and dropping the temperature with wind chill to around -25c. We were finding it very hard to stand let alone progress. Slowly moving towards the Vallot Hut at 4500m and the Bosses Arête beyond, it became obvious to us that the risk to our lives on this very exposed ridge, which is only 50cm wide in places was too great. Discretion became the better part of valour and we decided we could not continue safely.

Although deflated at being so close to the summit and having to turn back, the stunning alpine dawn on our way back to the hut opened up views into Italy and Switzerland which made up for our disappointment and created some fabulous photo opportunities.

After a rest in the Gouter Hut and a hopeless attempt to warm ourselves, we faced the decent of the Aiguille du Gouter, a daunting thought as many accidents happen on the descent of this ridge due to tiredness. Throughout the very steep fixed wire section we had many awkward moments passing groups led by guides, who would barge past often dragging their charges behind them. Our decent was broken with another night in the Tete Rousse refuge and then a return to the valley on Friday morning. This was not without incident. The freeze thaw had created very slippery conditions which required confident but careful steps. Unfortunately Paul slipped and only his large rucksack stopped him falling from the path to what could have been a very serious injury or worse.

Although unsuccessful in topping Mont Blanc, this trip had been a fantastic adventure with its own unique set of problems. I will most certainly be back to try again and can only hope and pray the weather is not so severe next time. I will adopt a more professional approach to fundraising too and hopefully beat this year’s figure of £750 for SCIAF.

I would like to thank the parishioners of St. Paul’s Shettleston, the 67th Glasgow Scout Troop, and many others for their generosity in supporting SCIAF by sponsoring me in my efforts.

If you would like more information on events and fundraising sponsorship forms contact SCIAF’s Supporter Services on 0141-354-5555 or email supporterservices@sciaf.org.uk