News

Title: The Aiguille des Dru

Date: 29/11/2007

The Dru is one of the finest looking peaks in the Mont Blanc range and in my opinion, the Western Alps. This mystical Druids stone reaches up to the lofty height of 3754m, the Grand Dru with its subsidary peak, the Petite Dru at 3733m. The Dru is a summit rich in climbing history with each new ascent (from it's first in 1878 to today's test pieces, that litter it's steep west face) marking a significant development in the advancing standards of the day.




I first climbed the Dru when I was in my late teens, one of my first big walls and like wise one of my first major alpine peaks. I ascended by the classic steep rock test piece the 'American direct' on the steep west face, a soaring vertical wall that reaches 1000m from base to peak.

Back then the ascent and descent took an epic 3 days! Today a 2 day trip with a bivvy half way up the face is the norm but the face does get climbed in a day and has even been soloed in a few hours by the famous French Alpinist Christoph Profit who also solo climbed the Grand Jorrasses 'Walker Spur' during the same outing.

Every route on the Dru is a major outing, there are no easy routes to its summit and from the peak steep walls drop away on every side. I last climbed on the Dru in 1997 when I repeated the 'American direct' once again, this time expelling less energy and in the classic 2 days.

During the heat of the 1998 summer a large piece of history fell from these holy walls as the right hand Bonatti pillar (named after its first ascenitonist Walter Bonatti (who amazingly soloed it in 1955) crumbled into boulders and dust.

The newly exposed rock gave way to a few new hard and committing routes until recently another major rock fall finished off what the previous one had started and the final remains of the Bonatti pillar fell into the valley below.

Last winter 2 local Chamonix guides climbed what remains of Bonatti's original line over a 7 day spell of perfect weather creating the new test piece the 'voie des Papas'.

The Dru has been responsible for major technical advances in both rock and ice climbing, the first ascent of the steep ice line, the 'dru couloir' that splits the North East face and separates the Grand and Petite Dru summits marked a major step in the development of steep ice climbing being one of the first big hard routes to be climbed with front point crampons, in the modern style.

The Dru can be seen from most areas of the Chamonix valley and stands proudly above the Mer du Glace at the bottom of the classic winter 'Valley Blanche' descent. Those descending the steeper 'Pas du chevre' routes from the Grands Montets pass underneath this towering monolith whilst those touring above Fleger in les Aiguille Rouge probably get the most classic view of all.

Next time you're out in chamonix take a pause to cast your gaze over the Drus fine vertical walls and pay your respect to the history that has been played out on its steep towering faces.

An amazing peak in a beautiful setting, go on take a look!

Neil.

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