Pointe DES BERONS
Despite making use of both stages of the lift from Le Tour, taking in Les Grandes Otanes and Pointe des Berons gave well over 3,000ft of ascent, the ridge itself runnable in places but exposed and awkward in others with the odd gendarme to pass - probably no more than Grade 3 scrambling but thought provoking, nonetheless.
I’d intended to continue to Pointe des Grands, some 500m above, but on increasingly shattered and unstable rock, was content to sit awhile and simply take in the view. Few people travel these ridges between the ‘minor’ summits and despite the crowds below that gather around the hut at Tete de Balme, here it was serene. Two eagles passed close above before climbing rapidly on the thermals and disappearing beyond the Aiguille du Tour. It is a familiar summit for many, the easiest routes approaching the summit from the Trient glacier, though the steeper couloirs on its west face - once classic snow climbs of a modest grade, now appeared to be largely bare rock.
Rockfall on the ridge a short distance above me prompted movement and I returned to the valley via Aiguilette des Posettes - a popular and easy summit, though it is worth visiting. Happily I had it to myself and was content to sit again, staring over the Aiguille Rouge, Aiguille Verte and Les Drus.
