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Tom Ballard climbs Colton - Macintyre on Grandes Jorasses in winter

British alpinist Tom Ballard has climbed the Macintyre - Colton route up the North Face of the Grandes Jorasses in the Mont Blanc massif in 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Planetmountain

March 2015

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Tom Ballard enjoying the sun on the summit of Grandes Jorasses after having climbed the Colton - Macintyre route in 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Tom Ballard

On Sunday 8 March Tom Ballard got one step closer to his goal of climbing the six great North Faces of the Alps in winter, alone and in just one season by rushing up the Colton - Macintyre route on the North Face of the Grandes Jorasses in a mere 3 hours and 20 minutes. Ballard’s ascent came about after his recent solo ascents of the Matterhorn, Pizzo Badile and Cima Grande di Lavaredo which means that, to complete his Starlight and Storm project, the mountains still to be climbed are the Eiger and Petit Dru.

On Friday 6 March Ballard made his way to Rifugio Boccalatte on the Italian side of Mont Blanc to leave some food and drink, while on Saturday afternoon he and his friend Ruggero took the train from Chamonix to Montenvers. Talking to planetmountain.com he explained: "We then skinned up, trying to avoid the hordes of 'skiers' coming down the Vallee Blanche! We spent the night in the Leschaux hut."

Ballard had never climbed the Colton - Macintyre route before and neither, for that matter, the Grandes Jorasses North Face yet the decision to try his luck at this legendary outing put up in August 1976 by the 22-year-old British alpinists Nick Colton and Alex Macintyre seemed obvious: “Looking at the face, this line seemed to jump out at me. It seemed to be the obvious way to the top quickly!

Ballard began skiing up the glacier at 7.45am on Sunday morning and commenced climbing two hours later, at 9.45. And then in a blink of an eye, at 13:05 to be precise, he reached the summit. "The route conditions were quite good" he explained, adding "The ice crux was more than 90°, an overhang. Albeit brief. It was ice all the way to the headwall. The rock on the final pitches was free of snow. But a few small 'runnels' of ice to be used delicately!"

Ballard descended down into Val Ferret - a return described as "horrible, wet heavy snow. A mixture between porridge and cement" - where he was met by his father. The two then drove to Chamonix, where they joined up with Ruggero.

Tom Ballard thanks: Calze GM Sport, Dolomitland, Virna Pierobon Projects and S.C.A.R.P.A.

STARLIGHT AND STORM - THE ROUTES SO FAR

Cima Grande di Lavaredo, North Face, Dolomites
Via Comici - Dimai
First ascent: Emilio Comici, Angelo Dimai, Giovanni Dimai, 13 - 14 August 1933
Tom Ballard: 21 - 22 December 2014. 1 bivouac.

Pizzo Badile, NE Face
Via Cassin
First ascent: Riccardo Cassin, Gino Esposito, Mario Molteni, Vittorio Ratti, Giuseppe Valsecchi, 14 - 16 July 1937
Tom Ballard: 6 - 7 January 2015. 1 bivouac.

Matterhorn, North Face
Schmidt route
First ascent: Franz and Toni Schmid, 31/07 - 01/08/1931
Tom Ballard: 10 February 2015. 2 hours 59 minutes

Grandes Jorasses, North Face
Colton - Macintyre route
First ascent: Nick Colton, Alex Macintyre 6 - 7 August 1976
Tom Ballard: 08/03/2015. 3 hours 20 minutes

15/10/2014 - Tom Ballard, climbing in his veins
Interview with talented British climber and alpinist Tom Ballard.