hi there im trying to get some advice about the path condtions in the high alpine sections?this will be my 3rd trip but also my earliest.do i need my winter climbing gear or will the crampons/ice axe be ok?im planning on going 8th april...thanks
|
 |
 I wouldn't recommend the GR20 so early, but if you're dead set on it, then you'll certainly need ice axe and crampons. Bear in mind that when the midday sun hits the late snow, and the nights are still bitterly cold, freeze/thaw ensures that there will be plenty of icy surfaces. There comes a point when those surfaces might be so steep and solid that you're really looking at ice climbing, rather than walking. I've known quite a few walkers who had to turn back even late in May because of snow and ice on the GR20.
|
|
thanks for that.i dont mind the ice climbing im just trying to keep the weight as low as possible, but i hear and agree with what your saying.ta
|
|
I wouldn't want to be a killjoy, so if you have the skills and equipments, then by all means go for it! My first trip to Corsica was in the winter, and there was a deep fall of snow while I was there. The higher parts of the GR20 were definitely out of bounds, but I managed to get a good look at some of the lower parts. One place I tried to reach was the Refuge d'Usciolu, climbing from Cozzano, but I gave up just short of the ridge when I was wallowing in chest-deep snow. The following summer, the refuge guardian showed me a photo taken of the refuge around the time I was trying to reach it. Only one small corner of the roof was poking above the snow!
|
|
Hi,
a trip report
http://skirando.camptocamp.com/article818-53.html
Ivo
|
|
Thanks for the advice Paddy.
We are planning a GR20 trip in the first two weeks of May and would really appreciate your advice.
Will we be using crampons most days in May? Will we be reckless without ropes or extensive ice climbing skills?
I reolize you can't predict the conditions but surely a path (ok steep, exposed & icey path) can't be that bad in May?
Thanks again and we would be very grateful for your thoughts.
Pete
|
|
The first two weeks of May could be tricky, but let's face it, that's a couple of months away, so who really knows what it will be like? Just bear in mind that it's been a pretty bad winter around the Med.
My own experience of starting the GR20 in the last week of May, some years ago, was that the high passes on the northern stretch were all covered in snow, but it was 'good' crunchy snow, with no nasty sheets of ice. I managed to climb Monte Cinto, Monte Ritondu and a few other peaks without actually needing an ice-axe and crampons, but I carried them anyway. However, I did need the ice-axe on a horrible descent from Monte d'Oru (not on the main route, but on a high-level alternative) when the north-facing rock gully of La Scala was packed with snow and ice.
I also met a group of three Englishmen who were on their third traverse of the GR20. They told me that on all three occasions they had started in the last week of May, and on their first two attempts they had to abandon the route in its early stages because there was too much snow. On their third attempt, I guess they were lucky as the route was largely passable with no real difficulty. They told me how they once hacked up a snow slope that they thought was 'full of little Christmas trees', only to find out on their final attempt that those little trees were actually the tops of very tall laricio pines!
If you can't manage any other dates, then by all means go for it, and I hope the route is passable. But if it's too risky, then be sure to bail out while you have a chance.
|
|
Thanks for the post Paddy.It's great to get a first hand view.
I guess we'll keep an eye on conditions and of course be sensible.
If we go for it we'll post here to let you know how we get on.
Much appreciated advice
Pete
|
|
Sorry for my first link
(he doesn't work)
Trip report (situation beginning march)
http://skirando.camptocamp.com/article818-42.html
At this moment
http://www.infoclimat.fr/photolive/?photoid=14044&d=&dept=®ion=94&motcle=&start=&auteur=
Ivo
|
|
Paddy,
Am off to walk the GR20 from the 15th April to the 23rd going from Calenzana to Col de Vergio over five days. There are seven of us including an experienced instructor but just want to ask about equipment. Are crampons an absolute must? We have them but if ice axes and cutting steps is possible then am keen to use that method.
Matt
|
|
can anyone tell me whether or not there are river fordings along the GR20, if done during the first half of october? are there footbridges along the way, or should i bring sandals and prepare cross in the water?
|
|
Guy - Generally, you're so high in the mountains on the GR20 that you rarely come across rivers. Depending on the weather, rivers can get very low when it's hot and dry, then become raging torrents for a few hours after a sudden heavy downpour. Most of the rivers that need footbridges have them, but there are odd exceptions. Perhaps the most notable is when you head down the valley of the Golo to get to the Hotel Castel di Vergio. There's a point where you normally hop across the Golo, then later cross back again using a footbridge. If there was a sudden flood on that river, then you wouldn't be able to 'hop' across it, and you could well get swept away to your doom! The best thing, in that instance, is not to cross the river at all, but continue downstream across a rocky slope until you meet the route coming back across the footbridge further downstream. I can't think of anywhere else where you'd seriously need to ford a river, and that one point on the Golo would only need to be forded in the very rare conditions when it floods.
|
|
Thanks for the quick reply! I'm looking at the guide now, and the maps show several places where 'ford' is written down. are these minor streams? also, what is the weather like during the end of september - middle of october, and can drinking water be found regularly when the refuges are unstaffed? thanks! Guy
|
| Edited: 02/09/08 10:54 |
Yep - most of the fords are on minor streams and it would need a lot of rain for any of these to become a problem. The GR20 runs so high in the mountains that it rarely comes across sizeable rivers, and the ones that are encountered are bridged. Hope you like wobbly suspension bridges, because there are a couple of those! The weather in September and October can be pretty good... cooler than the peak summer months, but expect the vegetation to be looking a bit parched around that time too. There's a good chance that even in October you can get the route finished before it starts snowing, but be ready for the odd flurry at times towards the end of the month. When the refuges are unstaffed, they're still open, but you have to do everything yourself. You should be able to find an external water source, but it's usual for the internal water to be disconnected, along with the water supplies to the showers and toilets, and the gas. Then again, a lot less people visit the refuges out of season, so it doesn't usually cause problems. In the depths of winter, virtually no-one visits the refuges and if the water was left connected, it could freeze and burst the pipes! I've seen pictures of refuges all but buried in the snow, in which case you'd have to dig just to find the door! I was in Corsica once when there was a very heavy snowfall, and while I managed to reach two of the GR20 refuges, I was beaten back from three others.
|
|
i hope not to have too much snow (a bit certainly would be nice), since i will be starting on september 27th. Again, thank you so much for the quick response and detailed information, here as well as in the guide. Guy
|
|
Generally, the refuge staff will leave in the middle of October, so you should be able to complete the whole of the GR20 before they finally pack up and leave. If you want to know the score further along the route, just ask before leaving one refuge if the next one is going to be fully staffed and stocked with food, then you won't have any nasty surprises.
|
|
when i called the pnrc office they told me that most huts will close by the end of setember, but if youre right, it means my life will be much easier. i think i will take food for 3 or 4 days with me just in case.
|
|
They might close at the end of September... but you'll probably find it's more like a staged withdrawal. The staff won't all leave on the same day, and if there's good money to be made in some places, they'd be daft to leave! If you keep asking what's happening ahead, then you'll know where your last food supply will be, and you shouldn't have to carry stuff unnecessarily. On a trek like the GR20, the less you carry the better!
|
|
of course lighter is better, but i dont want to end up without food, and i wont be able to ask around until i get to the first refuge. if i leave calenzana with nothing on me and find out there is nothing to be bought until Haut Asco, i will be in trouble.
|
|
OK... in that case... ask at the municipal gite before leaving Calenzana. They'll know. Then again... the choice of foodstuffs at the Spar shop in Calenzana isn't equalled anywhere else on the GR20!
|
|
