Mountain Lifestyle: Pic de Jallouvre (2408m)

With an imminent forecast of heavy rain and thunderstorms, I made an early start to try and get something from the day before rain stopped play. There was a threatening band of cloud on the horizon when I set out from the Col de la Colombiere at 07:30, but it looked like I'd at least have time to get some views from the col.

In the cool air of the morning light, I passed several small herds of Chamois on the otherwise deserted path.

I made steady upward progress, but all the while checking over my shoulder for signs of trouble and to take in the morning vista.

I was chased up to the blue sky on the col...

By banks of swirling clouds being brought up from the valley as the sun warmed the lower slopes.

It was all rather atmospheric.

I stayed a while on the col watching the clouds come and go, wondering what to to for the best. The rain wasn't due for another hour or so, but being alone high up on an ridge, with increasing cloud thickness gave pause for though. I had a drink and took it all in.

After checking and re-checking the map, I decided that I could get to the top reasonably quickly and that the clouds didn't feel too threatening, so scampered along the knife edge ridge to the steepening at the other end to see what the path looked like. As with many alpine summits, the route to the top is often hidden from view and I was glad to find that the steep face in front of me was not the way. After crossing the ridge, there was a reasonable path traversing under the north face to easier zig-zag and some easy scrambling.

Despite the good path, I wasn't too happy about traversing under the cliffs of the north face, so went fast and the 200m section was soon behind me. A short scramble later, a wooden cross loomed into view, spurring me on again, up into the mist, but arriving at it, I was slightly disappointed to see yet more ground higher along a ridge. Thankfully it was only a few minutes further that I found myself at a cairn of rocks, marking the high spot.

By now it was just after 9am, so I settled down to an alpinists breakfast of bread and cheese, while the clouds gave tantalizing glimpses of a view and the low sun gave promise of a broken spectre on the way.

I was on the summit for half and hour or so before the cloud base suddenly dropped and I was back in the blue sky above the clouds. It only lasted a few seconds, but gave the hope that more was coming.

Eventually, I returned down through the wisps of cloud to the wooden cross of the lower summit as it seemed a more favourable angle from which to see a broken spectre - one of my favourite mountain phenomenon's.

My instincts had been correct and no sooner had I got my camera poised, when the sun shone through, projecting my image into a circular rainbow on the clouds below. A magic moment.

Over another fifteen minutes or so, I watched, waited and enjoyed the meteorological displays of clouds and rainbows coming and going, delighting in the high altitude solitude of it all.

Occasionally, the whole view would open up and I'd be able to see the lay of the land as if on a map.

Not wanting to push my luck too far, I made the crossing back along the ridge of the col, traversing the north face again before any other hikers were about to dislodge any rocks.

At the far end, I sat again contemplating what to do next. The weather seemed even less threatening now and I could relax for the descent without worry of getting a soaking.

Steep screes made the descent quite slow, but without cause for speed, I took my time, stopping often to watch the bearded vultures swirling overhead on the thermals.

I was back at the chalet in time for lunch. The morning rain was no where to be seen and the revised forecast had pushed back it's predictions until later in the afternoon. When Clare finished work, it was still warm and dry, so we nipped up to our local crag in Mont Saxonnex and climbed three great routes before we finally heard the pitter-patter of raindrops.

It was fun hearing the arrival of the storm. I was two clips from the top of a route, when the heavy raindrops started hitting the leaves. I hauled my way to the top as the noise became deafening and the other climbers began to flee the crag. Sheltered by the woods, we sat out the worst of the downpour before walking back to the car, delighted to have got a bonus climb in! Thunder and lightening soon followed once we were hunkered down back in the comfort of the chalet. A full alpine day!