Tori takes Ossie up to the high altitude of 3751m!
The altitudinous snow capped mountain Aiguille de la Grande Sassière is a 3751m peak. It soars high and exposed in the sky over looking the village of Tignes. It has witnessed every adventure and achievement we have accomplished here over the last few years.
I had always dreamt of climbing it and I wasn’t aware that it was possible without specialist equipment and until my adventurous friends Squash Falconer and Kathryn Staniland climbed it last summer.
“I’m going to stand on top of that mountain one day” I said to my son Ossie while riding a ski lift.
“I would love to stand on top of it too” he replied.
Without thinking I automatically said “Yes, You can when you’re older”
Later I thought about my quick unthoughtful response. Why does he need to wait until he is older? Does he need to be a fully grown adult to climb it?
I thought to myself, if a child could do it, it would be a child like Ossie. He is fit, healthy, determined, lives at high altitude, believes in himself and has been hiking up mountains and rock climbing since he was tiny.
Earlier in the year he practically ran up Mount Snowdon in North Wales. But the only safe way to find out if it was possible for a nine year old to climb Sassière was to recce the mountain first myself without him.
This summer on July 26th 2015 I set out with some experienced friends at 5am. I was so excited to finally be attempting this peak. It was a cold morning and the first hour was steep and in the dark, our head torches disturbed the sleeping cows as we hiked through the meadows.
As we got higher, scrambling over the rocks, the sun started to rise giving us warmth and an amazing view of the first light touching our beautiful Espace Killy playground.
A few tough hours later we reached the last ridge to the summit, it was very steep and icy. It was a relief to finally reach the top. We were freezing cold even though it was a hot summer’s day down in the town. We couldn’t stay up there too long as our fingers were starting to go numb.
The summit was breathtaking, we were right on the French Italian border, with the Aosta Valley on one side and the Vanoise National Park on the other. The day was made even more special for me when I received a call from my brother announcing the birth of my first niece Niamh Collins.
The whole way up I was thinking “could Ossie do this?” I figured he could if I supported him with a rope and set out early enough for him to be able to take his time.
To attempt it would be an achievement in itself even if he only made it to the first ridge.
When I got home I was drained. I told Ossie the story of my adventure and showed him the pictures of me doing a head stand at 3751m.
I told him It was a very long difficult climb, parts of it were will be climbing close to cliffs and on high ridges and that the last section was very steep and exposed and the altitude makes it hard to breathe.
None the less he still told me that he wanted to climb it! I thought hard about it and couldn’t see any harm in setting out very early with head torches, ropes, and plenty of food and water and just seeing how high he was comfortable to go.
It wouldn’t matter if it took the whole day or if he only made the first ridge, he would still get an amazing view of home.
One week later we had our first clear day with low winds. It was a full moon and we set out super early. It was 4am and we were all struggling to wake up properly.
Just twenty minutes into the first hike through the meadows Ossie stopped and sat down. I encouraged him to keep going, but we had a stand off situation. “I want to go back home to bed” he siad in a grumpy voice.
He was being very serious. I keep calm, I sat with him, handed him a banana to eat, put another jacket on him and explained that “in the end we only regret the things we don’t attempt in life. It’s fine if we don’t make it all the way up, but I know you have much more to give before quitting”.
He agreed, and five minutes later the energy from the banana kicked in, he was happy again and ready to go….. then he was the one telling me to keep going!
Relieved that Ossie was happy, we kept climbing for hours, stopping frequently for snacks and encouraging him to drink plenty of water, until we were high above the clouds! We had an amazing view right next to us of the clouds hitting the side of the mountain and floating over it, it was magical!
As we got higher it got colder and harder to breathe, but Ossie was still in good spirits and keen to continue. It felt so natural being up there with him; climbing through rocks and running over ridges.
When I am up high I feel so peaceful, happy and feel a freedom that is intimate to my soul, it was a pure pleasure to share this with my little boy.
As we got higher it got icyer and icyer, I told him “it is important to know our limits, there is no shame in turning back if it’s not safe”. He was keen to continue as far up it as we safely could; he wanted to place a stone, on which he had written his late Great Grandfather’s name (Robert Millard), as high up as he possibly could. It was his idea and his choice.
We sat down at the summit and enjoyed the amazing view. We could see right over the top of the normally gigantic Grande Motte glacier, where we ski, and our home looked like a tiny dot in the middle of the huge Alps.
We couldn’t have done this climb without a rope, there were a few places where Ossie slipped and I used it to catch him or he used it to get down and up rocks.
For me it was scary taking my little baby boy into such a barren, dangerous landcape, but I am so glad that I listened to him and questioned my reaction of ‘you can do it when you’re older’
Whether your child believes they can or can’t do something, they are probably right.
The descent back down was hard on his little legs, he did so well. He was very tired by the end. The last ten minutes I carried him on my shoulders as we reflected on what he had just achieved with his little body.
Check out the video of our amazing mother and son climb
EACH NEW MOUNTAIN CLIMBED, TEACHES SOMTHING
How to climb La Grand Sassiere
Firstly I wouldn’t recommend anyone else to take their child up this mountain, unless…
- You are trained in mountain safety
- They are well trained and familiar in mountain safety
- You have recently climbed it yourself
- They are a good rock climber
- It is them who wants to do it
- They are used to being at high altitude
- You are strong and fit enough to support them one on one and help them with every step
What do you need to take
- Ice axe
- Crampons
- 15m Rope + carbiners
- Map and compass (“Gran Paradiso Valle d’Aosta Sentieri e Rifugi” Carta turistica 1:50.000)
- Hiking boots
- Plenty of water
- Food
- Layers of jackets
- Waterproof clothes
- Mobile phone
Directions
- You start this trek by driving towards Val D’isere and taking the slip road on you left up to the Lac De Sassière car park.
- From the car park take the dirt track on your left that leads to Rifugio Mario Bezzi
- From Rifugio Mario Bezzi take trail 12c that gently rises through meadows in the S/E direction.
- Turn south and traverse a grassy slope below Pian di Vaudet
- Climb SSE up ridges where grass alternates with scree.
- Follow a broken rock band along a gully which is below the Glacier of Bassac Déré.
- From there, continue on level ground to pass the glacier.
- Once at the NE boundary of Ghiacciaio di Gliairetta, go round Col Bassac Déré
- Aim south toward Colle Orientale (East) della Sassière with Becca della Traversière to the east.
- Reach the col after crossing the Bergschrund.
- A short slope with an angle between 30° and 35° takes to the the ridge with an elevation gain of less than 150m
- Follow the crest of the ridge.
- Turn northwest along easy slabs with cracks and gullies and aim for the summit tower
- The summit tower consists of 70/80 meters of broken rocks, you will need to use crampons and ice axes when there is snow or ice
