The North Face of the Pigne d'Arolla is a valley classic but rarely in condition, especially in summer. This year however it's been white all summer - the first time I've seen it stay snowy in 8 years living here - so conditions were probably going to be pretty good.
The path up from Arolla is still almost snow-free, but at glacier level there's plenty of snow and the first gully is well filled in.
Next comes a long section of "mixed" scrambling that leads up to the face itself. (Mixed rubble and snow that is) This was easy until my crampon broke...
Luckily, there were some spare straps hidden in the bottom of the rucksack, and after a nervous few moments standing on one leg I got the crampon lashed together. Phew.
The upper face is in good condition with good snow and some ice.
You could climb direct on snow but I traversed onto the rocks in case the crampon repair didn't last.
