085 CH-VS T4+ Chamoson La Colline aux Oiseaux Bisse de Némiaz LaRoutia Les Ancillons 1824m Montau Combe du Puits Ardon

Date : 2022.07.27
Duration on paper : 08h41
Duration real with breaks : 11h28 (10h28 unexpected event made it last 1h longer)
Difficulty for me : T4+
Physical : extreme
Technical : very difficult
Fear : very high
Attendance ascent/summit/descent : null/null/null (too difficult for most)
Comment : This seriously epic climb above Némiaz has been removed from official trails but it still has a dotted line, you will see a lot of red-white marking and even signs, do not believe that rating it's a pretty hardcore white-blue T4 with a few very dangerous segments, I found 2-3 pictures and not much else, the ascent start above Némiaz was pretty wild...but the Strava app heatmap says a different story, lots of traces there so I suspect it sees traffic, maybe from tour guides ? The cliff traversal was well secured (new hardware too) altough not everywhere and through the whole ascent any mistake would be fatal this is not for amateurs, the danger came for me mostly from the landslides before the actual climb one of them had no trail left only a very steep smooth loose gravel slope and when I say loose I mean YOU CANNOT SET FOOT ON IT OR YOU'LL SLIDE DOWN 100% which forced me to swing from tree branch to tree branch (100% arms strength impossible to stand on legs and feet which immediately slide down) ZERO room for mistakes there. I hope the trail has been "re-shaped" since but if not this trail is over for you I do not recommend anyone to attempt what I did, even an expert might run out of luck.
Once you pass that "turn back sign" the rest has chains or cables for most of the way, very good quality but it doesn't change the fact you cannot slip you cannot let go of your litteral "life line" you're alongside a very high cliff if you go down it'll be your final destination. It's a CLIMB not a "walk" if you're not ready to use your hands forget it (bring thick gloves and a helmet would be a smart choice) if you have any people not used to walk next to the void do not go there, you need serious trust in yourself and mental fortitude to do this without panicking which would end badly (via ferrata people or alpinists won't care I'm talking to regular hikers here) Once your reached La Routia the T4 part is over and you'll only have T3-T2 hiking left but I'm afraid the difficulty isn't over, the ascent to les Ancillons is atrocious one of the worst I've done the path is constantly at an angle, there's not one flat which is awful on tendons, I stopped at the 1824m and didn't reach my goal of Itre du Gurry I was too tired to continue so I descended to Montau, that path zigzaged more and was easier than the straight trail to Ancillons ridge (but you want to go there for the amazing views and the cross) then above Montau I followed an off-map T3+ trail leading to a dead end, but a nice view on la Tine torrent, the Combe du Puits to Relongin is actually a very nice rocky T3 descent another of those hidden gems not far from the plain. Missed the path near St-Antoine and mistakenly took the road, avoid doing that (it was night already). This was a very hard day mentally technically and physically, that side of the mountain above Ardon is steep all along, you will suffer. The Némiaz La Routia trail is only for experienced T4 hikers or people used to mountaineering and via ferrata, for them it's probaby "too easy" for regular hikers it's "omg I'm going to die you have been warned.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkOO_jDe9RE&list=PLOCc4Atr-UDerqBhpqpCMGgjAq-KgyRMA&index=21