Eric Gratz - the man!

[Jens]

I just got an email from one of my climbing partners and local boy Eric Gratz who is staying over in Chamonix. He just soloed supercouloir.

Way to go cc poster Eric8!

(is Jeff Lowe the only other American to have soloed this route?)

[wayne]

Cool, but tell us more about the route and its history, difficulty,etc. I dont know anything about it

[Off_White]

Mont Blanc du Tacul: It's the obvious line up the middle:

 

 

 

[ivan]

note to self: go climb in france some day

[G-spotter]

(is Jeff Lowe the only other American to have soloed this route?)

 

Is Marc Twight American? How about Steve House? Did you check their CVs?

[NTM]

how about colin? he spent quite some time there last year...

[Colin]

Nice job Eric! I believe he also climbed it with a partner a couple weeks earlier. I don't know of anyone specifically, but I would imagine it has seen other Yankee solo ascents.

 

Nope, I never got on Supercouloir last year. In fact, I didn't get nearly as much climbing done in Chamonix last year as I would've hoped; partly due to poor climbing conditions (but good skiing conditions), partly due to not finding a good partner, and mostly due to spending too much time getting drunk with Scandinavian girls... Ah, c'est la vie.

 

As for Wayne's question about difficulty, I think that it is usually something like M5, WI4, although there are a lot of factors that affect how hard an ascent is. Last year there was a fixed rope on the first pitch, and so even though no ice was formed people would jug the fixed rope to start their "climb" of Supercouloir. More significant is the question of whether you finished the route, or simply rapped off from part way up. It might be surprising that the vast, vast majority of "ascents" of the Supercouloir end in an arbitrary place where people decide they've had enough and rap off (in fact, this is the case for many of the ice climbs around Chamonix). Finishing the original route to the summit of Mt. Blanc du Tacul is a much greater challenge that few climbers actually attempt these days.

[dbb]

Way to go eric! that's a freakin impressive line. Now you can say you went to the alps for the solitude

[Jens]

When I was climbing in the Alps last summer, it was so stormy that the route actually looked like it came in as a water ice route.

Jeff Lowe called the route M5 WI5.

[Weekend_Climberz]

Anything below WI5+, is WI4 for Eric. :tup:

 

What was the last count of the max number of pull-up he can do? Like 80 something

[jfs1978]

What was the last count of the max number of pull-up he can do? Like 80 something

 

:cry:

[Kat_Roslyn]

What was the last count of the max number of pull-up he can do? Like 80 something

 

:cry:

 

But how much can he bench?

[olyclimber]

More importantly, how many pushups can he do???

[TrogdortheBurninator]

Come on oly, you know he hasnt done any pushups since highschool

[Weekend_Climberz]

All I know is not to ever challenge him to a pullup contest, unless you want to be thoroughly embarassed and demeaned.

[UW_climber]

All I know is not to ever challenge him to a pullup contest, unless you want to be thoroughly embarassed and demeaned.

 

He smoked me back in the day but I bet I can beat him now.

[Weekend_Climberz]

Hey Jesse,

 

Nice to hear from you again, what you got planned for this summer??

[UW_climber]

Um, Peru w/ Erik for 7 weeks then climb here till school starts again.

[eric8]

Full disclosure: I'm not "the man" just trying not to suck at climbing. I climbed the direct start on a Saturday with an English climber and bailed with 2 pitches to go, due to 3 parties infront of us and falling ice, that was my choice. Then climbed the Gervasutti pillar start which is like 2 pitches of 5.8 to reach the ice by myself. Jeff Lowe calls it M6 wi4+ the French guidebook aurthor calls it M6 scottish 5+. The route I soloed was 5.8 wi4.

 

If anyone is looking for a partner in France my email is egratATu.washington.edu I'm here till the 15.

 

Jesse how many pullups can you do now? Appereantly, I can do 80 according to folks who have never seen me do one.

 

Anyway I'm going to go skiing know as it snowed last night for the first time in awhile and spending time and money at the internet joint in Chamonix is lame.

[UW_climber]

I got 34 in a circuit workout @ cf last week.

when you get back I expect you to come do sparrow's dozen with me.

[Gary_Yngve]

A few years ago, Eric had a full-page spread of him doing pullups, pushups, weights, etc., TOPLESS. I still have the Daily article sitting around...

[fenderfour]

A few years ago, Eric had a full-page spread of him doing pullups, pushups, weights, etc., TOPLESS. I still have the Daily article sitting around...

 

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

[Gary_Yngve]

I don't think Eric knew what he was getting into when the Daily reporter came looking for a model. But I'm saving those pics for the day that Eric gets married or runs for president.

[G-spotter]

Don't you think the article will be kind of sticky by then Gary?

[ken4ord]

He probably bought several copies one for the day and spares for personal use.