Enchainment
Encyclopedia
Enchainment is a mountaineering
term that denotes climbing two or more mountains – or routes on a mountain – in one outing (often over the course of a day). Rock climbing
two or more routes in this manner is called a "link up" in the US. Climbers may do an enchainment of easy routes as a way of training for a more difficult objective, but some enchainments are a prize in their own right.
seemed to be drying up, and so alpinists looked for other challenges. Developments in hang glider and paraglider technology, as well as advances in extreme skiing
and the use of helicopter
s, meant that mountains could be descended much more quickly than they could by foot, making possible enchainments of long and difficult face routes. Early practitioners of this style of climbing were predominantly French, the most notable being Jean-Marc Boivin
, Christophe Profit and Jean-Christophe Lafaille
. On 17 March 1986, Boivin, using skis, paraglider and hang glider for his descents, linked up ascents of the north faces of the Aiguille Verte
, Les Droites
, Les Courtes and the Grandes Jorasses
, flying 15 km (9.3 mi) back to the Chamonix
valley after his final ascent and arriving at 0:30 am. On 11–12 March 1987, Profit was the first to climb the three hardest of the great north faces of the Alps
(the Eiger
, the Matterhorn
and the Grandes Jorasses) in one outing, completing the feat in a time of 24 hours. In 1995 Lafaille made a 16-day solo enchainment of ten classic alpine faces, including routes on the Eiger, Monte Rosa
, the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc
.
and Peter Croft
made the first link up of routes on El Capitan
and Half Dome
in Yosemite.
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
term that denotes climbing two or more mountains – or routes on a mountain – in one outing (often over the course of a day). Rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
two or more routes in this manner is called a "link up" in the US. Climbers may do an enchainment of easy routes as a way of training for a more difficult objective, but some enchainments are a prize in their own right.
Alpinism
By the 1970s, the number of possible new routes in the AlpsAlps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
seemed to be drying up, and so alpinists looked for other challenges. Developments in hang glider and paraglider technology, as well as advances in extreme skiing
Extreme skiing
Extreme skiing is skiing performed on long, steep slopes in dangerous terrain. The sport is performed off-piste.The French coined the term 'Le Ski Extreme' in the 1970s...
and the use of helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s, meant that mountains could be descended much more quickly than they could by foot, making possible enchainments of long and difficult face routes. Early practitioners of this style of climbing were predominantly French, the most notable being Jean-Marc Boivin
Jean-Marc Boivin
Jean-Marc Boivin was a French mountaineer, extreme skier, hang glider and paraglider pilot, speleologist, BASE jumper, award-winning film maker, and author...
, Christophe Profit and Jean-Christophe Lafaille
Jean-Christophe Lafaille
Jean-Christophe Lafaille was a French mountaineer noted for a number of difficult ascents in the Alps and Himalaya, and for what has been described as "perhaps the finest self-rescue ever performed in the Himalaya", when he was forced to descend the mile-high south face of Annapurna alone with a...
. On 17 March 1986, Boivin, using skis, paraglider and hang glider for his descents, linked up ascents of the north faces of the Aiguille Verte
Aiguille Verte
The Aiguille Verte is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps.It was first climbed on 29 June 1865 by Edward Whymper, Christian Almer and Franz Biner, a fortnight before the fateful first ascent of the Matterhorn. Whymper was unable to climb with his usual guide, Michel Croz, who...
, Les Droites
Les Droites
Les Droites is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps and is the lowest of the 4000-metre peaks in the Alps. The mountain has two summits:* West summit , first ascent by W. A. B...
, Les Courtes and the Grandes Jorasses
Grandes Jorasses
The Grandes Jorasses is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif.The first ascent of the highest peak of the mountain was by Horace Walker with guides Melchior Anderegg, Johann Jaun and Julien Grange on 30 June 1868...
, flying 15 km (9.3 mi) back to the Chamonix
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...
valley after his final ascent and arriving at 0:30 am. On 11–12 March 1987, Profit was the first to climb the three hardest of the great north faces of the Alps
Great north faces of the Alps
In mountaineering, the six great north faces of the Alps are known for their difficulty and great height. They are:*Cima Grande di Lavaredo*Eiger*Grandes Jorasses*Matterhorn*Petit Dru*Piz Badile...
(the Eiger
Eiger
The Eiger is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at 4,158 m...
, the Matterhorn
Matterhorn
The Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...
and the Grandes Jorasses) in one outing, completing the feat in a time of 24 hours. In 1995 Lafaille made a 16-day solo enchainment of ten classic alpine faces, including routes on the Eiger, Monte Rosa
Monte Rosa
The Monte Rosa Massif is a mountain massif located in the eastern part of the Pennine Alps. It is located between Switzerland and Italy...
, the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...
.
Rock climbing
In 1986 John BacharJohn Bachar
John Bachar was an American rock climber noted for his skill at free soloing. A fitness fanatic, he is the father of the climbing training device known as the Bachar ladder.- Biography :...
and Peter Croft
Peter Croft (climber)
-External links:*...
made the first link up of routes on El Capitan
El Capitan
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
and Half Dome
Half Dome
Half Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, located in northeastern Mariposa County, California, at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley — possibly Yosemite's most familiar rock formation. The granite crest rises more than above the valley floor....
in Yosemite.