Perhaps the most beautiful corner in the Écrins? New climb added to Aiguille Orientale du Soreiller by Melvin Bou, Kilian Moni, Étienne Poteaux

Comme un pecker dans la soupe. Like a pecker in the soup. It’s hard to know where to begin when you want to talk about a line that has made you feel so many emotions, that puts stars in your eyes and glitter in your stomach. Melvin had already gone to check it out last December with Yanis Cherquaoui. He had had his eye on it for some time. The moment had come to take a closer look. Unfortunately, conditions at the time were relatively dry in the lower part of the line, which made them lose a lot of time. After the four pitches of the base, they had to retreat. The upside, though, was that four pitches had already been climbed and four belays set up for next time. Since then, Melvin hasn’t stopped talking to me about it. So after making the most of our ice season, it was time to get down to serious business and gain a bit more altitude. This time, Etienne Poteaux would complete our fine rope team.

Once again, the packs are far too heavy for my body, which is still slowly recovering from my autumn expedition and my surgeries in December. The long approach from Saint-Christophe-en- Oisans really took its toll on me. At the bergschrund, I feel bad — pretty rough and clearly not full of energy. Skis are dropped, ropes uncoiled, boots tightened, and Etienne starts up the base with a first pitch that quickly sets the tone for the rest of the route: yes, this is going to be hard.

According to Melvin, the snow conditions aren’t necessarily better than last time, but the motivation is there. And this time we brought bivouac gear to sleep on top of the base, above pitch 4. Once we reach the bivy spot, Melvin starts digging the platform where we’ll pitch the tent. Meanwhile, I set off on pitch 5 via a system of vertical cracks that overhang at times. I feel better actually quite good. The feeling is right, so I venture into the unknown. The cracks are fairly good quality. The rock isn’t always great in this section, but what follows looks very compact. In fact, the tent ends up with a new ventilation hole, one thing’s for sure: it’ll be breezy inside tonight! The belay is set up, and by mutual agreement Etienne and I call it M7, while Melvin keeps digging our palace for the night.

Here we find ourselves in front of an impressive black streak, overhung by the obvious corner we’re aiming for. There aren’t many options: the face is incredibly compact, with very few weaknesses. We decide to try to the right of the streak via a crack system that looks promising. Etienne puts up a great fight, then a few aid moves to place our last belay of the day. After that we descend to the tent and Melvin, who has played the roles of both mason and chef to perfection! Three freeze-dried meals disappear, headlamps go off, and the night is short and not very restful.

Early the next morning we pack up camp but leave the bivy gear on the platform. The idea is to be light and fast for the long day ahead. Very quickly we realize the option we chose the evening before doesn’t work. So we start again from the M7 belay, following a thin crack to the left of the black streak. This time Melvin takes it. Several aid moves and many peckers later, he reaches the belay. Now it’s my turn to join the dance. The plan: rock shoes and ice axe, trying to free the pitch on second. Ten short minutes later I’m at the belay, with frozen fingertips and toes on all four extremities. A big moment of solitude and internal pain, you know what I mean.

The rest seems obvious: a small corner and a rather choked crack leading to a ledge that brings us closer to our dihedral. Without hesitation I set off again on lead, still wearing rock shoes, ready to fight. Protection is rather precarious, almost exclusively peckers and bird beaks. I move slowly, pushing hard and trying to secure most of my moves. I commit, advance, breathe, and focus. I feel like I’m in the flow. The footholds are tiny, the hooks thin, but eventually I reach the famous ledge, with the rest of the line in sight, yes, we’re going to reach the dihedral.

Melvin also climbs the pitch while Etienne cleans the gear. Then Melvin takes the lead again, also in rock shoes, trying to traverse toward the base of the corner that slices across the face. Forty minutes later we join him. The pitch is climbed on second and we lean toward an aid grade for leading it.

I think this is it, we’re there: the corner. Pure rock, solid granite, cracked. Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it in the Écrins massif. Proof of that: when I showed the photos to Léo Billon, he thought we were in the Mont Blanc massif. Etienne tackles a beautiful aid pitch while I rappel 30 meters down to retrieve our previous high-point belay. The size 4 cam will finally prove useful.

Unfortunately time is flying. I would have loved to lead the pitch, but we need to move. Still wearing rock shoes, I launch into this legendary pitch, starting with a superb slightly overhanging hand-jam crack leading into the actual corner. The crack immediately widens: hands, then fists. Vertical, then overhanging, before continuing into a system of jam cracks again. The movements are incredibly good, just like the rock. The pitch is completely insane, I mean that. Even though we’re still in the middle of the face, we know the main difficulties are behind us. The dihedral eases back but remains just as beautiful less hard, but with loose flakes deep in the crack splitting it in two. Forty-five meters later, I reach the belay.

The route remains sustained at around M6 from there on, still just as beautiful. The pace picks up and we gain time even though the afternoon is already well underway. Melvin takes over again for the last striking section of the corner, visible from the bottom of the valley, with rock just as good as before.

From there we decide to follow a system of discontinuous ledges that brings us to a col below the summit of the Oriental. Between slabs, overhanging moves, and wide cracks, we have to push all the way to the end. Melvin drives the final two pitches masterfully, right up until nightfall. Once on the ridge, the rock quality becomes truly poor, so we decide to stop there. Etienne then takes the lead to equip a perfect rappel line down the gully coming from the col where we emerged.

Four rappels later we’re back at our famous terrace, and four more rappels later we’re clicking into our skis to glide back to the beds we’ve been dreaming about.

For anyone thinking of repeating the route, it’s important to say that you’ll need 10–15 peckers and two sets of cams from 0.1 to 3 plus a size 4. The M7+, the M6 traverse, and the second M8 were only climbed free on second. The grades are therefore indications for those who want to try freeing them on lead!

- Kilian Moni, Chamonix, France