Symphone d'Automne, Alpe d'Huez

Another day at Alpe d'Huez this time to climb Symphonie d'Automne.
The ice on the first pitch was much harder and more brittle than we expected. The route gets the sun late in the day which meant that as it softens, the water runs down and fills in all the axe and crampon placements from the day before making the climbing hard work first thing in the morning.
We climbed up the first long pitch then on towards the curtain of icicles that form over the route before abseiling back down for a picnic in the sun.
There was a group of climbers on Ice Bille but other than them, we saw no others and we were surprised by how quiet the climbs were.
Ian enjoyed the skiing though some of the runs higher up were shut due to high winds at altitude.