Dufourspitze ski tour 4634m...talk about a cherry on the cake!

It's never a good idea to leave "slamming the door"...and also for a skitouring season it's a bad idea not to close it with a super tour. Previous tour at the Grand Combin was already exceptionally good...but since the conditions and the weather still look promising we decide to try the Dufourspitze!

This time I have to give up on my "principles" of not taking trains or cable cars to cover some of the way up. To try this summit in two days only and in this time of the year there is no way to do it without a train. And there we are in Zermatt on Saturday morning taking the train up to Rotenboden. Here, with a literally obese rucksack we start walking down towards the glacier and the Monte Rosa hütte. The hut is closed and we have to sleep in the winter room. Also the hut warden told us that there might be not enough place and therefore he advices to take sleeping bag and bivy bag with us, together with some cooking stuff. You know, the rucksack would be too late otherwise...The beginning of the path is really comfortable, slowly descending towards the glacier. Then a couple of almost vertical ladders come up and then after some steeper descents on polished rocks we reach the glacier. From here the summer route can be followed by looking at the blue and white poles scattered along the moraines. Basically from the point you start on the glacier first go down towards the river, and then left up to a point where crossing the river is very easy. And from here straight towards the first serrac region of the glacier. Last part is again going steep up zig zaging on very smooth rocks. Going up this kind of terrains with an heavy rucksacks and ski on it is really hard work!

View at Rotenboden

The ladders

Almost at the hut

Huge glaciers all around

Arrived at the hut there are only two other people...so the hut is all for us, and a few kilos of weight have been taken all this way for nothing. Well at least it was good training (always look at the bright side)! Given the bad experience of previous high ski tour, I start melting snow without a break and drink all of it. Also we will need more water for cooking and for tomorrow...so at least I put the gas cooker to a good use. It's incredible to be able to sit outside the hut for dinner at 19:00, with the sun still shining and not feeling cold at all. With the views around to Liskamm, Castor, Pollux...this is a wonderful place for dinner. Together with the other two skiers we decide to put the alarm clock at 1:30 and therefore at 20:30 we are all in bed...but not really sleeping. 

After a rather big portion of porridge and several cups of tea at 2:30 we start. Outside the hut the almost full moon is shining and it could be possible to go up without a head torch. It's also rather warm...so in all a good start.
At first we keep slightly to the left and go up to the first slope to get up the Obere Plattje. In summer there are two options to go up there but in "winter" is better to pass by P3109. This first slope is also rather steep and icy to the point that on the very last bit we decide to put the skis on the rucksack...is a long day and we don't want to risk slipping off after less than one hour. 

Almost time for the sun to come

Once above the Obere Plattje the route is rather intuitive as it follows (going left and right) the least steep part of the glacier. At this point the glacier is still not really crevassed but we rope up anyway, before it gets too late! While walking up it becomes very very cold, and taking breaks is not so attractive because it means you cool down very quickly...but when the sun starts to shine on the summits all around us there is just no way I'm not going to stop to take a few pictures!

This...

...is...

...wonderful!

The sun is already out there in the sky somewhere but we cannot see it because we are in the shade...and it is still rather cold. But once we reach the highly crevassed zone just below the Silbersattel the thought of how to avoid crevasses dominates over the cold. One of the two swiss guys at the hut said that there was basically only one way through the crevasses. And now I understand why. Those holes are absolutely massive, some of them could probably swallow an entire truck without problems. Being roped up in such conditions feels a bit like a psychological safety more than anything else...but better than nothing for sure. We follow the tracks of the people going up the day before and they first aim at the centre of this crevasse region to then go up again to the right. From here they traverse towards left on a "thin" line of ice in between two crevasses and then with a few zig zags up under the biggest one...There is only one little gap to go through and is also quite steep. Luckily there is enough snow and despite being very steep is still possible to have enough grip with the skis. It feels rather awkward because a single mistake could make a huge difference. 

Still going up

Big holes...

Don't you dare slipping off...

But after this last huge crevasse the glacier becomes less steep and within a short time we are finally at the Silbersattel, where finally the sun warms us up a little bit. With an effort which does not seem very normal due to the lack of oxygen we put crampons on and get prepared to the final part of the ascent. The whole way up the ridge is secures with bug thick ropes, and without those it must have been a completely different story to get up there. But this is a really famous summit and someone has thought to make it a bit easier. Good that there were only four people in total aiming for the summit today, otherwise going up and down those ropes would have been a huge problem. Once on the ridge is a matter of a few minutes to reach the main summit on the right. The small gendarme can be by-passed on the right (facing the summit) if there is enough snow on the side, but climbing it is surely more fun!

And there we are finally standing on the highest point in Switzerland at 4634m! Sun is warm, almost no wind and is a real pleasure to stay up here and enjoy the absolutely wonderful view! I could almost see my home from here! And it took us almost exactly 7 hours to get up here, which is the guide book time, so not bad! Pictures, hand shakes, again pictures and then we once again realize how little sense all this has. Fighting for such a long time against cold, lack of oxygen, tiredness, crevasses and all the rest just for a few minutes up somewhere. And there is nobody to record this or to give you a prize or whatever. A bit like the conquest of the useless...but we don't give a damn and that's the most enjoyable thing I have ever tried!

Capanna Margherita

View from summit 

Another view from the summit

Nordend

Yes mate, we made it!

And for once I'm also in a picture!

View towards Italy

Now the "fun part" starts on the way down. Being the glacier so massively crevassed we decide to ski down roped up. To be honest for a good part of the time we are only sliding down but it works rather well and it also gives a good feeling of safety in case the shit hits the fan, and this would be a lot of shit on a huge fan! After passing the worst part of the glacier the rope is finally put away and we can start enjoying a really nice ski down the hut. The snow is still quite hard and it almost feels like skiing on a piste! And getting to the hut is a real relief because we know that from this point on we are "safe"...but not to forget that there is also all the way down on the glacier and then up the ladders and the path still to go...and what a fight once again. The rucksack becomes again heavy with all the stuff we left behind at the hut and the walk back takes a bit more than 3 hours...or more I really don't remember. I only remember getting back up to Rotenboden at 17:50 after more than 15 hours on the go and so thirsty that I started drinking the not drinkable water out of the sink in the bathroom...

A look back at the couloir before skiing

That was steep...

...ok maybe not too steep...but scary...

Very good snow

Full view of the largely crevassed region

One look back again to the summit we were on today and for yet again another tiny moment a quick grasp of what the meaning of the word happiness is. And this is going to be the last ski tour for this season...now is time for some summer mountaineering!

Grand Combin (4314m) ski tour...no tour for old men!

When you take a bus at 7 in the morning on a working day in the middle of May, when it's pouring down rain, and you are carrying a big rucksack, skis and a rope...people are inevitably going to look strange at you. At least most of them are...but they don't know that you are up to undertake one of the most intese skitour of the season...if not the most intense. 

First of all...a bit of a background. Thursday the 14th was a public holiday in Switzerland and in the night betweem the 13th and 14th we participated to the Rigi Marsch. This is a 50km walk with 1500m of ascent that goes from Bremgarten to the summit of Rigi...starting at 20:00 in the evening and walking the entire night to see sunrise on the top. Believe me...more tiring than it actually seems...Must admit that it was boring at times but surely a nice experience. So this quite tough ski tour already starts with not exactly relaxed legs!

Weather is looking bad...but we are still quite happy!

Yes...it was that bad...and all that snow was even making the rucksack heavier!

Friday morning we drive by car to Fionnay...as I said earlier, under the pouring rain. At least in Fionnay is snowing which makes the walk up to the hut a bit less wet because the snow is rather dry...but we still get very wet anyway! At the beginning we follow the summer route and then comes the point where, after a little barn with a very low roof, the first sign of the winter route appears. The sign is pointing downhill and straight after there are two big red arrows on a small rock face. From this point onwards we do spend at least half an hour going up and down looking for the route. Is all covered in very fresh snow which makes everything extremely slippery. There are no further signs and we plus two other groups take all slightly different routes. At the end we discover that the best thing to do after the red arrows was to point down at river on the bottom of the valley, not straight, but a bit diagonally towards the end of the valley. Once on the bottom we keep walking towards the end of the valley and then go up on the right (looking at the end of the valley) in a narrow gorge under a steep rock face. At this point only we can finally put the skis on...which up to now have been carried on the already very heavy rucksacks!

Outside the gorge...with the sun finally shining

At the beginning of the glacier...it does not even look like the same day as the photos above...

Once outside the gorge we start feeling the sun, warm as the kiss of a woman, and even the clouds start to disappear to leave room to an incredible blue sky. From the "bitter" cold of the hours before, with all clothes as wet as after a desert marathon it's finally warm and comfortable...time to take the jacket off!

But the approach to the hut is not yet finished, and there are still a few hundreds meters over rocky moraines with very little snow (not that good for the ski skins) to be climbed. But eventually, in a scenery which looks a lot closer to winter than spring, the hut appears and we can finally get some dry clothes on.

Wake up call the next day is at 2:30 and around 3:15 or slightly later we start going towards the glacier. The other teams are already on their way since almost one hour. There are 5 snow shoesrs (what?? with snow shoes up the Grand Combin???) one group of four swiss, two french and two italians...it almost seems like a joke :). It's all dark around and almost the only thing one can see are a few light spots making their way through an immense glacier. At first we follow the moraine along and then down on the glacier. Further we cross the glacier and keep on its west side to overcome the first "step" with some quite large crevasses in the centre. Keeping on the same side of the glacier we skin up just next to P3156 and P3310. During this last part the sun starts to kiss the tips of the giants around us, and stopping to take a few pictures becomes imperative!

The sun is coming...to rape yet another night (cit.)

..and it kisses the summits

Yes, those are going up with snow shoes...respect!

My mates

At the edge, between darkness and sunshine

The first plateau is easily overcome pointing towards the plateau du dejuner and up to the kind of ridge which comes straight down from point P3674. At this point one of the swiss group and two of the snow shoesrs will give up and go back to the hut. A shame because it's a really nice day, but understandable because up to now we've only being warming up...

We traverse down to the bottom of the coloiur du gardien and get off the rope...which will of course get in my rucksack. We also remove skis and put crampons on. One of the two italians also decides to go back leaving the other one on his own.

With an incredibly heavy rucksack we start going up the couloir. It's not that steep but even with the tracks of the people before us is the hell of an effort to make 20 steps in a row...It becomes however steeper and steeper towards the end and the massive serracs looking down at us are closer and closer. Walking up below such serracs is a bit like sitting on a bomb with a random timer...at some point it's going to go off but you just don't know when. One more reason for being fast!! Once under the very end of the serracs we traverse to the right on a rather steep wall of ice which is covered by snow. In this conditions the snow is quite weight carrying and is okay to cross without any belay...but I'm sure that in case of no new snow this would be a lot more icy and then a couple of ice screws would turn helpful. With this new snow is not even possible to make decent belays and since arresting the fall of yourself would already be very tricky we don't rope up...and everyone is on his own.
I have to say that in our case a normal axe was fine...but with harder snow probably one, if not two, ice tools would be more recommendable to be safer in the ice.

Pointing at the bottom of the couloir

This is going to be my desktop background for a while...

Up the couloir

and some still getting ready for it

tough...it is bloody tough!

those serracs look wondeful and awful at the same time

Outside the couloir we feel rather happy because we think the worst is done. And it also feels we have being going for ages...but is only 10 am, more or less...I start walking, still with the crampons, to find a place with some fresh snow to make it easier to put the skis back on. While walking a nasty feeling creeps in my head...that I'm walking on crevasses! Yes because I can see holes through the gaps in the snow but I'm lucky enough not to break anything. Then I run back down to the closest piece of very hard snow and tell the other to stop and put the skis back on here. At the same time one of the swiss team does fall in a crevasse, but is promptly rescued from his mates. This is the point when things start to get a bit not happy anymore. The other italian and the two french promptly retreat...maybe because afraid of crossing crevasses. The swiss team however carries on...but they ask me if I can go in front and cross crevasses...I am a bit scared of the situation but I'm roped up with my two other friends and the three swiss are there in case something happens. Having the feeling of walking on egg shells I continue trying to find the best route. First I point at the Combin de Valsorey and then back to main summit.

And that big thing at the horizon is Mont Blanc

Traversing the last bit to exit the colouir...Is the snow going to hold all the people?

Doesn't this look like a black diamond advert photo?

At this point I start feeling like having an hammer inside my head...and beating so hard to break it open. We stop discussing for a while and the swiss team passes us thanking for going forward hunting for crevasses. When we start walking again the swiss team has already made some tracks, even though there is little need now because the snow on the last slope to the summit is really hard. After a few turn, some icy passages and several stops to try and avoid the hammer breaking my head...there we are...on the summit!! Unfortunately I'm that tired that even taking pictures is not in my list of things to do...so I only take one. 

I know...not that great photo...but that't the summit!

At this point we would like to get down via the Mure de la Cote. We start skiing down to get to it...not roped up. I'm incredibly scared of falling in a crevasse and I have to say that fear probably made me ski quite bad. When we get to what we think is the mure de la cote we realize that we are too low. We passed under the massive crevasse just underneath the Aiguille du Croissants...and from here we are too low to get down. So we decide to take the skis off and to climb up a little bit until we are high enough. When we stop we walk toward the edge...and there seems to be anything behind it...We realize that there is indeed something but there is also a rather high cornice to be "jumped". I get really scared and decide that no way on earth I'm going to do this. One other in the group wants to do that but I think is too dangerous...and convince him to turn back. When back home I look at some photos in the internet and realize that from the Combin summit we should have probably skied along the ridge, only slightly down and take the Mure de la Cote at his highest point. Also in those pictures I see there is the cornice and it does look quite high too jump. And a fall in that situation means that if you are extremely lucky Rega will come to pick you up in one piece...and not even necessarily alive...

Skiing down at 16 in the afternoon

...and getting back into the clouds

So we go back down via the couloir like the swiss team did. I think it would be a little late and the snow too soft, but actually is still good. My legs however are too tired to risk skiing on 45° and steeper terrain, so I decide to walk all the way down to the point where we put crampons on in the morning. After this we put the skis back on and fight against a rather slushy snow (on the last part, and wind blown on the first) all along the glacier until we get to the end of it following the tracks of the morning. Skins back on and in 15 minutes we are back at the hut after 26km on the skis, 1700m or more of altitude and 14 hours on the go. 

A few beers, dinner and straight in bed. Next morning wake up at 6, breakfast and a rather nice descent down plus walking on the summer hiking path, which in all honesty in not that easy in the first part with muddy ski boots and skis on the rucksack...but hey, we just want to get back down!

Grand Combin in the morning

Skiing down to the valley...

But soon the snow is too little and we have to walk

Welcome back to summer!!

An absolutely wonderful tour. I regret not having done the Mure de la Cote but I did feel terrified, and looking back at the pictures of other guys I do think we took the right decision. I'm still getting use to ski on steep stuff, and that steep I've never skied...so is probably not worth starting to ski on that steep terrain where a mistake can almost kill you...but I'll be back one day for it!

Rimpfischhorn skitour (4199m)...far far away, with my head up in the clouds!

The time has come to start pushing skitouring to higher altitudes...and why not starting with a nice summit above 4000m? Destination for this weekend is the Britannia hut above Saas Fee...and then one of the summits there around depending on weather and conditions. 

As per my religion, taking cable car up mountains is totally forbidden, and this is no exception to the rule. We get to Saas Fee and start walking all the way up along the ski pistes. And even if we wanted...at the time we arrived the cable car was closed so no chance of any mechanical help! Must say that is was not the best ascent I've ever done to a hut because it was done on a ski piste...but I feel better this way than taking a cable car and then only crossing for 30 minutes to the hut. In 4 hours, including breaks to dry all the sweat we get to the Britannia hut, a massive construction up at 3000m. Soon after getting there we start doing some crevasse rescue practice (since this time there is only two of us). At some point we have the feeling of being in Bahnhofstrasse in Zürich because there are tons of people getting to the hut at the very same time...but really lots of them! We will discover that the hut is completely booked for the night and there are in total 135 people...and do you know why all turned up at the same time? Because there was one single run of the cable car at 4:30 in the afternoon...and all those lazy people took it so to avoid a 4 hours ascent...psst!!

The Britannia hut

Weissmiess and Lagginhorn in the evening light

Anyway, in the evening the weather forecast is getting better for the next day and we decide to aim for the Rimpfischhorn the next day, instead of the Strahlhorn, which is way too easy. Wake up call is at 4:45 in the morning and at 5:30 making things very quickly we manage to leave the hut much before other people do.

Once down on the glacier we put the skins on and start climbing up. Head torch will not be necessary as there is already light even is the sun is not there yet.

Leaving the warm hut for a chilly morning

As always...our destination is the further at the horizon

The track keeps the right hand side (having the britannia hut in the back) of the glacier and contours all the south flank of the Allainhorn. This all the way up to the Allalinpass. Temperature is changing a lot from chilly to warm and then windy, so we have to stop several times to put a layer more on or to take one off. In the end dressing for the mountains is a bit of an art, which requires lots of experience.

And once again here comes the sun...

Towards the Allalinpass

From the Allalinpass we keep a contour line to the left following the north ridge of the Rimpfischhorn. In reality it would be slightly better to lower down a bit more. At the foot of the first spur coming down from Rimpfischhorn the terrain becomes a bit too steep and we are forces to ski a little bit down to overcome it.

The Strahlhorn...maybe another time

At the Allalinpass

Once also the second spur is surpassed the toughest part of the ascent (with skis) starts. The lack of oxygen starts to become obvious but someone once said that the show must go on! My friend is at his first summit over 4000m and needs a few more breaks than I would like...but I'm clearly not going to complain in this case! A few zig zags and probably more than one hour later we are up at the Rimpfischsattel, but is still not time to leave the skis. A couple of more zig zags on pretty icy snow to get to the rock face just under the beginning of the couloir which marks the beginning of the climbing part. 

Zig zags to the Rimpfischsattel

On the Rimpfischsattel

From here we take the skis off and put crampons instead. At first the route follows the couloir up, until it makes a slight kink to the right. At this point there is a clearly visible step on the left hand side, so the couloir has to be traversed to get to this step. Some traversing on the rocks a very short icy slope to get on the proper ridge. The climb on the ridge is not difficult, maximum II probably. Most of the route can be done on the rocks except for a couple of places where, in case of good snow, the climb can be by-passed by going up on steep snow fields. I always prefer the rocks as they are typically more reliable and there are more possibilites for securing. On the first part of the ridge there are two slings around rock blocks, which give some help in belaying and making anchor points. At one point there is even an iron bar with a T shape. From this point the ridge becomes for a short bit a bit less steep, and is easier to progess on the snow up to a second iron bar. From here is the only time where the ridge has to be climbed on the right hand side (facing the summit) on a really nice slab. This is the perfect type of climbing when wearing crampons in my opinion. And from the end of this slab the ridge goes on rather easily to the pre-summit...

The pre-summit as seen from the summit

View from the summit

The really cool slab!!

Last part of the ridge before the pre-summit

It is quite deceptive to get up here and to see that the summit is still not there. You have to get down on a quite thin snowy ridge and then up again to the real summit. And well...what a view from up here! Totally worth all the effort of coming up here. The descent however has still to come and to reveal its surprises. When back on the thin snowy ridge I see that there is a cornice and I keep on the tracks...only using the ice axe on the cornice for slight balance. At one point the entire cornice collapses down on the east face and I see my left foot at a few centimeters from the abyss...literally petrified, scared like seldom before...it takes me a good minute to recover from the adrenaline rush and walk properly again. Now I know why corninces are that dangerous...

Apart from that the descent goes on quite well and even faster than the way up...until we finally get back down to our skis. From here the absolute best descent of the whole season is starting! The aim is to get down to Täschalp and the snow could not be any better! At the beginning is good powder, even if the legs are a bit tired to enjoy it properly. Then is suddenly becomes perfect sulz which is an extreme pleasure to ski. And for the whole descent we can always see his majesty the Matterhorn. This summer...oh yes...this summer I will stand on its top! On the lower parts of the descent there are a lot of small, medium and massive rocks to be avoided which make things even more fun...but we are relentlessly going into summer which means that we cannot get to Täschalp. Instead, a good hour of walk along the whole valley is awaiting us. This is not that bad in the end because it has been such a nice day that the good memory of the descent and ascent are enough to keep us happy...even when carrying an heavy rucksack under a really hot sun.

And the first 4000m summit of 2015 has just been conquered...many more will hopefully come!