Our legs are still quite tired from the very long descent from Zinalrothorn, but given the spectacular weather forecast we can't just sit around and do nothing. However we do not want to fight again with laborious descents wit abseils and stuff like that, so we choose something where the way up is tricky and fun enough, but the way down is very easy. The Alphible via the Rotgrat seems the perfect one, with a relatively technical climb to the top and a very easy (except for the famous Eisnase) way back to the hut. Plus the hut can be reached in a bit more than one hour from the car park.
With a quite relaxed schedule we start driving up to Taeschalp around midday on Saturday and then get up to the hut in a little bit more than one hour. I don't really feel satisfied and I can't think of staying here until the evening, so we decide to go for a walk to make sure we see at least the first part of the way up. We almost get the the saddle of Wissgrat but honestly it's far too hot to walk up at the moment...so we decide for cold beer back at the hut and some always useful crevasse rescue practice.
In the morning we are the very first people to leave the hut, taking approximately 20 minutes between wake up call and walking off. I'm not sure I've actually even chewed my breakfast, but we want to be the first ones on the ridge to avoid waiting too much. For a good hour we only walk, same path as the previous day, and this is again good for warming up. From P3139 on the saddle of Wissgrat some scrambling sections start and it's easy to progress without a rope. At some point however we get the feeling that being roped up would be at least mentally helpful and so we stop to rope up. It was not really necessary, but we are going to have to do it soon, so why not! The last section of this scramble up on the Wissgrat is a bit icy and slightly covered in snow, but without much difficulites we manage to get to the point where Wissgrat and Rotgrat meet. We have been on the go for more than 2 hours already...so a small break is compulsory!
From this point we are officially on the Rotgrat, but at the beginning is really easy. It's basically a snow ridge with a few small rock jumps that can easily be climbed without problems. Rocks are a little bit loose in places, but nothing to be worried about. But at the end of this snow ridge the more technical and fun part starts. According to the guide book is a few pitches of up to IV- climbing, so should be quite exciting! At the beginning the route climbs a few meters up, then traverses left and back to the right, to meet a really nice stand. From here finding the route is not too difficult, it's enough to follow the easiest route. I must admit that we were at this point following another two people, but honestly the way the route goes is rather intuitive following the "path of least resistance". At the beginning we started climbing in pitches but we ended up sharing the first two stands with another rope team, making things not that easy. Then since the climbing was a little bit tricky only in some places, we started to climb on short rope, and locally belay behind a spike or something where really necessary. Obviously this allowed us to be quite quick and to catch up with the two guys that had overtook us before.
Both me and my friend are now really feeling the consequences of almost 9 days of constant mountaineering, but on this kind of technical climb one does not normally feel very tired because the mind is always busy thinking about what to do. Eventually we reach the en of the rock ridge and the point where the snow starts. Depending on conditions we could keep on following the rock ridge until it's very end but the recent snow of a few days ago has made covered it all. So we decide to stay in the little gully where there are already tracks from previous ascents and blast our way up to the top. Once on the summit ridge we know that all difficulties are gone and we can really enjoy the pleasure of reaching the third summit above 4000m of this week! It's so warm and the wind so still that it would easily be possible to just sit down up here without a jacket and enjoy the sun on a deck-chair. But because we did not want to carry such a chair all the way up and because we want to be back down as soon as possible we only spend around 15 minutes on the top. Afterwards we almost literally start to run down the normal route.
Only other small difficulty is the Eisnase, which however is in rather good conditions and it's not really a problem to be walked down. All the rest of the glacier until the end of it is really a walk in the park. In approximately 3 hours and after yet another cold beer at the hut, we are back at the car, happy to have accomplished another good objective but a little bit sad at the same time that such an adventurous week is now over. Never mind...there will be many more to come next year!
With a quite relaxed schedule we start driving up to Taeschalp around midday on Saturday and then get up to the hut in a little bit more than one hour. I don't really feel satisfied and I can't think of staying here until the evening, so we decide to go for a walk to make sure we see at least the first part of the way up. We almost get the the saddle of Wissgrat but honestly it's far too hot to walk up at the moment...so we decide for cold beer back at the hut and some always useful crevasse rescue practice.
In the morning we are the very first people to leave the hut, taking approximately 20 minutes between wake up call and walking off. I'm not sure I've actually even chewed my breakfast, but we want to be the first ones on the ridge to avoid waiting too much. For a good hour we only walk, same path as the previous day, and this is again good for warming up. From P3139 on the saddle of Wissgrat some scrambling sections start and it's easy to progress without a rope. At some point however we get the feeling that being roped up would be at least mentally helpful and so we stop to rope up. It was not really necessary, but we are going to have to do it soon, so why not! The last section of this scramble up on the Wissgrat is a bit icy and slightly covered in snow, but without much difficulites we manage to get to the point where Wissgrat and Rotgrat meet. We have been on the go for more than 2 hours already...so a small break is compulsory!
 |
| Sunrise on Monterosa |
 |
| and on all the other 4000m summits of Wallis |
 |
| That's the rock climbing part of the ridge |
From this point we are officially on the Rotgrat, but at the beginning is really easy. It's basically a snow ridge with a few small rock jumps that can easily be climbed without problems. Rocks are a little bit loose in places, but nothing to be worried about. But at the end of this snow ridge the more technical and fun part starts. According to the guide book is a few pitches of up to IV- climbing, so should be quite exciting! At the beginning the route climbs a few meters up, then traverses left and back to the right, to meet a really nice stand. From here finding the route is not too difficult, it's enough to follow the easiest route. I must admit that we were at this point following another two people, but honestly the way the route goes is rather intuitive following the "path of least resistance". At the beginning we started climbing in pitches but we ended up sharing the first two stands with another rope team, making things not that easy. Then since the climbing was a little bit tricky only in some places, we started to climb on short rope, and locally belay behind a spike or something where really necessary. Obviously this allowed us to be quite quick and to catch up with the two guys that had overtook us before.
 |
| Still pretending to be fit... |
 |
| Rock climbing is finished, now it's all about fitness |
 |
| Another wonderful day...the one in the middle is the Rimpfischhorn...very cool looking north ridge |
 |
| One very short break shortl before the summit ridge |
 |
| On the summit ridge |
Both me and my friend are now really feeling the consequences of almost 9 days of constant mountaineering, but on this kind of technical climb one does not normally feel very tired because the mind is always busy thinking about what to do. Eventually we reach the en of the rock ridge and the point where the snow starts. Depending on conditions we could keep on following the rock ridge until it's very end but the recent snow of a few days ago has made covered it all. So we decide to stay in the little gully where there are already tracks from previous ascents and blast our way up to the top. Once on the summit ridge we know that all difficulties are gone and we can really enjoy the pleasure of reaching the third summit above 4000m of this week! It's so warm and the wind so still that it would easily be possible to just sit down up here without a jacket and enjoy the sun on a deck-chair. But because we did not want to carry such a chair all the way up and because we want to be back down as soon as possible we only spend around 15 minutes on the top. Afterwards we almost literally start to run down the normal route.
 |
| Everyone on the top |
 |
| From the top the fantastic ridge line continues to Taeschhorn, Dom, Lenzspitze and all the others |
 |
| Rule number one |
 |
| The Eisnase, pretty good conditions |
 |
| Artistic looking crevasses |
Only other small difficulty is the Eisnase, which however is in rather good conditions and it's not really a problem to be walked down. All the rest of the glacier until the end of it is really a walk in the park. In approximately 3 hours and after yet another cold beer at the hut, we are back at the car, happy to have accomplished another good objective but a little bit sad at the same time that such an adventurous week is now over. Never mind...there will be many more to come next year!
No comments:
Post a Comment