Sustenhorn east ridge - classic alpine (almost) on Swiss national day

Buying lots of guide books has proven as a goo way of finding new options for very exciting routes, and this time the one is the east ridge up the Sustenhorn. I've always looked at this summit as an easy one and as something to approach in spring with skis. But from the opposite side of the normal route there is a really cool ridge with just the right level of difficulty.

On Saturday, which is also the first of August and the Swiss national day, we walk up to the Voralphütte. It's a really nice walk, never steep and still quite scenic despite the clouds. At the hut the dinner is really fantastic because of all the celebrations for the swiss national day. We decide that we would do such an overnight trip every year on the first of August...just to enjoy this very good food!

In the morning we are the only one that are attempting this route so we have nobody to follow, but also nobody to slow us down! The very first part of the way up is just a steep moraine but we soon have to start climbing on rocks. Not only those rocks are smooth because they have been polished by the glacier many many years ago, but also they are all still wet. It was drizzling the day and night before and in the morning it was still humid. With great care we manage to overtake this first part and we get on the very beginning of the glacier. Here there is barely any ice left and there is not much to care about. We aim for the second lowest point on the ridge (starting counting from the very bottom of the ridge) and from down here the way looks not that tricky. However once we get closer it's clear that it won't be that easy in the end. The extreme heat of the last month has molten most of the snow and basically all crevasses are now open. I would describe the last part of the glacier as being acrobatic. It took us the best part of an hour just to cross 100m (in a straight line) of glacier. But as always it's all good fun!

The ridge is on the right

Once again above the clouds

Crossing all those crevasses was not straightforward

"Acrobatic" crevasse crossing

Once the glacier is crossed we need to get on the ridge following a little gully, where a few bolts have been put in place to help progression. This is not really difficult but not easy as well, especially because it's all more or less III and IV and the rocks are sometimes still wet. But once we finally get on the proper ridge the rock becomes a lot better and it's all dry! The first part of the route up here is easy and also easy to find. After P2914 and after passing by a snow field on the right side (facing the summit) the route traverses on a large band towards right. It's not difficult to follow the route here because the ridge become almost vertical and clearly not easy to climb. What is difficult though is finding the place where to start heading back to the ridge. We know that we have to follow this band up to some red rocks visible on the left hand side. I have the feeling we walk too long before starting to get back to the ridge but at some point we do find some red looking rocks and we decide it's time to stop traversing. At this point there is no clear way to be followed, or at least we did not find one. The aim is just to go and and left (always facing the summit) at the same time until back on the ridge. I always have the feeling of not being on the official route, but climbing is not difficult and I can see no other options. At some point we are back on the ridge and when we notice a few foot steps in the mud we know we are back on the official route. And even if not...this is the ridge!

In the gully just above the glacier

Typical climbing on the east ridge

Rule number one!

Thomas is following

The next few hundred meters are really the best part of the whole climb. A few bolts are there to protect the most difficult points and the rest is left up to "the user" to decide. It's all bomb proof rocks on a constant III grade, really really cool! The summit looks always at the same distance like if it would never get closer, but the altimeter says that we should almost be on the top. There is only one last big rock jump to be climbed which does not look that easy. We decide to climb it from the right, but I'm not sure that is the easiest way. It looks like a small rock fall has just happened here so maybe this part was not in the guide book because of that...I don't know. Anyway, after this last piece of climb we finally get to the giant wooden cross on the top!

On the top!

Many people are not going to see the sun today!

On the last part of the glacier

At the end of the glacier, looking back to the summit

We are not late but it's already warm and we know the descent on the glacier is long...so we hurry up and we get down without wasting too much time. On the way down we can follow the tracks of the other people, but we are still sinking a lot nevertheless. The snow is just too soft! We thought the climb was done but the most tricky section was yet to come. At the middle of the glacier there is a largely crevassed area, and we are only two people on the rope. In a couple of places we need to cross crevasses using snow bridges and it also happens that those collapse under our weight, letting us sink in the crevasses up to the armpits! Luckily nothing bad happens.

At the end of the crevassed are is all about walking down to the Tierberglihütte, and from there in a record time down to the Susten pass. A really cool trip with almost everything that mountaineering has to offer, except for crevasse rescue!