Monthly Archives: July 2015

July 11th

Distance: 13,1 km
Time: 14 hours.
Vertical distance: 1850 m up and down. The Matterhorn is a big mountain!

We had arranged to meet at 3.30 a.m. Giorgio, the Italian guide arrived on a motorbike before 3 a.m., I heard him and got up for a quick cup of coffee with him.  Then off in the dark.  He spoke good French and turned out to be excellent.  About 45 years old, he knew every inch of the way, every short cut, every piton.  We made good progress and reached the summit at 10.15, having rested half an hour at the Carrel hut for a cup or two of tea.  There are many fixed ropes along the way where you must pull yourself up with your arms, which I found quite tiring. Good weather but a strong cold wind on the ridges. And a continuous ballet of sightseeing helicopters buzzing around the mountain, full of rich tourists.

Going down took about the same time as the guide was more cautious, or more tired?  At the fixed ropes, he lowered me down on a rope like a sack of potatoes – except that I had to stay fairly horizontal and put my feet in the right places.  This way saved time and was easier for me.  The whole climb was a unique and wonderful experience!

Meanwhile Dave had to hang around all day at the hut.  I was “rewarded” by being given a proper bed for the night.

Photos:

1. On the summit
2. and 3.  The guide Giorgio Cazzanelli

July 10th

Dave and I took the cable cars up to Klein Matterhorn (now called “Glacier Paradise”!), walked down to Testa Grigia in about 40 minutes and took more cable cars down to Plan Maison.  From here walked up to Rifugio Abruzzi in 75 minutes.  Then Dave found he had a problem in one foot, possibly stretched tendons, and could not continue.  So after much phoning I got a local Italian guide for tomorrow.  Abruzzi Hut very nice but we had to sleep on the floor because no beds left.

Photo:

With Dave Green in Zermatt

July 9th

Distance:  18,9 km
Time:  8 hours 30 minutes
Vertical distance: 530 m uphill, 2240 m downhill

Left the Bertol Hut at 5 a.m. and climbed up to the Tête Blanche with other groups doing Chamonix to Zermatt.  It had frozen that night and walking with crampons was a real pleasure.  So much so that we went on without stopping and were soon on the moraines of the Zmutt glacier below the Schönbiel Hut.  These were tedious but we emerged in the end onto paths leading to Zmutt and Zermatt, both of us quite footsore.  Dave took a train to Martigny to fetch his van from the Grand-St-Bernard tunnel entrance, while I had a pleasant afternoon and evening with Sally and Neil who had come up by train.

Night: Hotel Cima Garni, Zermatt

July 8th

Itinerary:  Bivouac de l’Aiguillette à la Singla – Col de l’Evêque – Plans de Bertol – Cabane de Bertol (3311 m)

Distance:  17,0 km
Time: 8 hours 30 minutes (plus 1 hour for the stops)
Vertical distance:  1370 m uphill; 1260 m downhill

Certain sections of frontier having been declared “out of bounds” or impossible or dangerous by the guides, my options are limited.  These sections include the Col du Mont Brulé, the Tiefmatttenjoch and the long east ridge of the Dent d’Hérens.  This means that the Dent d’Hérens would have to be climbed from the Rifugio Aosta, itself only accessible from the Col de Valpelline, with a return the same way, at a cost of at least 2 extra days.  So I reluctantly abandoned the idea of doing this summit, a pity as it would have been my first 4000-metre peak.  Instead, we would do the Matterhorn, from the Italian side as originally planned, because the normal Hörnli ridge on the Swiss side would have too many people climbing it.

Sadly,  we had done no more summits after Mont Vélan:  it is far too warm, nothing freezes at night; snow is soft, progress slow; stonefall danger; impossible to do anything serious in the afternoons.

We had 3 days without any mobile phone signal!  It was only at Plans de Bertol, above Arolla, that there was a signal, which allowed me to update the blogs.

July 7th

Start: Chanrion Hut;  finish: Bivouac de l’Aiguillette à la Singla (CAS), 3199 m
Distance: 11,5 km
Time taken:  6 hours
Vertical distance:  950 m uphill, 210 m downhill

We decide to go up to the Bivouac de l’Aiguillette in the hope of going to the border and climb a summit or two.  Left at 5 a.m.  To reach the Otemma glacier, the hut warden insisted that we must cross the river and climb fairly high on the south side of the valley.  But after a while, there were no more cairns and we had to work our way down scree and moraines to get to the valley floor again.  This lost us at least 30 minutes.  Another group did the same as us, others stayed on the right bank (north side) without problems.  Further along the Otemma glacier, we turned right and reached the bivouac by climbing ledges full of scree and steep snow slopes.

In the afternoon we cross the small glacier to reach the Col d’Otemma, 3209 m.  Snow very soft and we can do neither of the two neighbouring peaks.  No mobile network either.  Return trip of 3.5 km and 180 m height difference, 1 1/2 hours.  Very comfortable bivouac hut; great views; thunderstorm at night.

July 6th

We had not thought far enough ahead.  The way over Col Valsorey into Italy would take us down over 1000 metres; the passage via Col du Sonadon was very dangerous because of frequent stonefalls (and accidents) on the Plateau du Couloir.  The only escape was to descend to Bourg-St-Pierre and use road transport.  This we did: we covered the 5 km to the trailhead in 1 hour 40 minutes.  Yves Stettler kindly picked us up and took as to the next valley where he had organised a taxi to take us past the Mauvoisin dam and lake. This road is only allowed for taxis and takes about an hour.  I had hoped to go up to the Fenêtre de Durand and possibly climb Mont Avril in the afternoon.  However, we were dropped close to the Chanrion Hut at about 1 p.m. and supper there was announced for 6.30 p.m., so there was not enough time for this sortie.  A bad day for the frontier!

July 5th

Start:  Grand-St-Bernard tunnel north entrance; finish: Vélan Hut
Distance: 13,7 km
Time taken: 10 hours (plus 1h25 for the stops)
Vertical distance:  1890 m uphill, 1180 m downhill

Met up with Dave, my new guide for the next 2-3 weeks, and started up to Col d’Annibal: over 1000 m of steep grass, scree and moraines, which took us almost 4 hours.  Then the Hannibal arête itself was nearly as bad, with a lot of loose rock and scree.  Not to be recommended!  Tracks led in soft snow from the summit down the “voie normale” to the Vélan Hut.  We had intended to head for a bivouac hut on the Italian side of Col Valsorey but no tracks led there.  We were the only people in the hut that night.  The day before (Saturday) there had been 25 and all of them reached the summit.

Photo:
The Vélan Hut

July 4th

Distance:  17,8 km
Walking time:  9 hours 40 minutes (including 1 hour 30 minutes for the stops)
Vertical distance:  2020 m uphill, 1650 m downhill

I was accompanied today by a good friend, Yves Stettler, my son Roger and my grandson Neil. The first goal was the Grand Golliat, 3238 m. With 4 people, the northwest ridge starting from the Grand Col Ferret seemed too long.  So we decide to do the “voie normale”, starting from the Grand -Saint- Bernard road on the Italian side, at 2,090 m, via the Col de St- Rhémy.  At the top, there is too much snow on a rock barrier, so we opt for the Col des Angrionettes and reach a point just below the eastern summit.  Then we go down again and climb Mont Fourchon, from where we follow the whole border ridge to the Grand-St-Bernard Pass.  Nice welcome from members of our family.  At the Col: crowds of tourists, cars and noisy motorcycles, etc.

Photos:
1.  Below the eastern summit of Grand Golliat
2.  On the summit of Mont Fourchon

July 3rd

Start: Cesare Fiorio bivouac hut; finish: Alpine dairy and hostel La Peule
Distance: 12.9 km
Total time: 9 hours 30 minutes (including 50 minutes for the stops)
Vertical distance: 1230 m uphill, 1890 m downhill

Wake up at 2 a.m., leave the hut at 2.30 a.m.  An hour’s climb on bands of smooth rocks interspersed with snowfields took us onto the glacier under Mont Grépillon.  From here, an exhausting climb, often steep or very steep, in rotten and soft snow – it did not freeze during the night! – which required the huge task of making the trail by Graham.  Cloudy, we were not too exposed to the sun.  Finally, we reach the summit at 6.30 a.m.  Fine views  in all directions.  The descent was also difficult for me, especially the last slope below the summit, very steep and with a slight crust on the surface of the snow.  (For a comment on the triple point Switzerland-France-Italy, see under “Border stories,” no. 1.)

For me, this summit marks the end of the Swiss border with France and I am proud to have reached this point.  As for Mont Dolent, a big thank you to Graham Frost!

July 2nd

Start: Alpine dairy and hostel La Peule; finish: bivouac hut Cesare Fiorio (CAAI)
Distance: 6,9 km
Time taken: 3 hours 10 minutes, including stops
Vertical distance: 810 m uphill, 150 m downhill

Another beautiful sunny day.  Met up with Graham again, who drove up to La Peule in his (wife’s) 4-wheel drive Škoda.  After a snack, we went up to the frontier at Grand Col Ferret.  This section is part of the Tour du Mont Blanc and we met large numbers of variously attired walkers of different nationalities doing this circuit, also a number of mountain bikers.  Then on to the Petit Col Ferret and the Italian bivouac hut Cesare Fiorio at 2729 m.  Leisurely afternoon preparing for the climb up Mont Dolent the next day.  Early to bed.