with Geo Dunn and Dave Hahn of International Mountain Guides |
Mount Castor [click to zoom] |
The ride to Kleine Matterhorn is usually a pretty one, another set of tremendous spans that go up wild mountainsides to great heights. But on this morning, not much could be seen. We seemed to be in about 12,500 feet of cloud. Out of a tunnel in the top station, we began throwing on harnesses and clothing layers for the near whiteout we find ourselves in. We set out across the level glacier in our own little roped up world within the murk.
Crevasse crossing [click to zoom] |
We trudged on for about 2½ hours before reaching the foot of Castor. We crossed a couple of funky crevasse bridges on the way that got me wondering how the same bridges would feel later if the day turned hot. Castor turned out to be a pleasant, not too steep, not too long glacier climb, until nearly the top. There we had to swing in the picks to get across a bergschrund wall and use the crampons for real in a bit of hard ice on the upper side of the crack. George threw in a couple of quick ice screws as protection and we attained the final ridge.
Summit ridge [click to zoom] |
Everyone loved this climb, the perfect Alps experience a day trip to a big mountaintop that without trams would take a week or so. And the prospect of being down for afternoon beer at the Alpenblick hotel if we minded our P's and Q's on the descent. That we did, with only an occasional leg stuck into a crevasse here and there on the return to the station. We had the trams all to ourselves for the trip into town. The urge to celebrate was tempered with the knowledge that we'd begin our final climb the next day. Monte Rosa's Dufourspitz, the highest summit in Switzerland awaited us.
Dave Hahn, International Mountain Guides
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