Lenzspitze - North face

The tour was done on the 27./28. May 2015

Last Monday, when I saw that the weather should be favourable for Wednesday and Thursday, I searched for some company to go once more to the high mountains. But anyone couldn't join. So after my first solo-mission to Val Forno, my confidence was high enough to also go there by my one. I choose something where I didn't have the exposure of walking over glaciers with many crevasses. So I chose the Lenzspitze. Because I couldn't leave very early on Wednesday, I took the car instead of the train. Driving to Saas-Fee was going well. I arrived at three at the parking. At home, I couldn't decide which skis I should take with. The regular touring setup or the light stuff. In the end, I took the regular setup. Even though it was a fair amount of weight more to carry to the top. But it proofed to be solid and fun to ride. And in the end, my objective was skiing down, hiking up was just the prerequisite. I also felt strong and fit enough. So I packed everything I needed into the backpack. Rope, carabiner, ropeman and stuff like that I left in the car. If the conditions wouldn't be favourable, I would retreat, and mandatory rappelling point didn't exist on that line. One ice screw and a sling had to be enough. So I started to walk towards the Mischabel Hut.  

Looking up towards the my goals.

At this time of the year, not many tourists were in Saas Fee. The skiing season was mostly over, and for the hiking season, it was still too early. But for skiing the slopes higher up, it seemed to be just right. The trail up to the hut was very efficient. Soon after the last houses and after crossing a river where the bridge wasn't yet in place, the trail started winding up the hill. Just at approximately 2700 m.a.s.l., the snow patches started to become denser. So I changed from my running shoes to the ski boots. I didn't want to get wet feets. It turned out that I was the first one to climb up there. At least since the last few snowfalls. Probably the first one this season. The snow was soft at this time and breaking trail was hard work. Soon after changing the boots, I came to the ridge the hut was built on. From there on, it was like a Via Ferrata. On some places, there was still snow in between the rocks. This slowed down the pace. But with every step, I came closer to the hut. The hut was very prominent on the ridge. And it looked very big.

On the ridge somewhere under the Mischabel hut.

It was a very intense feeling, climbing up there just by myself. The only company were some Ibex at the beginning of the ridge. Somehow it scared me. I felt very small in between these huge mountains. On the other hand, it excited me, to experience this solitude. Being just by myself. With my thoughts.

The glacier area in the end of the valley.

The Weissmies group, with Weissmies, Lagginhorn and Fletschhorn from right to left.

At about 19.00, I reached the hut. From there, I had a nice look on the Lenzspitze. I didn't know what to think of it. I looked like some 'Blankeis' in the upper part. 

View from the kitchen to the Lenzspitze. Exciting.

But before thinking of tomorrow, I had to get me something to eat. The hut I liked. It had an old wood-stove and even electrical light. The first thing I started with, was making fire. It took me awfully long. A lot of the wood and the newspaper were frozen. In the end, when I nearly had given up, it finally worked. The key was to close the top, in order to keep the heat. After the snow I gathered melted and was boiled, I could finally eat my noodle soup with some tea. Finally, at 23.00 I went to bed. The sleeping room was quiet cold. Maybe it would have been smarter to go to the room above the kitchen. But I didn't want to get out of the bed any more. With three blankets, it was OK. I set the alarm on 04.45. The night was OK, and despite the cold nose, I had a good sleep. When I got up for some breakfast. I was excited, curious how the conditions will be. The first part of the way was continuing on the ridge. After a short while, I reached the Schwarzhorn from where I could mount the skis and skin against the wall. The view was breathtaking and the confidence, that the conditions in the face will be fine, was rising like the sun.

First close-up off the wall. 

Some wind in the morning and the sun going at the Lagginhorn.

A short while after, I reached the base of the northface. Near to the Bergschrund, I dogged a small hole to the ground and to leave some of my stuff down here. I didn't want to carry up stuff I wouldn't need to go up and ski down. With the crampons on the feets, the skis on the back and the two ice axes in the hand, I started to climb up. The bergschrund was good to pass. After a short while, the face steepened up. It proofed that the conditions were pretty good. It wasn't going to be powder, but good grip for the edges. Just on the upper part, there was some 'Blankeis' on the right side. But it looked that it could be circumvented to the left on the way down. Going up, I passed it on the right. Having two good ice axes, I felt comfortable. 

In the middle of the northface.

After the icy part, it didn't take long any more and I reached the ridge, just a few meters under the summit. Placing my gear and climbing the summit was easy. 

View from the summit to the Weisshorn. Another peak on the list.

I didn't want to spend much time up there. I wanted to ski. So I went down a bit, just on the top of the ridge, I had space enough to get into the bindings. I decided to keep one axe on the back, just in case something unexpected would happen. Even though I don't know if this would have helped. But it wasn't a problem to ski down. I could ski big turns, although it was shaking pretty much when I skied fast. There was not much sluff coming with me. So It was easy to stay in front of it. 

When I passed the bergschrund and stopped at the hole where I placed my stuff, it felt a bit strange. I was driving a long way, hiked all the way up, just to ski for a minute? But even when skiing there was the main motivation, the whole experience getting there was, what make it worth it. Skiing steep lines is just the tip of it. And at that point, I wasn't yet down. 

Looking back the face. Not bad.

I read from some other alpinists, that skiing down under the Ulrichshorn to the Torrenbach would be very efficient. Therefore, I had climb up a bit again. Underneath the Ulrichshorn, there where two couloirs visible on the map. I took the lower one. It was steeper then I expected, but there, the snow was already a bit softer. So it was nice to ski it. One had to watch out for the many stones that were laying in the couloir. The part afterwards was really cool to ski. Perfect corn, just the top centimetres with east or south exposure were soft. Not long after, I reached the Torrenbach valley. Luckily, the snow was conserved there, although parts of it were covered with many small and bigger stones. But in the and, skiing slowly and sidestepping at some points, it made it possible to ski down until about 2060 m.a.s.l. 

The couloir under the Ulrichshorn.

In the gorge of the Torrenbach. 

Until here, skiing was possible. More then 2000 m of altitude under the peak. Just 300 m  more to go to the car.

  

After the last snow was reached, I changed back to the running shoes. There were just about 300 m in altitude left to walk down. Not a bad ratio, 1100 meter up and 2300 meter skiing down. 

Flüela Wisshorn

This tour was done on the 18. May 2015.

After a long day at the 17.5. (see previous post), I took my skis again today and used the good weather for some more skitouring. This time, just in the region. After yesterday, where I started at three in the morning with the car, today, waking up at 6.15 felt like sleeping out. Still, I was not late. The climb was well frozen. Also the last hike to the summit of Flüela Wisshorn was still well frozen, such that I was not sinking in the steps.

This ice won't hold very long anymore.

The first downhill was just in time. Maybe 15 minutes to early. Some parts were just becoming soft. The rest was already perfect corn. The second climb was then already in the sun for a while, still it was good to hike. 

View from Weissforn along the Flüela valley 

Unfreezing of one of the Jöriseen.

Just the last downhill, which was west exposed was still a bit hard. But waiting for that to unfreeze would have taken too long. All in all, it was a good tour. Soon, it will be hard to find the way back to the Flüelapass road, since the snow is melting quiet fast.

Looking back to the north east side of the Flüela Wisshorn.

This tour I did today, is called the "Wäschcuchi-Rundtour" and is very popular, particularly in high winter. Even though I have been on the Flüela Wisshorn before, it was the first time that I did the tour this way. Interestingly, in spring, this tour has not that many visitors anymore. Maybe just because most people are not very much motivated for skiing anymore.

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Torrone Centrale and Cima di Rosso

This tour was done on the 17. May 2015.

Today was a multisport day. After a ride with the car to Maloja, I was biking, hiking, skitouring, mountaineering and skiing. It was a great day.

I started quiet early in Maloja with the bike, After it didn't make much sense to continue with the bike, I still had to hike rather long until the snow was reached. From there, I changed from bike shoes to ski boots and started mounting. The first part was flat on the glacier. 

First view to today's destinies. Left Cima di Rosso, right in the back, Torone Centrale.

I made a good pace. Short after I saw the Forno hut on the left, I could see also the base of the Cima di Rosso. There already where some people preparing to climb the north face. it looked very well covered with snow. Because I was so early, I decided to go first to the Torrone Centrale. This face looked very interesting. Soon I reached the base. There, where I changed to the crampons, I placed all the food, water and skins that I was sure not to use for the rest of the climb/descent. The face was steeper the I would have thought. I was happy to have to have the two ice tools. Some parts within the chutes were icy. This made it really efficient and fun to climb.

The higher I came, it became clear, that the face was in really good conditions. During the approach, I feared that it might be frozen, but it was really nice. The top had even something like powder. The way down was really great. The conditions where as expected. Very good. 

View from the top down the north couloir of the Torrone Centrale.

Especially the part at the end. There were many small chutes. I had to jump from one to the other. Just fun. After picking up the food at the bottom. I skied towards the hike to the Cima di Rosso. I felt familiar enough with the conditions in the north face, so I decided to take the straight way from the backside. In the beginning, I was still quiet fast. But I had to portion the water. So I paced down. After a while, I started to feel a bit tired, but after some time, also this climb was behind me. The look into the north face looked very good as well. I arrived, when the two guys I saw in the morning started to ski down. I didn't want to endanger them with the snow that I was causing to slide down. So I first went to the peak and had some lunch before skiing down. 

View from Cima di Rosso to Torrone family.

Also this face was great. It felt more like freeriding. Afterwards, I checked some more beta to the two lines. Both are rated as 5.1. For me, even though Torrone was a bit shorter, was more difficult. I measured the steepness as 52°. Looking at pictures from others, it seems that this year, there is less snow. But both lines today were in good conditions. 

Last look back to my lines.

Afterwards, skiing down and hiking/biking down was fun. I saw, people smiled at me when they saw me passing with the bike and the skis on the back.

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Hoch Ducan

After some weeks abroad, far away from skiing, yesterday, I had time to ski again. A friend came to visit me. We agreed to go to the Hoch Ducan. I haven't been there before. So I thought it's a good goal for a late spring skitour. The initial plan was to climb it on the normal route and then ski down on the northside through the Ducan valley, but as we say in german "First it comes different, and second as you think". From the parking lot next to the Walserhuus we had to walk a while to the Chüealptal. After we crossed the little river, we could step into the bindings. Along the east side of the Mittagshorn and the Plattenflue, we reached the Bergüner Furka. From there, we skied down a bit and climbed again. The last couple hundred meters to the ridge, we used crampons and axe. Probably it would have been possible without crampons, but it was also fine with it. A bit a more confidence, especially for the later part along the ridge to the summit. The first look down from the ridge to the Ducan valley revealed what we feared. The snow on the steeper north slopes went down along the whole valley as avalanches. So there was no point to stick on the initial plan. So we decided, after a short break on the summit, to go back the same way we came. The first part was well melted on the surface. Nearly to much. After a short hike back to the Bergüner Furka skiing down became a bit worse. The snow was really sticky, later, the surface crust started to weaken and brake under the skis. Still, it was a very nice trip to one of the highest mountains in the regions, with a peak, that should not be underestimated.

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During the climb, new projects?!

Marcol on the last part to the ridge

View from the summit, Ducan valley looks bad