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.