Training Log Archive: Stijn

Our last day in Switzerland and we opted for some more sport climbing. Went to the roadside crag just 1km down the valley and climbed 2 fun long routes of about grade 19. Later in the afternoon we found a crag tucked away in the forest where we did a further 3 easy routes, all about grade 16. Trying to find a 3-pitch route described in the guidebook had us scrambling up a loose rocky gully and abseiling back down it again - must have been a trad route without bolts.

Up at 3:50 and slogging across the glacier by 4:30. Another beautiful day with an equally jaw-dropping sunrise. Once at the Col de Cheilon we had to work through a long section of rock scrambling (with crampons on) and then up steep, icy snow slopes to the start of the final ridge. The final ridge was very similar in character to the Finsteraarhorn, just a little less steep. The rock was iced over which made the scrambling a little trickier but an hour later after a last steep, exposed rock step, the 4 of us were on the summit at 8am. We chilled on the summit for a while before reversing the ridge and practically running down the snow slopes. The broad band of rock scrambling was much more difficult in descent and I was pretty relieved to sink my feet into the snow slopes at the bottom again.

After some lunch at the Dix hut, we raced back over the Pas de Chevre and down to our tents in the Arolla campsite.

The next peak we tackled was Mont Blanc de Cheilon (3869m) so we attempted to book the Dix hut at it's base, only to be informed that breakfast was a compulsory purchase, knocking the cost up to CHF47pp. So we set off with a tent, hoping to camp for the night and save some money. The path led through a high valley and over the ladders at the Pas de Chevre. We crossed the glacier on the other side and started looking for a campsite only to be stopped by whistling and shouting from the direction of the hut. There was the hut warden, shouting "no camping" at the top of his voice. So Oli and I set off at a run to go and have a chat with him. 200m of ascent up a snowfield later, and expecting to meet a very angry hut warden, we were greeted with "you must be in top physical condition (heavy french accent)" and were offered beds in the hut for just CHF17pp. We did have to run back down that hill to fetch the tents and come back up it again to get to the hut but weren't complaining about the discount :-)

We took a rest day in the valley and explored some of the sport climbing available. 15, 21, 15, 18, 17.

Up at 4am for a gorgeous sunrise over the Dent Blanche, Matterhorn, etc. After a 2-hour snow plod over avalanche debris, we reached the base of the spire, where the trad climing would begin. The climbing itself was 3 pitches of about grade 12 in a wonderfully exposed setting. Climbing as a group of 4 meant that the going was slow but I was perfectly happy sitting on the belay ledges, soaking it all up :-) On the way back down we had a bit of a nightmare going down a dodgy and loose moraine slope but soon we found oursleves back on the solid path all the way to Arolla.