|
|
|
After
an early breakfast at the Gnifetti hut, I'm waiting for
the guide to
arrive. The others have already left. And here comes Hervé,
right on
time at 9:00. |
I
get a short instruction, then wer'e off, connected with a
rope. Hervé
proves quite professional. One thing he does
is showing how to forsee a
hidden crevass. |
It's not these crevasses that are dangerous,
you can see them. It's the ones you don't see, hidden by snow. And they
are more than the visible ones
right now.
|
|
|
|
But
we are making good progress and soon
approach
4000m |
Mighty
iceformations at the side of Piramide Vincent. |
Passing
a "snowbridge" over a crevass at 4000m. This is why you should not go
alone up here. If the bridge brakes it's good to have someone holding
you back with a rope.
|
|
|
|
Today
Mont
Blanc is in perfect sight! Clear air, not a cloud
in sight. Imagine
that it's about 80km away. |
Soon
time to take to the right, and climb the final 150
altitude meters to
the summit. Spending the night at the
Gnifetti hut now proves
efficient, I'm well acklimated for
the altitude. No problems handling
the climb. |
Corno
Nero 4321m, is harder to climb.
|
|
|
|
And
here's Balmenhorn 4167m, with its Christ statue and
a bivouac. You need
to climb here as well, but it's secured,
so it's not that
hard. |
The
final climb towards the summit of Piramide Vincent
is wide and straight
forward. To the left is Parrotspitze
4434m. |
At
the summt, 4215m. It wasn't too difficult to climb after one night at
Gnifetti. Just as beautiful as it is up here, it's as windy and cold
too. Hervé says it well, "No place for a picnic".
|
|
|
 |
|
To the
northwest is Lyskamm 4533m. |
.A
group climbing Corno Nero, 4321m. |
We
don't stay at the summit very long, because of the hard weather.
Instead we take
aim at Balmenhorn, hoping for calmer weather there. The peak
in
the background, to the left, is Weisshorn 4506m, far into Switzerland. |
|
|
 |
| Arriving
at Balmenhorn. |
Looking
back to Piramide Vincent. |
At the
summit of Balmenhorn the weather is far better. Here we can relax, eat
and drink in the bivouac,
before descending to Rifugio
Mantova for lunch. After that, down to the cableways. Awesome! |
