Page 19 - 2000 AMA Alps

ahead of us, first tending left then taking a straight line towards the summit. As the sun began to shine on the slope the snow started to soften making climbing harder. The slope was about 55« steepening slightly towards the top.
When about 50m from the top we had caught up with a member of a German party who was making a solo attempt. He appeared a little apprehensive and was having difficulty climbing over some very soft snow. After some words of encouragement from Glyn he continued towards a rope dropped down for him by his friends. Glyn and I continued onto the summit ridge where we waited for the Germans to climb the final few metres over mixed ground to the summit. Itheleadupandsecured a belay, and when the Germans had finished faffing brought Glyn up. After some more time waiting for the Germans to descend we started our descent, Glyn belayed me as I climbed off the summit
ridge to the top of the slope. The fresh snow had thwarted our hopes of traversing the ridge across to the Nadelhorn, so we descended the face. For the first 200m Glyn would belay me as I climbed down a rope length, I would put in a belay and he would come and join me. When Glyn was confident I could descend safely we moved together until the slope became gentle enough to glissade down. Once back on the glacier we moved quickly back to the hut to collect our kit and meet
Kev’s team before descending to the cable car.
Somewhere else there should be a guide to SAC huts. The hut shoes here have smooth wooden soles. The rocks around the huts (accommodation is always separate from the dinning room) were steep
The normal route up the (with no run out, just a drop) and icy.
By Phil Carrotte.
Date: Team:
30 July 2000
Phil Carrotte, Glyn Shepherd.
After nearly a week of staying in camp due to poor weather, it was good to be doing some climbing again. Despite the long
walk in to the Mischabel the previous day we arose at 0400hrs to a misty morning. After a quick breakfast we started our ascent of the ridge behind the hut up to the Schwarzhorn (3620m) and the col at the top of the Hohbalm glacier. It was here that Glyn and I decided on our route. Now well above the clouds and under a bright moon we had a good view of our two possible routes up the Lenzspitze. The ENE ridge (AD) was covered in fresh snow and according to the hut warden had not been climbed for a few days. The NNE face
(D/D+) looked a little more promising, and with two parties under way we, well Glyn, would not have to break trail. At this point Glyn asked whether I felt up to it and explained that the route would be long and hard. I said that I felt up to it and then spent the forty five minutes it took to cross the glacier to the bottom of the face hoping I'd made the right decision. We crossed a small bergshrund at its smallest point and had a quick stop to prepare for the climb ahead. Glyn keen to be carrying as little weight as possible for the ascent answered a call of nature before we started to climb the steepening snow. Moving together we followed tracks made by the parties
Date: 30 July 2000.
Team: Kevin Edwards, Don Stubbington, Stewart Boughtflower and Rob Lawrence
I
a brief cable car ride and short walk along a level path. Followed by a hard slog up a path so plagued with switch backs it must come from Disneyland and then a little Via Ferrata to spoil perhaps a kilometer of good scrambling (including a bolted ladder up a one pitch MD chimney). So our Saturday was fairly eventful as one surprise followed another.
and wrestling into the night when everyone else was trying to sleep. In the morning one of our socially responsible teutonic comrades clattered down the stairs to see what the conditions were like, then he stomped back up to tell his buddies, then he went to see what time breakfast was (stomping back up to tell his friends). Then he went to check on their equipment (stomping
The bunk room was shared with a
Nadelhorn is from the
Mischabel Hut (3335m). This
is easily reached from Saas Fee bylike a party. All of them screaming
large Spanish party. Well, it sounded
M ultipart
T ransfloot