Page 32 - 2011 AMA Winter

Ex Cutlers Challenge
Sheffield University Officer Training Corps
It was the last few weeks of three years together as Officer Cadets at Sheffield University OTC, and what more fitting way to top three challenging years than with one final challenge. So Friday morning,
and we embark on the two day drive to Les Alps and the Zermatt valley where we will begin two weeks of training in preparation for a summit of The White Mountain: Mont Blanc. The highest mountain in the Alps standing at 4810m above sea level and dominating the miles and miles of mountain spreading from its flanks.
Our basecamp in Saas Grund at 1500m was in fact at higher altitude than many of us had ever been. On day one, we were straight up to over 3000 meters. Like many others, I had never been this high before, nor had I never set foot on a glacier before. We learnt how to move across the ice solo and in rope teams, how to do crevice rescues, and for a few of us, what the symptoms of altitude felt like.
On day two, we began the journey to our first peak, the Ulrichhorn at over 3800m. The climb began with a walk up from the valley, through lower Alps of forest and rivers, up and up until pasture became rock
and rock became Glacier. Crossing the Glacier, we arrived at the Bordi- erhutte where we would spend our first night in an Alpine Hut; a cosier night than expected and certainly an interesting experience.
A 3am start after a cosy night in the dorms. We set out in our rope teams across vast snowy slopes as dawn cracked around us, shedding the famous pink glow across the landscape. Upwards and onwards we rose as the sky lightened and by dawn we could see over miles and miles of rocky mountain. Spectacular views from the summit quelled the fatigue of a lengthy climb. Day had not long broken, and in all directions a sea of snow and rocky peaks with cloud mellowing between. It was our first Alpine summit. Following the summit, over 2km of descent across snow and scramble was to challenge many of us. But on returning to the camp that night, we were all thrilled to have made our first peak.
The following day was day four, and onto the Allallinhorn: our first peak at over 4000m, but perhaps the easiest. We began the climb from 3500m; an easy snow plod upwards with once more spec-
30 ARMY MOUNTAINEER