1. Traverse of Weissmies-Nordgrat (4023 m)
1 August 2009
Saas Valley, Valais, Switzerland
Guides: Thomas Grichting and Thomas Zumtaugwald

2. Morning light on Weissmies – in the foreground the upper section of the North ridge.
Third Try Lucky! Windy, cold conditions had made us scrap this tour on July 9 and 21; our third attempt is on the final morning of our vacation, August 1.
(photo courtesy Summit Post)

3. Starting out from Kreuzboden to Hohsaas, an all-too familiar route
Starting out from Kreuzboden to Hohsaas, an all-too familiar route. It’s warm with our heavy packs and equipment. We try not to rush, but it’s tempting to exploit our good late-vacation condition. We arrive to sign in with Maria Werlen at the hut (for the third time this summer!) after climbing 800 m in just 1 hr 50 mins.

4. Posing in front of tomorrow’s destination…
Posing in front of tomorrow’s destination…. The low point behind Jeff’s pack is Lagginjoch (3500 m), where we will join the ridge – which extends up to the right.

5. While celebrating our luck at being assigned to a 4-person bunk room, we notice a big old Steinbock right outside the window. Jeff grabs the camera but it’s not a flattering shot.
At dinner (yummy Älplermakaroni) we have fun telling Ugi stories to our two Thomases. Our German table-mate knows Bergen well, since he is married to a Norwegian. Small world: the three Serviertöchter at Hohsaas Bergrestaurant all know Vancouver, including the Harbour Centre Tim Horten’s.

6. Hazy sunset. Looking northwest, past the Hohsaas lift lines.

7. To identify the main players at the outset, here are: Thomas Zumtaugwald (left) and Thomas Grichting (right).

8. It's still dark when we finish our muesli breakfast and leave Hohsaas at 4:10 am. But the weather is mild. We need only our technical fleeces as an outer layer. M chooses Thomas Gerichting, and J ropes up with Thomas Zumtaugwald.

9. The Mischabel in the very first light.

10. J at the Lagginjoch, at 3500 m, the start of the ridge
J at the Lagginjoch, at 3500 m, the start of the ridge. The climb from Hohsaas hut to here requires just under 90 mins, the last bit on steep snow. (NB—this shot is from 13 July, when we had to turn back at the Joch.) On the day we actually managed to complete this tour, we don't even take a break at Lagginjoch – just stop long enough to put our Steigeisen away.

11. [We interrupt this narrative to show the amazing weather conditions that caused us to abandon the Weissmies tour on 13 July. Winds of 85 km/hr made the sunrise absolutely spectacular – but also made the thought of 3 hours on the exposed ridge totally unpalatable….]

12. [Another amazing sunrise shot from 13 July….]

13. [Can’t resist including this Lagginjoch photo from the attempt on 13 July: Our guide Rütschi employs some modern weather intelligence means, namely, a phone call to air traffic control at Kloten airport in Zurich: “What are the predicted winds at meters over the next 4 hours?” The answer he got – “Increasing to 100 km/hr" – clinched our decision to turn back.]

14. What the literature calls the crux pitch (or the locals call the Grand Dalle) of the route comes early on: we reach it (framed) quicker than expected. Here is what it looks like in a zoom shot from the Lagginjoch. [NB—this photo was taken on 13 July.]

15. The crux pitch is the only place on the route with metal stakes driven into the rock. For purists (including us), there are plenty of nubs and dents to use as holds, plus a good slab edge on the left, for one hand. In the photo Thomas G leads and M follows close behind.

16. J captures the vertigo with a shot backwards of the 'crux' section we have just conquered, and of the sharp narrow ridge we traversed to get there.

17. Here are M and Thomas G on the slabby section that follows the crux pitch. It's warm enough to climb in bare hands, and sometimes you need to steady yourself while walking on such a tilt….

18. J shoots a picture looking back at the same slabby section
J shoots a picture looking back at the same slabby section. The brownish peak is the long Lagginhorn ridge. Fog is trying to coming up from the East, as usual, and trying to cross the ridge ...

19. Yes, we encounter occasional (relatively) level platforms on this route! There are also bands of shale. Some of it has been nearly pulverized to form gravel and rough sand. Mixed with icy snow on the slabs or in the chutes, this makes for bad traction. Luckily, most of the rock climbing part of the route is on solid, darker rock.

20. Ten minutes after the crux pitch, we are high enough to see the Matterhorn summit peeking through the Mischabeljoch – the latter is the scene of one of last year's successful climbs.

21. J waits while 'his' Thomas climbs a long, steep pitch
J waits while 'his' Thomas climbs a long, steep pitch. This is one of a series of gendarmes in mid-ridge. (M's Thomas is right behind, Jeff, also waiting.) This view shows both how steep the East ('Italian') side of the ridge is, and the imposing height of some of the gendarmes.

22. On one of the more vertical gendarmes, J shows good style….

23. …and gives the sign of success at the top.

24. J turns around after his great performance to capture M halfway up the same crack.

25. We pose following the first snack break
We pose following the first snack break. The larger portion of the ridge still lies ahead (behind us in the photo). We get a good view of the snow-covered Weissmies summit, gleaming in the morning sun and still devoid of climbers coming up the ‘regular’ route over the glacier.

26. J and his Thomas turn one of the next gendarmes on the left, while M and her Thomas agree to try and scale it straight to the top. What follows is the world's shortest Abseil for M. Here’s Thomas G starting to let her down….

27. She photographs one-handed, and J tries to capture it from below.

28. The sunshine feels really hot, as the morning progresses and we begin to spend more time on the East side of the ridge. Our guides estimate it is 15° C (59° F) when we are on the bare rocks, and maybe 5° C (41° F) when we are on the cool snow.
The mobile phone will not cooperate in J’s hands. So, he takes back the camera for the rest of the rock climbing, and M tries to capture some good scenes with the mobile phone. This crack is really exposed…. But the foot holds improve as you go up.

29. Here J is heading to ‘turn’ one of the spikier gendarmes on the right side, and Thomas G is starting up the pitch after him, with M in tow.
(Not a bad shot, for an inexpensive Nokia phone!)

30. The aforementioned gendarme, known as ‘das Ross’ (the horse) by the locals, forces most climbers to sit down and ‘ride’ at the critical moment…. (photo from the internet)

31. Finishing off the final gendarme on the rock part of the route, M clowns around. Time for our second break, this time a bit longer. M manages to eat two bites of her sandwich, but finishes off a whole Saaser Hauswurst. Strange to eat such garlicky food at 9 in the morning...

32. The snow ridge is long – we need nearly an hour all told – and in a few places it drops off steeply to the west, into the bowl where Hohsaas lift and restaurant perch on their spur. But the traverse is not difficult. Here's the view looking ahead to the Weissmies summit. The very last bit is about 200 meters of very steep climb. We will turn left beneath the summit and head straight up, instead of continuing straight to join the hordes of people on the less steep Normalweg (coming from the right, in the photo).

33. We're at the top. M in amazement at how much energy we all still have
We're at the top! M in amazement at how much energy we all still have. It's only 10:10 in the morning! Thomas G is a master at framing the photo so you can't see the six Dutchmen (and their national flag), and 15 other assorted climbers who are on the summit or about to reach it.

34. Here's the view looking back at the rocky section of the Weissmies North ridge (the Saas side of the ridge is still in shadow), and then the whole of the Lagginhorn ridge. Farthest back in the photo, with its snow field, Fletschhorn.

35. The view down the south ridge of Weissmies to Zwischbergenpass and the bird's eye perspective of Portjengrat (highest point: 3654 m!) make you realize that a ‘four-thousander’ IS significantly higher than its neighbors.

36. With a bit of zoom, the Monte Rosa massif and Lyskamm, several km away, look very pretty too.

37. We decide to be a bit obnoxious and take the return to Hohsaas at top speed. We cover the 850-meter descent over glacier in just 45 minutes. We have to jump in and out of the deep track to pass parties who are coming up the mountain. In our Seven-league boots, we overtake everyone who is descending in front of us. (This Cosely & Houston shot shows the route down; we were in too much of a rush to stop for pix).

38. As the snow gets soft, the footsteps get really deep – OK for guys with long legs! In places the track is more like a bobsled chute. Despite the danger of looming seracs that we must wind our way around, M convinces Thomas G to stop for 5 seconds to capture this shot. On the skyline, the foresummit of Weissmies.

39. The last trek across old glacier is alternately slushy and very rough, with many imbedded rocks and dark gravel. In this shot, we are already part way up the service road to the hut, as the guides finish packing away the gear. It's only 11:15!

40. Back at Hohsaas restaurant, we enjoy an early lunch of Rösti and soup
Back at Hohsaas restaurant, we enjoy an early lunch of Rösti and soup. We have to pinch ourselves, the tour is over so quickly. And our thoughts already turn to the challenging drive this afternoon from Almagell to Zurich... This wide-angle photo of Weissmies shows the summit, the descent route and even a bit of the North ridge. (NB--the two huts in this photo are the old Hohsaas.)

41. Weissmies-Nordgrat traverse, 2009. Tour stats: Tour time: 7 hours
Weissmies-Nordgrat traverse, Tour stats: Tour time: 7 hours. Total length: 6.5 km. Length of the North Ridge: 2.5 km. Total height differential: 850 m.
The End.