Name: Club Climbing Night
Start: 2026-09-03T18:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-09-03T21:00:00+01:00
Location: Dalkey Quarry

The Cassin Route, Piz Badile

(by Dermot Shiels, from IMC Newsletter Autumn 2010)
A lightweight ascent of one of the Alps’ Great North Faces.

Like many climbing plans the idea for this one was spawned at the climbing wall one rainy evening. Neil Wilson and I had discussed different alpine routes in the past and had our own wish lists but we shared a craving to climb the Cassin route. I could only get away for a few days and Neil was moving to Haiti to work for a few months at the end of the summer. So we started the preparations …

The Cassin Route takes a more-or-less straight line up the centre of The North East face of the Piz Badile. It is one of the walls that Gaston Rébuffat dubbed one of the six great north faces of the Alps back in the 1930’s. The epic ascent by Cassin and co and the subsequent horror-story descent when two of his companions died lays testament to the seriousness of the route at that time.

The route has equipped belays now and some fixed gear where it matters so the technical difficulty is now reduced. The use of modern gear, energy gels and up-to-date weather forecasts also make a dramatic difference today. However Cassin’s reputation remains and it makes you sit up and take the undertaking seriously when you are considering having a go or when you are standing at the base of it looking up!

One of our topos

To prepare ourselves we read numerous climbing reports from other climbers. We studied the gear they used, the clothes they wore, the food they ate and the topos they used. We found three independent topos of the route with subtle differences and studied them in depth before we left for the climb. We decided to travel as light as we could so as to climb faster. But we expected there was a fair chance we would be forced to bivi on the route or on the descent down the North Ridge. Due to our time constraints there would be no warm-up route, just the Cassin, so we had to be organised.

We flew to Milan on the red-eye flight from Dublin and drove our rental car north along the shores of Lake Como to get to the Swiss village of Bondo. This is at the foot of the Piz Badile in the Bregaglia mountains. Luckily you can drive from Bondo to an upper car park reducing the walk-in time to the Sasc Fura hut to under two hours up a nice shaded forest track.

As we stepped out of the car to shoulder our bags we caught our first glimpse of the North Ridge and the twin North faces of the Badile. Simply put, we were awe-struck. It is a striking mountain and the gravity of what faced us landed in the pit of our stomachs. How are we going to climb that?

Piz Badile, North-east Face on the left

The climb is a rock route in summer months with three of the 25 pitches at about 5c+. Climbers traditionally carry their own gear alpine-style with a small bag each. Therefore we gambled on using approach shoes and left our heavy mountain boots and ice climbing gear behind to save weight.

We were climbing the route early in the season and consequently there were no footprints to follow on the initial snowfield. This must be traversed to get established in the middle of the North-East Face. We spent a lot of time creeping across this snowfield in our approach shoes kicking steps and balancing with a home-made walking stick I found at the foot of the North Ridge.

Dermot on the first snowfield

There was a 50m run-out from belay to belay on the snowfield so we had no regrets taking our time, as it would be a bad idea to rush across without crampons and axes.

We had read of an unfortunate accident at this spot in recent years which played on our minds. And to top it off the German frau warden in the hut told us the night before that it was impossible without ice gear and not to do it under any circumstance. This resulted in a sleepless night wrestling with our inner demons and making the tension more intense at that crucial part of the route. But we committed and found a way across, the tension eased away and the fun began.

There was nobody else climbing that day so we had the entire North-East Face to ourselves. This made the experience all the richer. It was great to be alone with your thoughts as you climbed the best quality granite cracks and slabs and then to sit on the belay ledges soaking up the exposure above, below and all around us. The face is the biggest either of us had climbed so far, 800m of vertical climbing once you are established beyond the snow fields.

Half-way up the face

We thoroughly enjoyed the climbing and the weather was great until we were about two-thirds of the way up. Just as Neil reached the hanging belay under the second crux the thunder clouds rolled in and the skies opened up. I scurried up after him and we set about getting our bivi bags out. Neil was hanging on three or four pitons and I was on two camalots. The rain was pouring down the face in a waterfall off the overhang above us making things a bit more interesting. We juggled our gear about, clipping everything onto the belay and bumped into each other as we pulled up the bivi bags to escape the deluge.

The rain lasted about two hours I think, but after that a few rays of sun made it through a gap in the clouds and lifted our spirits. We quickly packed up and I aided up the crux corner as it was dripping wet. Then Neil led through up a long difficult slab pitch to get us into the exit chimneys.

Completely dehydrated he helped himself to a pool of rainwater conveniently located at his head level, no hands, he just dropped his face in and sucked it up (standards were dropping!). I climbed through into the exit chimneys where we found a good ledge to call home for the night and we settled in.

Bed time in the exit chimneys

Morning in the exit chimneys

The following morning brought clear skies and a welcome sun. We set off early up the last two pitches of the chimney, which had a little ice in places. Then we made our way across to the slabs that bring you to the summit ridge, baked in the morning sunshine. We relaxed for a short while in a notch in the ridge peering into the other valleys and back down the face, two specks on the top of the Black Dwarf. Mindful of the long descent that awaited us we couldn’t hang around for long.

Neil near the summit ridge

The clouds built up again at times but luckily there was no more rain. So the twenty abseils down the magnificent North Ridge went without any trouble. We made it down to the hut with big appetites and a warm welcome back from the wardens, even a wink from the Fräulein! The quality of the climbing, the exposure, the feeling of remoteness, the company, the history, the hut … it was brilliant.

Sasc Fura Hut, Piz Badile above

Gear we used: light rain jackets, two pairs of gloves each, hats, balaclavas, dryflow tops, 1 light fleece each, light weight bivi bags, down jackets, head torches, 6 energy gels each, 3 litres of water each, a couple of bars of chocolate, 1 set of wires, 5 or 6 friends, 10 lightweight extenders, slings and locking crabs. We left behind rainproof leggings, sleeping bags and ice climbing gear to cut down on weight.
A Few Mountains Accessible from Zermatt
(by Allister Gerrard, August 2008)
In August ’08, we spent an enjoyable few days venturing into the mountains towering above Zermatt. Here are a few notes, which might give you a few ideas if planning a trip there yourself.

How to get there:
- You can fly from Dublin to Milan, Zurich or Geneva, in 2008 anyway.
- If flying to Milan Malpensa airport, you must transfer to the central station from the airport (approx. 50km, 40 mins) before catching the train to Zermatt, which is 237 km, approx. 3.5 hours, via Brig or Visp.
- Zurich is 246 km to Zermatt, approx. 3-3.75 hours by train via Bern and Visp or 4 hours by car.
We both flew to Geneva and caught a train direct from the airport to Zermatt via Visp. The train appeared a bit slow, however, on the up side it was very scenic, winding its way through valleys, alongside Lake Geneva with the sun beating down. We had to get off twice briefly to change trains en-route, again the short wait is very bearable, a chance to relax, stretch the legs and take in the views of the countryside; a welcome sight if just out of Dublin. The last train to Zermatt is a short trip, approx. 30 minute; the scenery on the way to Zermatt on the final train is stunning, as you travel deeper into the valley, the snowy peaks towering above, glaciated rivers thundering down the mountains. The train was very modern and even had windows on the ceiling so you can appreciate the views.

Zermatt is a small town, which you can cross from one side to the other by foot in half an hour or so. Which is just as well, as cars are prohibited within 7 km of Zermatt, except authorised electric vehicles for deliveries only.

For accommodation in Zermatt I can recommend ‘Hotel Bahnhof’ (contact details below) which is a clean, self-catering hotel, very competitive to all its neighbours. The hotel has dormitories and twin/double rooms among others. There is plenty of room for cooking in a spacious kitchen and dining area and the supermarket is nearby. It is owned and run by an alpine guide, wife and son. We had the pleasure of meeting father and son, as they both worked on reception, the son almost a fully qualified Alpine guide himself. Both were very helpful in advising us on the local Alpine routes, weather, and so on. Gerry Moss recommended this place to us and sure enough we found it excellent.

The Matterhorn

Our first day, to stretch the legs and help acclimitise, we took the cable car to Schwarzsee (2583m) and from there walked up to the Hörnli Hut at 3260m to stay the night. It is about a 2 hour walk up from the cable station, track all the way, fabulous views, some wire cables to hand on the steeper sections of track. The cable car was expensive, €56 return to Zermatt, but deals can be done for multi-trips or if you have the Swiss card (ask at the airport and see below for more info). In the Hörnli hut that night we were surrounded by a posse of serious climbers, having their ‘last supper’ before an early night and the 3-4am start up the Hörnli ridge of the Matterhorn the next day. That day some were returning between 10 and 12pm. However, the night before, several groups were falling in the door at 9 to 10pm at night and even then outside I could see the headtorches with groups still coming down at 10.30pm. High up on the mountain, it was bitter cold outside the hut, so god knows what it was like on the ridge itself, baltic I’d say. The two lads who arrived in late had missed their dinner and looked seriously trashed, after being out for maybe 18 hours plus, so we gave them our desert, all we had left; they were very appreciative. We chatted away with them about their experiences and they talked of their Irish friend and about all the climbs they had done together. An odd party often sleep in the Solvay hut, an emergency shelter at approx. 4000m or even bivi if darkness has fallen, when it just makes no sense to continue. From chatting with the different parties, it appears, during the summer months, the biggest problems seem to be the overcrowding on the mountain; the best times we were assured by alpine guides were May, early June, September or even October. Without a guide, route-finding is also difficult. The climbing is scrambling to V.Diff+ in sections, with fixed ropes on harder sections, but very long, sustained day, with lots of exposure. The following morning, we decided to climb a section of the Matterhorn, as it was our first day and we were only there to start acclimatising and to take in the views. However, after a lazy start to the morning at 10am we climbed up a few hundred feet of the Matterhorn. On the first section there are fixed ropes over diff/v.diff climbing, which we moved together on. The next section we moved out left before gaining more open ground, leading to the “Grampiturm”. After only the second section I realised how easy it was to get lost as we did go off route, when I was sure I was following what looked like the route. We could see parties above us coming down which showed the line we should have been on. We enjoyed the little adventure anyway and had other plans, so we descended.

Allister on the lower slopes of the Hörnli ridge, Matterhorn

We walked back down and jumped on the cable car to Schwarzsee and Furi stations before heading back up to Trockener Steg (2939m). From here a 30-minute walk up took us to our next hut for the night, the Gandegg Hut (3029m) (privately owned; tel: 0041-796078868), or alternatively one can walk the five hours from Zermatt to the Gandegg hut. The next day we walked back down to the cable station to get a cable car to the Klein Matterhorn station, the highest station in Europe (3817m) (tel: 0041-79660101). The other option is to walk up from the Gandegg, Theodul or Testa Griga huts (cable from Brevil, Cervinia, Italy side) to access the surrounding mountains of the Breithorn, Pollux, and Castor etc.

From the Klein Matterhorn Station we walked up to the summit of the Breithorn (4164m), a PD- snow slope, 35 degrees, often icy, with routine crevasse and avalanche risks. That said it was more or less a snow plod, with a narrow ridge on the top. On the day it was breezy and high enough to slow the body down at altitude. It takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to reach the summit from the station. Unfortunately, the day we were up, it was clouded over, and so we saw nothing. Be prepared for large crowds in the summer, as it is one of the most accessible 4000m peaks in the Alps; however there is the comfort of having some people around too, which makes navigating easy in the clouds, as there are plenty of guided parties around.

The Breithorn

Incidentally, Zermatt guides charge €665 for the Matterhorn 1:1, €103 for Breithorn (4:1); Pollux or Castor €210.

After climbing the Breithorn we dropped back down to Zermatt for a break after two nights in huts to re-charge and relax. The next day we wanted to attempt ‘Pollux’ or ‘Castor’ from the Klein Matterhorn but the weather forecast was for a storm. So we decided to walk from the Klein Matterhorn to the ‘Testa Grigia Hut’ (Tel: 00390166948369) (3451m), in Italy and stay overnight there so we could get an early start the next day without having to wait for a cable car from Zermatt, which starts at something like 7am.

The following morning, I woke at 4am, having slept only for a few hours, during the stormy night, waking up to a flash of lightning outside the window, which had no curtains. I thought at one point that one of the ten others in the room had left their head torches on flash mode during the night. I was first down that morning all weary-eyed, followed shortly by an Alpine guide to check conditions and to see if the storm had passed. The guide was a bit hesitant; I got ready all the same, and then suddenly he was ready and out the door with his two clients. Snow had fallen during the night, tracks were gone, dark clouds still loomed above. Eventually at 5.45am, we set off from the hut in the direction of ‘Pollux’ and ‘Castor’. It took about one and a quarter hours to get to the Klein Matterhorn area. From the Klein Matterhorn to the base of Pollux took about two hours. Total height gain from Testa Grigia to the summit is about 1000m. The route from the Klein Matterhorn drops to a saddle (3796m) and then heads east towards the Breithorn, over the Breithorn pass (3824m), and along under the Breithorn’s southern flank, below the crevasse zones of the upper Ghiacciaio di Verra glacier and then below the rock island with Rosso Bivouac (3750m) on your left as you pass it. The Rosso Bivouac, although we did not visit, when viewed looks more like a hut high up on the rocky outcrop; passing this, one reaches the slope to Schwarztor. Some of the tracks enroute cross over narrow crevasses and onto narrower tracks with some steep ground to one side.

Pollux and Castor

The start of the route to climb Pollux (4091m) we took was at the base of a rocky ridge, The West South West Ridge Route; we were advised to take this route by the Alpine guide at the Hotel Bahnof (there is also the North West Ridge route or the South-East Ridge). These two routes were described in my guide book, however, the Alpine guide advised us against the South East ridge route from the ‘Zwillingsjoch’ as it had very loose rock and was not as interesting.

Allister climbing on Mt. Pollux

A view down the the West South West Ridge of Pollux

The West South West Ridge was mixed climbing depending on the way you go up and down. We started climbing the ridge just left of the start of it. We stayed in crampons on the rock, moved together on the ridge, with some gear in between us enroute. We pitched one exposed V.Diff section before moving on again. After that we climbed up a short snow slope before meeting a vertical wall of rock, exposed on either side. Here there were a series of chains, lightly dusted with ice, to hold onto and clip into to help climb up the vertical rock wall with a bit more speed and safety, which has three chain sections to it. The guide book describes it as “the upper part has some steep pitches equipped with fixed ropes” and is reminiscent according to the guidebook of sections of the Hörnli Ridge, on the Matterhorn. The rock climbing ends on a shoulder where there is statue of the Virgin Mary. Thereafter a snowy ridge narrows onto an exposed narrow summit, not advisable to be on in strong winds. The summit views were thoroughly absorbing and fantastic (4091m).

Aileen Moloney (left) and Allister (right) on the summit of Pollux.

We descended the same ridge down, except we decided instead of climbing down the rocky ridge on the bottom half of the mountain, to descend the snowy slope/gully on one side of the rocky ridge; this was much faster. Had we gone up this snow slope (Scottish grade I/II) instead of staying on the ridge itself, we would have been quicker going up; however, we did not know that at the time as there as there was no one about and we had stuck to our plan and original route, which was probably more interesting anyway. After a brief chat with another group from New Zealand at the bottom of the ridge we headed back on our snow trail for the last cable car from the Klein Matterhorn station to Zermatt, where we intended to spend the night. Due to a long day and on the climb longer than expected, the early start, altitude etc., we were slower going back and marginally missed the last cable car and plan B was called for. So I rang the Testa Grigia Hut from my mobile and booked in again for the night. An hour later we arrived down at the hut just on time for dinner, tired, hungry but glad of a bed for the night and a beer or two. In the case of emergency, huts will not refuse a stranded climber high in the Alps, even if you arrive late and unexpectedly; however, you could end up sleeping on the floor.

Thanks to Gerry Moss, Barry Watts, Declan Cunningham, Kevin Byrne, James Aitken and Tony Barry for the advice prior to going and giving us the ‘heads up’ prior to travelling, it’s these pieces of advice which can make the holiday a lot easier when you get there!

Maps
- LKS 1348 ZERMATT
- LKS 5006 Matterhorn – Mischabel
Other recommended routes in and around Zermatt
- Castor (4228m), from Klein Matterhorn, PD, Snow or Ice to 35 deg, approx. 4 hours each way; 700m height gain; zigzag up the south west face, a snow plod.
- Breithorn Central (4159m), Grade F+, Snow ascent, 35 deg. From Breithorn pass go north into a snow basin and steeply up to a col. Climb east along the snow ridge to Breithorn Central. Traverse from the East summit (PD+, III + pitches on central rocky East Ridge).
- Alphubel (4206m), South-east ridge from west (easy except for often icy summit slope, 1550m ascent, 4-5 hours from Tasch hut at 2701m; Or from Saas valley side
- Allalinhorn (4027m), South-west ridge; From Tasch hut in 3 hours, +500m, 2 hours, pitches of II.
- Rimpfischorn (4199m), PD+, summit block there is exposed climbing, II+ , otherwise II and I. In couloir above Rimpfischsattel ice climbing up to 50 deg but up to that a long plod, with just 200m of climbing (I and II) to 4009m. From Blouherd station of the Zermatt/Unterrothorn railway involves about 80m descent and ascent (30 minutes) to reach the hut. Hut to summit is 1600m ascent (5-6 hours).
The Saas-Fee/Saas Valley can also be an option and is within reasonable reach i.e. the next valley over, by train/bus from Zermatt. Weismeiss and the Lagginhorn from the Weismeiss Hut are possible options. The Strahlhorn and Allalinhorn from the Britannia Hut, as is the Rimpfischhorn and the Alphubel.

Some gear can be hired in Zermatt if required, from shops such as Sports Zermatt or Anorak Sports; gear such as crampons, ice axe, boots, climbing shoes etc.

If you are thinking of hiring an Alpine Guide (and if there are no Irish ones available first of course), telephone the Alpine Centre in Zermatt , Tel: 0041279662460.

Other useful websites/contacts
- Zermatt Tourist Office, tel: +41279668118
- SBB Trains, tel: +41900300300 (or 0848030030)
  Note: There is no need to pre-reserve train seats from Geneva to Zermatt return. Perhaps consider purchasing a ‘Swiss Card’ over there, it may save you some money. A Swiss Card includes a free round trip from the airport or the Swiss border to your resort in Switzerland. You are entitled to receive a 50% discount when travelling by train, bus and boat throughout Switzerland during your stay. You need to buy regular tickets for each trip, but you will only pay half the price when you show your Swiss Card. Furthermore, you will receive a discount of 50% on many gondolas, funiculars and mountain trains.
- Train Info: www.swissrail.ch www.sbb.ch www.cff.ch www.fahrplan.sbb.ch
- Zermatt info
- Hotel Bahnhof Tel: 0041-279672406. Catering for alpinists in Zermatt for over 100 years and is across road from the train station
- Saas-Fee/Saas Valley Info
- Hörnli Hut (Tel: 0041-279672769)
- British Mountaineering Council for alpine and rock insurance
Mont Blanc

(by Allister Gerrard, June 2005)
An ascent of the Alps’ highest mountain, via the Goûter route.

In late June 2005, John and I had just climbed Gran Paradiso and Ciaforon from the Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II hut in the Italian Alps and were reasonably well acclimatised and so we headed back to Chamonix. There were reports of a storm for the next few days. We had two choices, sit in a hut for a couple of days hoping for the storm to clear for a window to make an assault on Mont Blanc, or go climbing in the valley. John and I were happy with what we had done the three days previous. If the weather cleared we would have kicked ourselves at the lost opportunity, so we decided to head for the hut on Mont Blanc and take our chances. We decided to use an Alpine guide, to help with route finding and technical aspects should conditions turn for the worse. That said, if I were doing it again, I would go without a guide, having since gained suitable experience and confidence. Using a guide is a personal choice for each individual really at the time in question. An I.M.C. friend, the legend that is Shay O Hanlon, once told me of his experience of summiting Mont Blanc. He had spent a day looking at the route from the terrace of Harry Connolly’s house in the valley and worrying about how he and his friends would pick their way through the seracs on the slopes of Mont Blanc de Tacul in the dark. It turned out to be just a matter of falling out of the Midi hut at some ridiculous hour in the morning, getting into the ‘groove’, the deep track in the snow made by climbers on previous days and following this to the top with just a short scramble up a short icy gully! In fine weather, it is literally that, generally a snow plod. However, be prepared and know your winter climbing skills if going without a guide: ice axe arrest, crevasse rescue, etc. Climbers die of hypothermia, loss of direction in the mist and driving snow, delirium, frostbite. The annual death toll in the Alps comes to almost three figures (The total number of deaths from avalanches in the Alps in 2008 was at 100 by late August, the worst since 1970). That said, when the weather and snow are stable it is a fabulous day out. We were fit on our arrival in Chamonix for Mont Blanc, after a few days acclimatising in Italy. Prior to leaving the homeland I generally trained by combining climbing, hill-running (couple of I.M.R.A. races included), and hill-walking; for example we had completed the ‘Lug Walk’ the weekend before.

We were attempting Mont Blanc via the Goûter route. The Goûter route is graded (PD), rock to II, otherwise only snow plodding, to 40 degrees on the Bosses ridge. That morning we drove to the Les Houcles cable-car station up to the Bellevue station (1790m). Followed by a short walk to catch a train from St. Gervais les Bains to Le Nid d’Aigle (2386m). From here we set off at a fast walking pace to the Tête Rousse hut (3167m), south on a path for 200m, then left (east) in zigzags under a rocky step up into a hollow scree. We hoped to get to the hut before the storm arrived. The walk up to the Tête Rousse hut (3167m) took approx. 2 hours, 795m in height gain; we had one quick stop early on to put on rain gear. At the top of the stony track, we roped up to cross a small snowfield, with some steep ground off to our right until we reached the hut. If one is going to the Aiguille du Goûter hut, there is no need to divert to the Tête Rousse hut. We arrived nice and early, before lunch, and were refused entry into the hut, which we found strange, as it was virtually empty. We quickly realised why: the staff were clearing everything out of the old hut to the new. We were the first guests to stay in the ‘new Tête Rousse’ hut that night, which was just as well, as the old one looked fairly rough compared to the new one; plus the new one had toilets inside. There was a lot of excitement amongst the staff at their new hut, everything brand new etc. The 20-30 guests that night, we were all invited by the staff to join them in the opening celebrations, champagne, olives and finger food, before dinner, I kinda like this Alpine stuff. The hut was well below capacity that night, probably due to the poor forecast, everyone scarpered down the mountain. We got into the sleeping bags at 9pm, clouds covering the windows outside; the views were now gone, storms surely to come. 10pm I was still awake. Midnight, I was awake again with someone else getting up. 1.30am I got my call to get up; hmm… 1-2 hours sleep, not a lot. I thought of telling the others that I would stay put and wait at the hut for the day, I felt wrecked. Breakfast at 2am, at 2.15am we were all set to leave the hut, pitch black outside. The rest of the parties in the hut had all just left the hut ahead of us; my feeling at the time was to head out in hot pursuit, re-invigorated after my porridge oats. Julie-Ann suggested maybe waiting 2-3 hours to see what the weather would do, maybe even going back to bed. John and I looked at one another; we were itching to go behind the rest of the posse. After a few minutes we decided to put on boots & crampons, head torch etc., and headed out into the night. As we crossed the snowfield outside the hut, we could see the spread of torches ahead of us, heading up the steep ground towards the Goûter hut.

The next bit involved having to cross the notorious Grand Couloir, nicknamed the ‘bowling alley’, which comes steeply down from the mountain above full of loose rock. Rocks can be heard thundering down through the coulouir, an area subject to causalities. It is approx. 50-100m in width, with some ice underfoot and quite steep. It was probably best to be crossing at night when you could not see much above or below. I was mad keen to just go for it and get it over with. We stayed on one side for a few minutes listening to the rock fall etc., and then went for it. Julie-Ann stopped for a few seconds in the middle, no doubt route-finding; it felt like hours. From there on we carefully and slowly had to cross some ice to the other side and got across safely. The climb up to the Goûter hut was on a rib running left (north) of the big couloirs. We climbed this rib straight up to the north summit of Aiguille du Goûter. At 3817m it is a 650m height gain from the Tête Rousse hut; it took us just over two hours and we arrived there at 4.45am. At the Goûter hut the views were breathtaking. Although still dark, there was a glimmer of light from the top of a rising sun edging its way up to the horizon & above the clouds at 5am; we too were above the thick clouds at this point. It is advisable to book the Goûter hut well in advance as it is often booked out. We took a 15-20 minute break at the Goûter hut to have a bite and adjust our layers of clothes to the cold, windy conditions. To my surprise I was feeling ok, as I had felt pretty crap when I got up, after a busy few days in the mountains acclimatising before that. The glimmer of sunrise, the fresh air and surge of adrenalin of the journey ahead gave me a new lease of life.

We roped up together, headed south, then south-southeast along the broad snow ridge and from there the long snow plod up towards the Dôme du Goûter. Mont Blanc summit is a long way out of sight before this point. Above the Goûter hut the route is more exposed to wind; as compensation there are fewer crevasses. However, there were a few minor crevasse lines en-route and some steep slopes. Initially the pace was fine, however, I found myself working harder on keeping a steady pace and breathing as the altitude increased. Not long into the snow plod, we past a lone climber lying on the snow with his guide standing over him, looking exhausted and beat, a causulty of the altitude no doubt. As we slowly marched up the steep snow slopes, we stopped every so often for a few seconds for a quick rest before plugging on again; monotonous, boring, concentrating on your breathing, steps, enjoying the views, and so on. Finally we reached the Dôme du Goûter (4304m). Off this summit we made a descent for a while, giving us a welcome break, to the Col du Dôme (4258m). Continuing in the same direction, up a steepening slope, we passed the Vallot shelter which stands on a rock on the left (4262m). The Vallot shelter is only for emergencies; worth noting its position, as it could be a lifesaver in poor weather. People have frozen to death when unable to find it in a storm. The sun was beginning to reach over the clouds now.

Aiguille du Midi

It was a beautiful sight, the mountain peaks, ridges, clouds below; we could see the Aiguille du Midi (the cable car station from Chamonix at 3842m) below us in the distance as we climbed the narrowing and steepening ridge from the Vallot hut. There was no storm or any sign of one approaching; maybe we were going to be lucky and seek up and touch the summit before any storm raged. The walk from the emergency hut to two snowy ridge bumps (Grande Bosse 4513m & Petite Bosse 4547m), the Bosses Ridge, was a slog, a slow steady plod upwards. Stopping every so often to catch a breath. We did have one sit down stop for a quick rest en-route and to take in the sights and enjoy the view. We started to edge across the Bosses Ridge. John behind me had to stop to adjust his boots before edging onto the ridge itself. Meanwhile I was waiting standing on the ridge itself, although quite relaxed standing there, glad of the rest; however, I felt very aware of my position suddenly, with one eye gazing down the thousands of feet below off the almost vertical fall away below the ridge itself.

Allister heading for the summit of Mont Blanc, behind

Soon enough we were at the last level ridge before heading east to the last top (4740m) before the summit ridge itself and we stopped for a quick rest, before our last push up the last 300m to the summit itself. The last few steps onto the summit; the breathing was very heavy and laboured at this stage. There were many breaks in the clouds now, we were very lucky, it was clear sunny day and we had reached the summit of Mont Blanc. The views were awesome. There was a gentle breeze, some gusts even, very bearable and reasonable given the poor forecast we had the previous day. On the summit I could feel a slight headache and a little nausea but not too bad generally. We stayed approx twenty minutes on the summit, taking a few photos, admiring the views, chatting. I could see down to the town of Chamonix below in the valley, lots of dots of houses etc.; I imagine myself only the few days before, my first night there in the village, having a beer with John looking up to the summit of Mont Blanc, asking how the hell could anyone climb that? It was a great feeling to be looking down all right, however, only half way there; we had to get down and couldn’t stay there all day for a picnic and a game of 5-a-side, the summit is small enough. We could see people making their way up the Aiguille du Midi side of the mountain. It was 1641m in height gain from the Tête Rousse hut. 10am on the summit (9am Irish time), approx. 7.5 hours after leaving the Tête Rousse hut. I thought of my family, friends, work and IMC colleagues, imagining where they were and what they would be doing at 9am on that Friday morning back in Ireland. It was a great sense of freedom, exhilaration and achievement on the summit on such a glorious day.

Allister and John on the summit

Allister and Julie-Ann on the summit

The descent to the Goûter hut was pleasant walking in the snow with the sun shining on us now and clear skies around, mostly downhill all the way. We reached the Goûter hut three hours later at approx. 13:00. The hut, normally packed to the seams, was practically empty due to the forecast for bad weather. I was feeling quite exhausted at this point and hungry. We rested at the hut for about half an hour, had some lunch and water (I drank approx. 2.5 litres on the climb). I didn’t want to move after that, the legs felt like lead. A bit of light encouragement from my colleagues – ‘shift your bloody ass’ – got me up; a few minutes later we were scrambling downward from the Goûter hut towards our beds for the night at the Tête Rousse hut below. Ironically we were staying at the Tête Rousse hut because we thought the Goûter hut would have been full, but it was only half full. Moving as quickly as possible we shortly reached the point at which to cross the Grand Couloir again. We observed large rocks hurling down the couloir, bouncing and splitting as they shot past. With the advantage of having the light of day we started to cross the couloir unroped. As we crossed, I lost my footing on some ice and loose stones and took a slip; I used my ice axe to arrest my slip. John looked concerned waiting behind me that I had decided at this point to have a lie down. I quickly lifted myself up and we crossed to the other side unharmed. An hour and half later after leaving the Goûter hut and twelve hours since leaving the Tête Rousse hut, we arrived back. I had a great sleep that night and felt fully rejuvenated the next day. Later that day we reached the valley floor of Chamonix and we frequented a number of pubs that night, for a good session. In one pub we met a group from Cork who had camped on Mont Blanc for two to three nights; they had descended the day we were going up due to the poor forecast and unfortunately did not summit. We felt lucky and privileged to have summited Mont Blanc and to have climbed three Alpine peaks in five days.
Tales from the Vienna Woods

(by Gerry Moss, April 2009)
Climbing on the crags around Vienna, Austria.

I spent last week in Vienna, a guest in Herbert’s down-town, up-market, comfortable apartment. We climbed for five days, four of them on local crags and, on our one wet day, at the city’s magnificent municipal climbing wall.

Our first two days were spent at Pelstein, about 40km from Vienna. This is a major sports climbing area, with some 850 routes packed into 25 sections spread over a distance of little more than half a kilometre.

For sports climbers looking for somewhere new this is a venue worth considering: the rock is good quality limestone and all routes are well bolted. There are one, two and three pitch climbs to choose from, and climbers can opt to complete the longer routes or just ab off after the first or second pitch as the top of every pitch is rigged for abseiling.

There is a full spread of grades here, with lots of climbs in every grade from three right up to to eight, a fair few nines, a sprinkling of tens and even a handful of elevens. The grading is quite sharp, but this is offset by the fact that the bolts are at every three meters.

The guidebook is in German, with an introduction in English and Italian and good, clear topos. Because there is such a multiplicity of routes careful perusal of the guidebook is necessary, but on each section there are one or two routes marked with small metal nameplates to help get you sorted.

Approach can be made from the front or back of the crag and the furthest point is no more than a twenty minute walk, through lovely woodlands, from either car park.

There is an Alpine style restaurant-cum-guesthouse-cum-bunkhouse sitting on top of the crag, so you won’t go hungry, and you could base yourself here for a few days.

We were quite lucky with the weather – there was still some winter snow lying in the woods, but the rock was dry and sunny. However, late March is a bit risky and mid-April onwards would be a safer bet, though it would probably be too hot for most Irish climbers from mid-June to early September.

We also climbed at Mödling, only 20km from Vienna and their answer to Dalkey, though they are luckier, with three crags here, and some of the routes up to four pitches long, and all only minutes from the road.

We finished up with a day on the Hohe Wand, the last outpost of the Eastern Alps, overlooking the rolling plains. This is a big, rambling crag, with routes up to six pitches in length and a good spread across the grades. Not as well bolted as the two former venues, so a light rack is useful at times. Here we had the whole of the crag to ourselves, though the skies above us were dotted with parapenters making full use of the updraught from the cliff-face.
Gran Paradiso, the Italian Alps
(by Allister Gerrard, June 2005)
Gran Paradiso lies between Mont Blanc to the north and the Dauphiné range to the south and at 4,061m is Italy’s highest and a good mountain to help acclimatise before attempting Mont Blanc. Although if you can get to something higher it might stand to you even better. Graded F+, it is mostly a rubble/snow plod, with a slope of 35 degrees.

Maps:
- IGC 1:50,000 No. 62003 Gran Paradiso
- Kompass-Karte No. 86
We parked at the base of Gran Paradiso National Park at 1960m. The start of the walk up to the Hut Vittorio Emanuele II (2775m) takes about 2.5 hours approx. From the car park the start crosses a glaciated river and follows it for a couple of km before disappearing up a windy track alongside a waterfall. The views as you gain height are spectaular and on a clear day in June it was very warm with a heavy pack. Upon arriving at the hut, the feet revelled out of the hot boots & even more so being dipped in the freezing water of the adjacent pool. The hut itself is pretty good and we shared a room with 4 bunks and only half full for the night which was good. After an evening meal in the hut we hit the bunks at 9-10pm; ear plugs are a good idea.

We had an early rise at 3.45am, with people flurrying about the place almost in a panic as if the place was about to burn down. Panic breeds panic, so I moved into second gear, time to put the slippers on (only kidding). Tired with a broken night’s sleep, it was clothes on and down for breakfast. We set off at 4.30am into the darkness, torches lighting up the way ahead, we were first off of the blocks and ahead of the rest of the posse which we left ‘faffing’ around at the hut with laces, crampons etc. The route heads out directly at the back of the hut over a field of rocks and boulders etc. before turning right upwards into a wide chasm with steep snowy ground on both sides. At this point, after 30 minutes of walking, we stopped and looked back and could see the ensuing posse behind, a series of head torches all the way back to the hut marking the route back. It was our turn to put on the crampons and harness etc. and the peloton started to pass us as they had already done all this; we were in no race or rush. We ploughed our way up through the snow into what was like a short V-shaped valley, which eventually swung around to the right and upwards to more open ground. Heading out of the valley we had to move in single file and it was clear already one or two were struggling with the altitude as the pace was slow and snow was up to our knees on this steep section, I wasn’t complaining and happy to take it handy. When the ground opened up again and widened we moved off into our own and approximately half way up stopped on some rocks for a bite to eat, to chill out and take in the views around. We could see ‘Ciaforon’ which we had climbed the previous day; we reminisced about the previous day’s climb, which was more technically challenging.

A view back down Gran Paradiso

A view back down Gran Paradiso from the summit ridge

The summit of Gran Paradiso ahead

The rest of the walk up was mostly just a snow plod; however, the altitude slowed us ever so slightly by each step as we neared the summit. Just before the summit there is a little scramble over some bare rock, with one short narrow very exposed ledge to cross in crampons, however, we were able to clip into a rope anchored to the rock when crossing this point, so it was no bother. On the summit our lady stands on top – ‘The Madonna’ with magnificent views. We had a clear day and views of the North face of Mont Blanc (to be our next challenge, not the face though), Matterhorn, Mönch etc.

John and Allister on the summit of Gran Paradiso

We reached the summit in 4.5 hours; 2.5 hours back to the hut.

John stepping off the summit of Gran Paradiso

The descent was relatively straightforward, some deep snow on the steep ground with sheets of ice underneath ensured the odd uneventful slip. Finally, down at the hut, we got a breather and peeled off the layers in now the midday sun. After a short break, we strolled down to the car park at the base of Gran Paradiso National Park, passing these awesome glaciated rivers on the way down, crashing down endlessly. A recommended route for acclimatising or as a first 4000’er when ready to take on your first alpine ascent, without a guide.

Julie-Ann Clyma and Allister Gerrard after climbing Gran Paradiso; Emanuele Hut in the background

The drive back to Chamonix took approximately one hour. The next day we headed for Mont Blanc!


A view back down Gran Paradiso		A view back down Gran Paradiso from the summit ridge		The summit of Gran Paradiso ahead

The Cassin Route, Piz Badile

A Few Mountains Accessible from Zermatt

Maps

Other recommended routes in and around Zermatt

Other useful websites/contacts

Mont Blanc

Tales from the Vienna Woods

Gran Paradiso, the Italian Alps