| redbull7. 09. 2020 07:53:14 |
Cervino/Matterhorn (05.09.20)
Lion Ridge/SW route
I didn't open a new thread, maybe I could, since this is from the Italian side.
David and I had the ascent date set a month ago, then everything was in God's hands regarding the weather conditions. August had super weather and the ascent mid-August would have gone without winter gear and probably with mid-high boots. Last weekend the weather worsened, as it snowed at Kredarica height here too. Quite some snow fell above 3000m, but we didn't lose hope, as nice weather was forecasted from mid-week onward with higher temperatures. We also invited Denis, who was equally enthusiastic, especially since we had done some tours together recently and got to know each other well in that regard. DDD was ready and the weather was forecasted to be great. Friends from Zagreb will also be here on the same day and it's really interesting, as we hadn't arranged anything beforehand. Filip helped me a lot with the ascent data, as he knew a lot. Thanks Filip. Already on the camera, you could see the snow melting nicely and Friday morning was here. Work was nicely arranged so they finished early on Thursday, while I had vacation that week. We left Kamnik at 10 a.m. At Nova Gorica we entered Italy and the route took us toward Milan. From Kamnik it's just under 700 km to 2006m, where Breuil-Cervinia is. This was our starting point and you could stare with wide eyes at that mighty peak. The view from Italy is different from the pyramidal shape most know from Switzerland. From Switzerland, according to the data, since it's the NE aspect, it's very snowy. In such conditions, an easier route would be much harder than usual. We focused on ours and for almost the entire month, David and I got/inquired about Lion Ridge data every day. After seven hours of driving, we unpacked at the free large parking lot in Breuil. David and I went to stretch our legs a bit to 2500m height and were already quite close to Abruzzi Hut at 2802m. Denis is a kitchen master and was already preparing dinner, on the menu was venison goulash with noodles. It was incredibly good. While cutting bread, I nicely cut my finger and it worried me a bit for tomorrow. This route takes a lot of time, so it's questionable if anyone thinks of such an ascent as ours in one go from the parking lot. Most do the ascent to Bivouac J.A. Carrel at 3830m and continue to the summit of 4478m Cervino the next day, the Swiss Matterhorn peak is 5 minutes away. Initially we also thought of staying at Rifugio Orionde-Abruzzi 2802m, but we stuck with "pushing" from the parking lot. In the evening we fell asleep around 2 to 3 a.m. in sleeping bags, it was around 10 degrees at midnight. Coffee, a bite of bread with honey and peanut butter and we were ready with backpacks on our shoulders for the Grande tour. At 2:00 we started walking, given the weight of the backpacks it was quite fast, as we were at Abruzzi (2802m) in one hour and 15 minutes. David's weight was more noticeable by another kilogram or two, as he had a 60m rope. The weight was almost 19 kg. We had crampons attached, as we started in sneakers. Above the hut, around 2900m, we nicely hid them behind a rock, but at that time we didn't know what awaited us on the return. I was sweaty, as it wasn't too cold, plus good pace. We put on harness and helmet right away, to have as little as possible in the backpacks. There aren't many photos of this part, as it was dark. The path is nicely traceable with lots of cairns, but I don't recommend it in fog, then big trouble can arise. We had clear weather as forecasted. The previous day it was even +1 at 4000m, today colder between -2 with wind to -9 at the top. Crampon prints were already visible from 3200m, but enough snow had melted the previous day. The crossing to Colle del Leone 3581m was more or less in snow, but with good steps from the day before. The Friday afternoon sun did its job. Ice axe in hands was quite recommendable to here. We put on thinner jackets, as there was already some wind. Today around 30 km/h was forecasted. From here onward there was some walking then it really started. Now the ascent to Bivouac Carrel 3830m awaited. Rocks with fixed ropes at some places were already relevant. Just pull, pull and onward. We arrived under the hard, perhaps even hardest part of the ascent, perhaps a 90-degree wall along which it is fixed. I hear David above exhaling uff uff how the hands suffer!, if he says that then it must really be hard. I somehow climbed it, due to already sore hands my friend helped the last meter. The hard part to Bivouac Carrel was done and we were at 3830m. The sun had risen from the other side but hadn't shone on us yet, as it was the mountain's shadow. We are on the SW side. We treated ourselves to a short break with refreshment and prepared for onward right away. We didn't need winter gear to here and for now we won't either, as dry visible vertical rock ascents await us. No one except one Italian was starting the ascent anymore, most had started from here around 3rd, 4th hour in the morning. We were at Abruzzi 2802m then. The chain with overhang was no joke, but that's how it is on this path. Corda della Sveglia III+ climbs and several variants possible further on, none easy. There's also a fixed rope about 15m, but I think very few would decide to climb it. It seems more convenient to abseil next to it on descent. We were approaching the left shoulder, but to there there's still quite some ascent on the ridge or west side, which was snowy. We put on crampons and took ice axe in hand, as we'll surely need the former later. Grande Corde or Corde Tyndall was ahead of us. At this 4241m Pic Tyndall there are several descents, three smaller ones of about 10m. The last one is the most demanding, we did them without rope. All who started early in the morning were now here on descent, abseiling. We meet friends from Zagreb and chatted a bit. The last hard ascent to the 4476m summit awaited us, the Italian summit is or should be 2 meters lower than the Swiss one. The afternoon forecast was as the sky already started to indicate, arrival of clouds but no precipitation. Constant visitors to this mountain are also helicopters, here two from morning to evening and they constantly circle around Matterhorn, practically overhead. This peak is at the top regarding accidents per year. We felt our hands well, Denis and I were tired regarding that. For example, altitude didn't tire me at all, I didn't even feel like I was that high. Fixed rope and ladder with some overhang followed. I didn't rush and thought every step and rested my hands differently at the ladder. Above us others were preparing ropes for descent and it wasn't easy for them visibly. A few more "weird" fixed ropes to the left then just some ascent and we spotted the cross in front of us. 4478m high some also call this Matterhorn, although we'd agree more with the name Cervino. From there it's just another 5 minutes along the narrow ridge to that more famous peak from the Swiss side. We'd go there, but fog had already rolled in and stronger wind on this narrow ridge wouldn't exactly be ideal. The feelings were indescribable, although I was already thinking about the descent, which certainly won't be easy. It was clear that it would fog up nicely in a few hours, time was around 13:00. With the Italian gentleman whom we had overtaken many times in between, we did 2 descents together. Raps and such we did all with abseil, as otherwise you can't "play" here. We let the gentleman go ahead, as alone he might be faster, so he won't wait for three who have to do the descents. We caught some and allowed them to descend on our rope, if at the next one they stretch the rope. They quickly agreed, although it seemed to me that probably for that second abseil I don't know if we'll see them nearby. Fog was quite annoying at times and of course it didn't go that fast, especially if fog lowers in the evening with combination of darkness then descent to the valley will be almost impossible. The option would be to overnight in Carrel. We quickly climbed over Pic Tyndall and asked the team ahead to let us pass. The snowy part was gone, but we didn't remove crampons. Descents are well equipped, we used almost as many as possible 30m. At 4000m you wonder where you're even going up here, when descending by rope down. It fogged up and cleared nicely again and this repeated endlessly. We decided to go to the valley and after an hour or two of sleep we'll go home. After the last 30m abseil David packs the rope and with good pace we already reach the Italian whom we've been talking to all day, although we don't understand each other. Unfortunately we don't know much Italian, the gentleman didn't know English either. But he was very friendly and quite happy when he spotted us, and we him too. Fixed rope and later chain with overhang and we were at Bivouac Carrel. This last mentioned chain is no cat's cough, but when something is needed or necessary one concentrates the most, plus it's good not to "overload" too much. I take a few more photos toward the west and at 19:45 we go down. That hard ascent mentioned at the beginning to the bivouac awaited us, now in the opposite direction. Abseil descent is good here, but we saw it would go without too. Those two pegs are really, I don't know how to put it "phenomenal", without them you couldn't descend like that. Hugs with arms, palms on fixed rope, I can say it's indescribable. Those who go to the gym can say that after such a tour you surely won't need it for a few weeks. There was some more descent on it and then it ended, perhaps for this year because I don't know where I'll see such at home, maybe at some boat mooring. Here we also more or less finished photographing, as night was falling. At Colle del Leone 3581m we turned on our lights. Here, when sufficiently snowy, more or less in winter time it's possible directly up this gully from the lower glacier. Here we caught up and overtook the Italian again. In the lower part we run into Zagreb colleagues who will overnight here tonight. We're descending and watching when the height is around 2900m, to find our sneakers which we left at four in the morning. We didn't exactly imagine we'd have to search like that and of course in the dark. We didn't find that rock or rather we didn't worry much about them. I didn't, because I don't buy them for 100 eur, David didn't care either. Denis did, as he had new ones. Good side of it, but not for us but for the one who wears size 43 they'll probably fit. All three wear similar shoe size, so they can go hunting, somewhere there above Abruzzi  . Beer at the hut is a nice 8 euros, I wouldn't buy a "crate" for that price anyway. How it dragged to the valley and there was no end. At the parking we were at 23:30. Everything would suit me, I'd most like to jump into the water which was still too much a bit higher. I was already dreaming a bit of kebab, so the closest was Kekec pate. We had a small snack, packed and set off home in the middle of the night. On the drive we rotated, but mostly David did the driving, as he's used to such routes.
Such an ascent and descent that we did in one day I don't recommend at all. Due to gear, heavy backpacks we probably won't do it again either, over 2 days it's much more "appropriate". For interest, I can also say that given yesterday's good cut in the finger today I didn't even think of any pain. We all came home happy, healthy. Costs per person came to 85 eur (fuel and toll). On the tour there was the interesting abbreviation DDD, congratulations to the team.
 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
| (+32) |  | |
|
|