Dufourspitze traverse
The Margherita hut is the highest building in Europe at 4550m - yet still manages to provide free Wifi, phone charging, real coffee, a friendly welcome and the best hut meal of the summer (and free after-dinner Genépi!) From the hut the summit of Dufourspitze seems tantalisingly close, but the 4563m Zumsteinspitze bars the way, and the spectacular AD ridge joining the 2 peaks is narrow and delicate (even compared to the previous day on Liskamm!)
.JPG "Margherita hut from Zumsteinspitze")
.JPG "Early morning light on the South East ridge of Dufourspitze")
.JPG "The crux slabs, high on the SE ridge")
.JPG "Dawn light, just below the summit.")
.JPG "A team on the Dunantspitze")
.JPG "Looking back from the summit to the Signalkuppe")
From the summit we back-tracked over the Dunantspitze and made a tricky descent to the Silbersattel. There used to be fixed ropes here but they were destroyed by rockfall and the descent now involves some careful down-climbing. We'd hoped to climb Nordend, but the wind had blasted the joining ridge leaving a terrifying traverse on steep bare ice, so we had second thoughts and trekked out down the Monte Rosa glacier pondering the ethics of the 2 other teams...who'd booked a heli pick-up from the Satteltole at 4100m!
.JPG "Descent to the Silbersattel")
.JPG "Descending the Monte Rosa glacier")
Liskamm Traverse
Liskamm is the 8th highest peak in the Alps but it's enormous bulk makes it feel even bigger - it seems to dwarf even its' neighbour Dufourspitze when seen from the Monte Rosa hut. Traversing the ridge over the 2 summits from Felikjoch to Lisjoch gives about 4.5km of fully concentrated balancing on very narrow ridges! We started from the Ayas hut and traversed Castor in the early morning, adding another 1km of tightrope-walking to a very fine day...
.JPG "Pollux, on the way to the Ayas hut")
.JPG "4.30am on a Thursday...leaving the Ayas hut.")
.JPG "Stunning sunrise from the Felikjoch")
.JPG "The fine summit ridge of Liskamm. Margherita hut in the far distance.")
.JPG "Grenz glacier through a hole in the cornice")
.JPG "The descent. East ridge of Liskamm.")
.JPG)
.JPG "Liskamm")
.JPG "Sunset from the Margherita hut.")
