It was too windy for Mont Blanc but occasional hillwalker JOHN COLLINSbagged two 4,000m peaks and some great memories on a climbing holiday in Switzerland
THE ONLY sound is my heavy breathing and the crunch of boots on frozen snow. It’s 5.30am. It’s dark. I’m cold and I’ve just spent a restless night in a communal dorm room. Somewhere ahead of me in the dark is Weissmies, a 4,017m peak in the Swiss Alps that we’ll spend the next six hours traversing. Suddenly the people who looked at me quizzically and asked, “Are you sure that’s a holiday?”, seem to be making a lot of sense.
The plan was simple enough. Myself and my friend, Micheál – two relatively fit occasional hillwalkers – were in the Alps with the intention of climbing Mont Blanc which, at 4,810m, is the highest peak in western Europe.
Despite its height, Mont Blanc is not a particularly technical challenge – a head for heights and the ability to hike for 12 hours should suffice for the most popular routes. Most aspiring summiteers head to the French mountain resort of Chamonix for a five-day course with a guiding company, with the summit tackled over a two-day push.
Rather than being based in one spot all week we decided to put our own training course together. First, we’d travel to Switzerland to climb a couple of 4,000m peaks before heading to Chamomix and hooking up with a guide for the Mont Blanc attempt. But in the mountains the plans of mortals count for little and when we arrive in Saas Fee, a pretty car-free Swiss mountain village surrounded by 13 4,000m peaks, rain is sheeting down.
That rain has fallen as snow higher up, creating an avalanche risk, so our planned ascent of Weissmies is off. The next day we hit the Swiss public transport system – as reliable as the local timepieces – heading for Zermatt, a more upmarket but clinical version of Saas-Fee, which sits in a valley below the iconic Matterhorn.
When we arrive it’s raining, cold and the mountains aren’t even visible through the cloud. Our chances of climbing Breithorn, considered the easiest 4,000m mountain in Switzerland, seem remote. As we sit outside a cafe shivering, myself and Micheal see our chances of climbing Mont Blanc receding into the mountain mist.
After a pricey lunch on the main tourist drag of Zermatt we decide to head up to the Klein Matterhorn hut anyway for a night of acclimatisation. On the 45-minute journey up through the clouds in the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car a phone call to the guides at the local Alpine Centre assures us that Breithorn will be possible in the morning.
The Klein Matterhorn looks less like an Alpine mountain hut and more like a SPECTRE mountain hideout in a James Bond movie. We are two of four guests spending the night in the hermetically-sealed glass and steel building at 3,883m. The staff leave on the last cable car at 5pm and, with visibility less than a couple of hundred metres, the only thing for it is an early night.
After a night during which I discover that oxygen deprivation gives particularly vivid dreams, we meet our guide for the day. Freddy, with his mahogany skin and wiry body, looks as if he’s been hewn from the mountains himself.
THE HIKE UP Breithorn isn’t particularly challenging – although there is a short walk along an airy ridge at the end – but it gives us experience using crampons, the spikes we strap-on to our boots to give us purchase on snow and ice. Miraculously, the sun has also emerged and the views of the Alps are breathtaking – for once superlatives really do fail me.
The following morning we meet Tom Schnabl, the Austrian guide who we hope will lead us up Mont Blanc. We’ve backtracked to Saas-Almagell, the next village over from Saas-Fee, to tackle Weissmies, but this time doing the more challenging traverse rather than the slog up and back from the Hohsaas cable car.
He doesn’t say it but Tom wants to get the measure of our fitness so we head up the “adventure way” to the Almageller Alpin, a hikers’ refuge that prepares hearty meals from the supplies flown in by helicopter every Saturday. The adventure way is an initially steep route of metal steps, rope bridges and suspended platforms which would provide panoramic views of the valley below if our guide wasn’t moving at such a clip. Even in the thin mountain air the midday sun makes carrying a backpack hard work. By the time we flop down into seats for lunch I feel like I’ve just stepped out of a shower.
Another two hours and we hit the Almageller Hut at 2,896m, our home for the night. Our room is a 12-person term with two massive bunks – six people on top, six on the bottom and nothing between you and the stranger beside you. Needless to say sleep is hard to come by and at 5am the next morning breakfast is eaten in silence.
WE SET OUT IN the dark and as we slip through the fresh snow I have my brief crisis of confidence thinking of my warm bed back in Dublin. But then the sun begins to edge up flooding the Saas Valley in a clean pink-tinged light and I know why I’m here. There isn’t much chance to drink in the beauty of the Alps as we are roped up and begin a scramble up an exposed ridge of snow and ice. The combination of watching the rope, climbing what’s in front of me and trying not to look down means my helmet comes into contact with overhead rocks more than once but we are moving at a fast pace and making good progress.
An hour of scrambling later we hit the summit ridge and know we are going to bag our second 4,000m peak. A strong wind rakes across the ridge and Tom cautions us that similar conditions tomorrow will rule out Mont Blanc. These doubts are pushed aside when we reach the triangle of snow that marks the top of Weissmies. We’re all smiles on the descent, despite picking our way between crevasses and walking over snow which can be as thin as 50cm.
On the drive across the border to Chamonix that evening Tom consults with other guides on the phone and the bad news is there’ll be no attempt on Mont Blanc. Although there is no mention of it in Chamonix, we later learn that two young British climbers have been airlifted off the mountain after spending 24 hours on a ledge in bad weather.
The consolation prize is the Cosmiques Ridge, a challenging introduction to proper Alpine climbing which is used for training for Mont Blanc itself.
“You probably hate me a little bit right now don’t you?” smiles Tom after he’s half pulled me up the crux of the route, a 5m high rock slab which he climbed with ease. If I had the energy and wasn’t concentrating on holding on for dear life I probably would. At least the heavy cloud and occasional snow mean I can’t see the precipitous drops all around.
After three hours we crest the ridge and to my massive relief see the ladder up to the viewing terrace on the Aguille de Midi cable car station. Tom proffers his hand as I climb back on to terra firma but, as relief floods my body, I grab him in a bear hug and whoop for joy.
The onlooking Japanese tourists laugh nervously but I don’t care. I’ve pushed myself way beyond anything I expected at the start of the week and that makes for a very different but ultimately rewarding holiday.
Where to stay and eat
Saas-Fee
It's extremely family-friendly and is just one of two Swiss resorts that offer summer skiing. As a result, when the weather closes in Olympic skiers rub shoulders with young families on the narrow streets of the village.
As you'd expect in a village with a population of just 1,600, Saas-Fee's nightlife is modest.
If you want to know what fashions are going to be hot with the skiboarding crew next year, Popcorn – a bar and fashion outlet on the main street opposite the town square – is the place to find out. It's lots of fun but also guaranteed to make anyone over 30 feel about 100.
Where to stay
Hotel Britannia, Saas-Fee. See www.hotel-britannia.ch. Tel: 00-41-279586000. A cosy if basic hotel on the main street. Popular with hikers, it costs CHF71-98 (€55-€76) per person depending on room and season, including breakfast. If you are out on the mountains for the day, the hotel offers simple but filling dinners.
Hotel Brittainia is one of 28 hotels and 20 holiday apartments providing free summer travel on cable cars and post buses in the Saas Valley – a significant saving.
Transport
If you are planning to do much travelling in Switzerland buy a Swiss Pass before you leave as it gives you free public transport on a set number of days of your choosing. It also entitles you to a 50 per cent discount on nearly all cable cars and mountain railways.
Zermatt
With the Matterhorn on its doorstep, it's little surprise that tourism in Zermatt is more developed and upmarket, with prices reflecting this. It's a sizeable town and if you head off the beaten track a little you'll find reasonably priced supplies and souvenirs.
The Glacier Express
This sightseeing train between St Moritz and Zermatt ensures there are plenty of customers for Zermatt's high-end boutiques and five-star hotels.
Where to stay
Hotel Continental, Zermatt. Tel: 00-41-27-9662840 or see rhone.ch/continental. Tucked away in a quiet side street just off the main Bahnhofstrasse, this family-run three-star hotel provides hearty buffet breakfasts to get hikers on the trail.
Chamonix
A bustling ski resort in winter Chamonix is also extremely busy during summer so book ahead.
Guides
The town has a bewildering choice of mountain guides all of whom are approved by France's Syndicat National des Guides de Montagne. We chose Mountain Spirit Guides ( mountain-spirit-guides.com) who charged €460 for a two-day Mont Blanc course. That doesn't include mountain rescue insurance – available through the British Mountaineering Council – lift passes (a day return to L'Aiguille du Midi is €41), or accommodation in mountain huts (about €50 a night). Safety should be your main concern. Mountain Spirit never climbs with more than two people per guide and our guide, Tom Schnabl, expressed shock that the guide we used in Zermatt had six clients on a single rope.
Where to stay
Hotel de l'Arve, Chamonix. Tel: 00-33-450530231 or see hotelarve-chamonix.com. Just off the main tourist strip, Rue Joseph Vallot, it charges €74-€106 for a superior room with Mont Blanc view during the summer season.
Where to eat
Le Bistrot des Sports, Rue Joseph Vallot. Tel: 00-33-450530046. It serves a good mix of regional dishes and standard French bistro fare. It's also popular as a late night bar but, if you want to celebrate reaching a summit with the locals, head to the strip of bars along Rue des Moulins.