Dufourspitze West Ridge (PD+/ UIAA II/III)

But there are a few negative parts as well. Not very pleasant to wake up at 1 a.m. and clear the room when you leave for a route. A small price to pay for the comfort you get I suppose. But the most annoying thing it has to be the helicopter taxi that brings rich people to the hut. With fancy expensive clothes they come, take pictures and then leave. I have felt like a zoo animal. And it doesn’t stop here as they even go circle around the cliffs while people are climbing.

Soon after I’ve arrived the weather changed. Dark clouds and high winds announcing a not so pleasant night. There was no hope for going up that night with the storm coming. The next day was no better. Most of the ones there had already climbed and they were all going down. It was me and 2 other girls still in the hut. They both had snow blindness and no insurance so had to wait and heal. But I was determined to climb and hoped for the weather to clear. It was only in the evening when the snowing stopped and people start to show up. I waited in the dining room trying to find if there’s anybody attempting Dufourspitze but there were no English speakers. So I went to sleep with the thought of waking up in time for 2 a.m. breakfast. There were people still coming from Zermatt and I didn’t manage to get much sleep with all the noise.

Couldn’t have been more than 3 hours when the alarm rang. The sky was clear and the strong winds would mean the fresh snow must have frozen overnight. Quickly packed my bag, left the rest of my clothes in a basket downstairs and went for breakfast. They serve the regular tea/coffee with butter and jam. Cereals and milk, sausages and some kind of cheese. I filled my 1L nalgen with tea and left to gear up. There were a few parties leaving which came as a relief. I really didn’t want to be the only one crossing a glacier on fresh snow.

On the 6th of August at 2.45 a.m. I left alone for the summit. Determined to at least try getting to the top. By the time I left the wind calmed down and temperature was above 0. I turned on the GPS and start ascending. At first the route is marked but quite confusing. It’s a mix of orange poles, blue paint and rock piles. Each seems to be going the same direction but different paths. Nevertheless all go through the massive boulders and rocks and head to Monte Rosa glacier. Be aware that at some point the right trail splits. I can only assume the right side is for Liskamm. This part will be ascended in the dark and it takes somewhere around 1h and 30 minutes. It is here where I’ve met the two climbers that were kind enough to let me join their party – Thibaut and Petr. I would have preferred a solo ascent but there was no time for a second try in case of failure. I could not take that risk.

We roped just before the glacier, as the last part is a 50 degrees rock face covered in a layer of ice. Once on the glacier we slowly started to gain altitude avoiding the massive crevasses. Snow was hard and even though at times you could tell it’s a snow bridge there was no fear of falling. It started to be quite cold by now and also windy. Few light ahead from a party of two. I turned my head and there were two more groups behind us. Two guides with their clients and a young girl with her father. The first morning light announcing the sunrise. What a view.

The route follows an undulating course up the glacier bearing left at the beginning. And then right of a massive rock face at about 3900m to reach Scholle. By now the head torch is not needed anymore. Is worth taking a short break and enjoying the sunrise over the valley.

At the top of the slope the West ridge starts, but the summit is still not in sight. It was extremely windy so I decided to have my hoods on rather than my camera. I wish I would have filmed it though, but I enjoyed it so much I plan to return.

Is mostly grade I and II and a short chimney of III. It used to be a fixed rope there but now the route has been cleaned. Somebody was kind enough though to leave a sling with a krab. Most of the part, there are good hand and foot holds. Is quite exposed and the extreme wind makes your heart rate go nuts. The only tricky section is just before the mentioned chimney. It requires a bit of dexterity as you have to squeeze under the rocks.

There was nobody on the top and we see the party ahead already on the way to Marguerita hut. Just behind us the girl with her father. She looked to be 16 – 18 years old. Very impressive for such a young lady.

I looked over the other side where it used to be the abseil point. Nothing there. Indeed the rope has been cut. Our 60m rope was enough to reach the bottom. We all agreed the best way is to go back and not take the East ridge. I always find easier the descent and we were indeed much quicker. But no match for the other party. When we reach the Sattel they were already a few hundred meters below us. And they were rushing for good reason. The sun was shinning melting the snow bridges and uncovering a minefield of crevasses.

Costs