August 23, 2019 | TRIPS
Monte Rosa, Punta Dufour (4,634 m) is a relatively easy mountain, but with a few features that make it a very interesting climb. It's the second-highest peak in the Alps, after Mont Blanc. Its first ascent was in 1855. Constant views of the Matterhorn and the entire Lyskamm range offer a unique panorama throughout the climb.
The hike up to the refuge from Zermatt is straightforward. First, a small train that gains us some altitude, followed by about 3 hours to the Monte Rosa Hut. Well marked and with little elevation gain, it turns out to be a calm day. The second day on the mountain is what turns this into a real odyssey. Breakfast is served at the refuge at 2:30am. As soon as you open your eyes, more than a hundred people are already getting ready to head out. Everyone wants to save time, so harness, clothes, everything on, and off to breakfast. Right after, on go the boots, helmets, and headlamps, and out as fast as possible. We leave the refuge at 3am. We kept a steady pace, calm but without losing rhythm. We knew it would be a long day and we needed to catch the last train down to Zermatt before 8:30pm.
The first part of the route crosses rock, until we reach the glacier. Here we put on crampons and rope up. We split the team among the 3 guides. David and Albert each go with two clients, and I go with one, Jaume. All roped up, we check our crampons and set off, ice axe in hand. Now it's time to navigate crevasses under a spectacular full moon and a calm, clear sky. We're very lucky.
Little by little the terrain starts to get more difficult. We're not just gaining altitude — Jaume starts to feel it a bit, his head hurts slightly, and I notice the pace starting to slow. He also starts stopping a bit more often. We have to get across a steep ridge of fairly hard snow and ice. Maximum concentration. Inside, I know that if Jaume stumbles, I need to react very quickly to stop the fall before it has bigger consequences. I don't say anything, I hold the rope shorter, keep a bit more tension, and we keep moving. Soon we reach a stretch of ridge, not too difficult but where people start to bunch up. The exposure is high on both sides of the ridge. We make our way through, and then comes another, steeper ice ridge than the last. We get across it at a slow but steady pace. We're already above 4,000 meters, and the cold starts to bite. We know we're close to the summit, but this mountain doesn't give anything away for free. There's still one last ridge left to reach the top. This is where the roped teams coming down start crossing paths with those going up. It creates a bottleneck that at times feels like rush hour traffic in Barcelona. You have to be patient, stay calm, and push through the cold.
We finally reach the summit. All 8 of us stop up there. The clients relax a little, though they know this is only halfway — we still have a long way back. We enjoy the views, take photos, eat something. Meanwhile, we start weighing our descent options. We know there's a line of rappels and fixed ropes somewhere that would let us avoid retracing the ridges. We decide it's better to find those rappels. We find them quickly and start the descent. Two rappels, a few fixed ropes, and we're back on the glacier. Now it's time to rope up again and retrace the whole glacier back to the refuge.
We reach the refuge at 4pm. We're tired, it's hot, and we haven't eaten much. But we know we're on less committing terrain now, and we relax. We pack our bags and, after eating something, run to catch the last train. At 19:30 we catch the train, and now, finally, we can celebrate a great day in the mountains.
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Great experience. Santi arranged and communicated all the logistics very well. Giordano was a great instructor and made the experience fun and comfortable. Will recommend Southclimb.
(Translated by Google) In August I climbed two long routes in the Pyrenees with Santi, "Tanger" in Collegats and the next day "El Rap del Niño" in Cavallers. A fantastic experience and the best guide to get back to climbing after a break of almost a year due to injury. 100% recommended :)
(Original) En agosto escalé con Santi dos vías largas en el Pirineo, "Tanger" en Collegats y al día siguiente "El Rap del Niño" en Cavallers. Una experiencia fantástica y el mejor guía para volver a escalar después de un parón de casi un año debido a una lesión. 100% recomendado :)
(Translated by Google) Climbing course adapted to everyone's level. Intensive learning with a guide, Sara, who has been helping us all the time and setting us challenges. It has been 6 hours but it has flown by. We will repeat for sure!
(Original) Curs d'escalada adaptat al nivell de cadascú. Intensiu d'aprenentatges amb una guia, la Sara, que ha estat tota l'estona ajudant-nos i plantejant-nos reptes. Han estat 6 hores però ha passat volant. Repetirem segur!
(Translated by Google) Brutal experience! Dynamic, very instructive, great team and very professional monitor.
(Original) Experiencia brutal! Dinamica, muy instructiva, gran equipo y monitor muy profesional.
(Translated by Google) We did the long track course with Santi. The guy is a machine, he explains very well and gives a lot of security. Totally recommended.
(Original) Hicimos el curso de vía larga con Santi. El tio es un máquina, explica muy bien y da mucha seguridad. Totalmente recomendado.
(Translated by Google) I did the introductory climbing course and the experience was very rewarding. With no knowledge of climbing I felt accompanied and safe at all times. Santi is a great teacher and you can see both his passion and his involvement. Very motivational and understanding. Totally recommended even for people without knowledge or practice.
(Original) Hice el curso de iniciación a la escalada y la experiencia fué muy gratificante. Con nulos conocimientos de escalada me sentí en todo momento acompañado y seguro. Santi es un gran profesor y se le nota tanto la pasión como la implicación. Muy motivacional y comprensivo. Totalmente recomendable hasta para gente sin conocimientos ni práctica.
(Translated by Google) Incredible climbing baptism!! It has been a great experience from start to finish. We have enjoyed, laughed and, above all, learned a lot! Thank you Santi for this great morning and for the confidence and security you give!!! We will repeat without a doubt ☺️
(Original) Bautizo de escalada increíble!! Ha sido una grandísima experiencia de principio a fin. Hemos disfrutado, reído y, sobretodo, aprendido muchísimo!! Gracias Santi por esta estupenda mañana y por la confianza y seguridad que das!!! Repetiremos sin duda ☺️
I organised a 4hr climbing session in Siurana for 10 children (mostly aged 8-9) and Santi was super easy to communicate with and organise everything remotely. He arranged 2 guides, all the equipment, safe briefing and everything you would need for a half day of fun climbing. The kids really enjoyed themselves and learnt so much along the way. Some were beginners, others had climbed before and the guides were very helpful and supportive. I highly recommend Southclimb and we can’t wait to go climbing with them again.
Santi is an amazing teacher. It is very clear that he has a lot of experience and you can ask him anything about climbing amongst other things. Santi is also super friendly and easy to get along with. I would absolutely recommend the lead-climbing course I did here. It felt very professional and complete and I think it is one of the best ones you can get. Another note; Santi made awesome pictures of us :-), thank you so much for everything!
I had an amazing time here. It was only my second time climbing outdoors and I didn’t really know what to expect. Santi, the guide, paced the difficulty of the routes really well so I was able to progress each day. This trip exceeded all my expectations.
