Monte B-rosa
The boys had arrived and our Monte Rosa adventure begins. We have had this trip planned for about 9 months now and we all were super excited and anxious to begins. This is mine and Will's first experience at high altitude, whilst Sam is a sucker for punishment summiting Many high altitude mountains around the world, his most recent summit being Mount Kilimanjaro a few months prior to this trip.
Following a comfy bed shared with Will, the morning our trip starts we head off for breakfast and do one final kit check, deciding our bags were a bit heavy the night before, we shed some weight and left a few luxury items behind.
We were due to be picked up by our guide Alessandro at 1pm so we had a few hours to burn, the tension raised and the step into the unknown nearly became too much for me. I knew in the back of my mind that I would be fine and had to try and relax and look forward to the journey ahead.
Following Lunch, we met Alessandro and headed up to the top of the pass to catch our cable cars to 3200m.
Once we got off the third and final cable car at approximately 3200m, we could see our hut situated at around 3500m about a 90 minute walk away across our first Glacier. The glacier was disappearing, and our guide told us 10 years ago the Glacier came all the way up to the cable car station. I know we are in the centre of an unusually hot summer but to see the condition of the glacier was a shocking and saddening sight.
Our first Glacier experience was upon us, a short crossing of a wet and mushy Glacier meant to no need for crampons but still an amazing experience.
You could see how much the Glacier had melted by a large boulder being held up by snow that was un-melted due to the boulder shading it from the sun, nature's balancing act.
After a short hike we had reached our home for the next few days, situated at 3498m, the Mantova hut. Hut life is something you don't really think about when training. You think about fitness, acclimatising and gear, not really the huts themselves to be honest. As well as this, there are lots of huts across the alps offering food, sleep and beer to mountaineers looking to take on the highest mountains Europe has to offer. Some are basic, some are fancy, from research I would guess that Mantova is somewhere in the middle, offering half board stays for 80 euros a night.
We had an enjoyable evening, I had settled down my nerves now I had got moving and into the mountains and was feeling excited for the next day. We discussed set off time for the next day. Due to the condition of the Glacier its best to set of as early as possible, so the hut was serving breakfast an hour early. Breakfast at 3am, leave for 3.30am and get up the glacier before the sun had risen.
We relaxed, had a couple of beers and enjoying the beautiful view from the hut.
There is a couple things, that I had to get quickly used to at the hut, small rooms and bunk beds, with 4 single mattresses on top and 4 single mattresses on the bottom. As we entered our room, we had been given the short straw, a top bunk, but fortunately I knew the people I'd be sleeping next to that night.
The 2nd thing I had to TRY and quickly adjust to is the good old fashion squat and drop toilet. I say 'try' because I just couldn't go, not sure if it was the food or the thought of sliding backwards into a metal tin of a toilet in my slippery Crocs, but because I know you would love to know, it took 3 days...
After a sleepless night and a 2am wake up call the first day beckoned, we all crawled out of bed like zombies that morning, and went down for the 'European' styled light breakfast, of a small bowl of muesli, a slice of bread with a bowl of coffee. After a quick breakfast we got geared up and at 3 am we headed up towards the crossing on the Glacier.
This morning was absolute pure joy for me, The happiness I felt walking across that glacier with headlights of fellow mountaineers lighting up the path felt so pure and despite have zero sleep I don't think I have ever felt more alive!
The destination for the day was the Margherita hut on the summit of Signalkuppe at 4554m. The Margherita hut is the highest refuge in the alps and the only one position on the summit of a mountain. Fortunately we were staying in the same hut this trip and were able to leave a few things behind, making our packs light meaning we can move at a good pace. As we were heading over the Glacier we had to step over numerous crevasses, which is such a weird feeling, it should be scary but I was loving it, I felt confident on the ice, all the training seemed to have paid off.
As the sun started to rise, the glow in the sky was surreal, don't get me wrong the going was tough but every step we took the better it got.
As we reached the top of the Glacier, we entered a valley between magnificent summits, Lyskamm, Parrotspitze, Signalkuppe, Dufourspitze and the Matterhorn in the distance, a sight that will never leave me. At this stage the going levels out for a little bit, possibly dropping down 100m or so and I remember reflecting on my life, I am still feeling a small case of imposter syndrome. 4 years ago I was depressed, drinking too much and partying too hard, I didn't want to be alive anymore and it was mountains that truly saved me. In Spring 2018 I first walked up the Llanberis path up Snowdon, and it truly saved me. I found a new purpose in life that pulled me away from that toxic life of living every week looking forward to the weekend to go the pub. Now here I am 4 years later on Monte Rosa with 2 of my best mates having the best time! Anyway, less of the sob story here's a pic Will taken of the Matterhorn...
After being battered by high winds, the final push was upon us, the summit!
The final push was tough, it was steep, icy and high winds were hitting us...but we made it! 4554m the highest I have ever been and the hard work was worth it...Being called the Margherita hut, there was Margherita pizza, RESULT!
A sense of achievement was felt by the whole team. It was an amazing feeling and to sip on a cappuccino and eat pizza was a bit surreal. After a break, it was time to get geared back up and head down, but not before a quick picture of the view from the balcony on the hut...
We made our way down, the same way we came up, we got back to the hut around 10am, 1200m of ascent 11km. A truly epic day.
We made it down to the hut, burnt, hot, tired and hungry. I don't think we had a beer that night, just lots and lots of water to re hydrate and try to relax for the next day on the mountain.
An ambition for all 3 of us, is to gain the experience in alpine mountaineering, therefore we decided the next day to have a training day, practising crevasse rescue, ice climbing techniques along with additional training on different ways to move wearing cramp on's. So after another sleepless night in the worlds hottest room, we headed out...
After our training day, it was getting a bit late in the day to head up the glacier to any of the Monte Rosa summits, it had been hot and the glacier was in terrible condition and being on the glacier around 10am, we felt that it was just to much of a risk, so we heading to the Gnifetti hut for cheesecake instead...
After cheesecake and few more practise sessions we headed back down to the Mantova hut. The next day we was heading down to normality and we all reflected on the journey we had been on. We are all feeling more confident at altitude, on Glaciers and even though we hope we never have to put the techniques in to practise, crevasse rescues. While we sat with a beer on the final night we was already planning the next trip into high altitude, The Himalayas? Mont Blanc? Pyrenees? Norway? who knows, but one thing we do know, we are hooked!
I was planning on attempting the Gouter route up Mont Blanc in September but due to the bad conditions on the glacier, warnings from alpine guides and the mayor, I have decided that I will wait to hopefully early in the season next year. I had already had to cancel the Matterhorn due to dislocating my shoulder 3 weeks prior to the Monte Rosa trip, but these things happen and the mountains are going anyway, albeit conditions are getting much more dangerous.
I headed down, Ellie was waiting for me in the campsite but unfortunately she had work to do, so that meant I had to get public transport down from the top of the valley back to the camp site. I must of been desperate for a shower and a proper nights kip, because I despise public transport, I don't think I have been on a bus since I was 19 going to work because my car had broken down.
Once down, we had one last evening together, before Sam & Will headed back to the UK and Ellie and I headed over to the dolomites to continue our European van life adventure. So we went for Pizza and Beer at the Favre bar and got steaming on whiskey my service manager gave to me as a leaving gift for when we successfully get up and down!
It had been a hell of a few days, some struggles, lots of laughs and an already amazing time. we dropped Sam and Will off at Pont Saint Martin train station and headed over to the dolomites!
You can read about our adventure through the rest of Northern Italy on my Italy post:
George
I have credited Will in the photos that he has taken, as you can probably tell this post wouldn't of been the same with out his awesome eye for the perfect snap. If you would like to purchase any prints or browse some of his other awesome photography, you can do so on his website:
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As I sign out of the post I will leave you with some additional photos I couldn't squeeze in to the post...Enjoy!
