TOURTHE PERSONAL COLUMN
TOUR
Ulrichshorn - your questions answered
This is a do-it-yourself trip report - you only have to read the bits you want to know about.
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What's the path up to the hut like? |  |
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Wasn't there something about an old path being closed? | |
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What took you so long? | |
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So why didn't you do Nadelhorn, then? | |
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And why did it take you so long to get down again? | |
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Isn't Ulrichshorn just a molehill among giants? | |
What's the path up to the hut like?
Unrelentingly uphill for more than 1500 metres. Good path at first, becoming a rocky scramble from about 2600m. Upper part well (even excessively) protected with steel ropes and stanchions set in the rock. There's even a ladder at one point.
Wasn't there something about an old path being closed?
Absolutely right, Harry. The route marked on the Swiss maps and described in the guidebooks has been changed. The higher part of the "old" path, as it's now known, has been officially abandoned, apparently due to a number of stonefall injuries.
At about Pt 2638 a painted sign on a large boulder directs you right, back to the ridge, rather than following the old route left. The route then stays on the ridge all the way to the hut. It's protected with cables, iron stanchions, and a ladder - most of which were buried under snow when we were there. According to the hut guardian, by mid-July it should be a simple, scrambly, snow-free path.
We used the old route for descent, as it was still mostly under snow. But as it's been officially abandoned, the fixed cables etc on the old route won't be maintained or replaced so it'll gradually become more dangerous to rely on them.
Guide-book time for the ridge route on ascent seems about the same - might be a bit slower than the old route on descent, but can't really tell because of the conditions when we were there.
What took you so long?
The snowy conditions possibly added half an hour. Two out of the three of us were still acclimatising. One out of the three of us found the snowy, scambly part particularly hard going, and despite being urged on with helpful tips like "Haul yourself up on the cable - that's what it's for!", and "Look, there's the hut up there. It won't get any closer if you just stand and look at it!", took rather longer than anyone would have thought.
So why didn't you do Nadelhorn, then?
Ah, you guessed that was the original idea!
The main reason was that two of us (one of them me) were totally knackered even by the time we got to the Windjoch. There was no way we were going to stay together and get up the Nadelhorn ridge in anything like a safe time. We discussed other options - including my offer that Chris and Udai should do Nadelhorn while I went back - but when Udai also confessed to being rather daunted by the prospect of Nadelhorn, we opted for a quick trip up Ulrichshorn and back to the hut.
And why did it take you so long to get down again?
We got back to the hut OK and had a decent rest. We asked the hut guardian about using the old route for descent, because we'd seen two people using it the day before, coming down a nice easy snowfield instead of scrambling down the ridge. He said it should be OK as there was still so much snow on the ground.
We left soon after mid-day, and were doing fine. The route goes down a series of ribs, then breaks out onto what was then a snow-field at an easy angle. The snow was deep - knee-deep in places - but without any particular problems.
The long time was entirely down to me. Just as we were getting to the end of the snow, and within sight of the original track up, my thigh muscles went on strike. The only way I can describe the problem is that I completely lost the ability to balance. Even the slightest slip threw me completely, and whatever natural agility I might have had vanished. A couple of times I stopped for a pause, and a leg just collapsed under me.
I was reduced to picking my way tentatively down even the easiest ground. Anything involving a step down was a tortuous effort, even with two trekking poles as support. I told Chris and Udai not to wait, and infinitely slowly worked my way down the never-ending zig-zags back to Saas Fee.
So there you are - that's why it took me so long. I've never been in that state before, and hope never to be again. It was embarrassing and depressing. It just became very clear that the combination of lack of acclimatisation (one symptom being an upset stomach and loss of appetite, so energy levels were low too), 1500 metres uphill the day before, and the challenge of over 2000 metres down again, was too much.
Thanks to Udai for waiting at the bottom. Of course, we missed the once-an-hour bus from Saas Fee to Saas Grund by 5 minutes. And well done Chris for getting back to the apartment and getting a spare key off the landlady without a single word of any language in common!
Isn't Ulrichshorn just a molehill among giants?
Far from it! Not only does it deservedly have its very own section in the guidebook, but the quality of the SW ridge with snow on one side and - er - snow on the other side only confirms the status of this soaring peak. Some have said that the guidebook grade of PD may be a wild undersatement. No wonder it is an ever-present challenge to all those who seek to conquer every Alpine summit over 3924 metres.
Indeed, standing by the litter bin in the top left corner of the terrace of the Ulrichsblick Hotel in Saas Fee, the visitor can see how Ulrichshorn alone dominates the skyline above the village. Other hotels may have their Allalinhorn or Alphubel views, but the true majesty of Ulrichshorn can best be appreciated from this idyllic viewpoint.
Few tales survive of man's epic struggles on this mountaineer's mountain. Mention Ulrichshorn in the bars of Saas Fee - or even as far afield as Saas Almagell - and a hush falls over the room. Local guides rarely venture onto Ulrichshorn's slopes, and those that do say little about their experiences. Climb Ulrichshorn and the mountain will earn your respect, but most choose to keep this intensely personal experience to themselves, content with memories that few will ever share.
URL=http://www.tonyturton.com/mountains/alps00/alps00_1.html
