Day 4 – Monday 29 July

Early

I mentioned that I’m not at my best with early starts. I’m even less at my best when the start is directly and steeply uphill – I just don’t seem to get going. At least, that’s how it was when we left the hut at 4.35, with the aim of the Finsteraarhorn by the normal route.

I was struggling right from the start. Chris and John set a moderate pace up the rocky path from the hut terrace, but I quickly fell behind. They waited where the path levels off at the site of the old hut, and we kept more or less together over the next section of less steep rock. Reaching the glacier we roped up, and as usual I took the lead to set a pace I was comfortable with.

We carried on steadily up the glacier across snow and ice patches, but although the conditions were fine I was finding it hard going. By the time we reached the small bergschrund below the rock rib which forms the SW ridge of the mountain and climbed the short distance to the col at 3636m (known as the Frühstückplatz, or Breakfast Ledge) we’d been going 2 hours and I was feeling pretty tired. By now we were last on the mountain.

Back

Neither of the other two said anything, but we looked at the next section – a steep snow slope up to the Hugisattel, a col on the NW ridge at 4088m. “How long should it take?”, I asked. We reckoned about an hour and a half to stay on guidebook time. “Can’t do it”, I said. “You go on, I’ll go down. We’ve seen the route, and it’s perfectly OK to solo while it’s still freezing.” I stayed to watch them set off, and then made my way back down.

Finsteraarhorn hut terrasse – Grosse Grünhorn behind

Down

Later, I was sitting on the hut terrace in the hot sunshine, keeping an eye on the path down. Chris came down first at a half run, too quick for me to get a photo as he passed through the stone columns which form a portal to the route. But I caught John a moment or two later. They’d done it – John’s first alpine 4000er, and a good one – the highest peak in the Oberland. We had a beer to celebrate.

John’s triumphal return

Statistics

Mönchsjoch hut

Day 5 – Tuesday 30 July

Conditions

We’d originally planned to go to the Mönchsjoch hut via the Fiescherhorn, another 4000-er. But we’d been asking others at the hut about the conditions, and were getting less confident about the prospect of tackling either of our two possible routes with full packs. In the end we decided to postpone qualifying for Hard Men of the Mountains^TM status and take the easier, but much longer glacier route via Konkordia. This would get us to the Mönchsjoch hut with three days in hand, and three summits to do – Fiescherhorn, Jungfrau, and either Mönch or Eiger.

We made a reasonably early start at 0500, crossed the Fiescherfirn as it was getting light, and were at the top of the Grünhornlicke by 0615. The descent to Konkordiaplatz was still in shadow, and we made good time to the bottom. None of us had been to Konkordia before, so we were glad to see one of the places of Alpine legend. We had a good view of the flight of steps up to the Konkordia hut, but decided not to spend time paying the hut a visit.

Diamonds

Konkordiaplatz itself was free of snow, and still frozen as we set off towards the Jungfraufirn. Crevasses in our path were easy to negotiate. As the sun rose higher and moved round we started finding more patches of snow. Where the surface was icy, the sun caused almost immediate melting, and trickles, runnels, and streams of water began to run in every crevice. It was easy to see why Konkordiaplatz has been described as “a swamp” later in the day. But on the snow patches the low-angled sunlight was reflected by a myriad of flat ice crystals varying in size from a few millimetres to a few centimetres across, and we were walking through a field of diamonds.

Although there were some larger crevasses across our path from time to time, there was only one which looked a problem. We scouted left and right looking for somewhere to cross, and although I thought there were a couple of places we could have made it, Chris and John kept looking – and found a bridge! It was two wooden planks end-to-end, with cross-pieces to give an impression of something for boots to grip. No handrail. We belayed each other across.

Further up the Jungfraufirn the route moves towards the centre of the glacier to avoid crevasses and seracs on the right. The dome of the Sphinx observatory is in view. From here on you keep walking, and walking, . . . and the Sphinx never gets any closer!

Chocolate

But eventually we were there, hauling ourselves up the last, and surprisingly steep, few metres to the Jungfraujoch station tunnel entrance. There were already plenty of tourists around. Should we ignore the temptations of the café, and toilets with hot running water? Not likely! We barged our way through the throng with our rucksacks, and settled down with three hot chocolates and a curious pastry (courtesy of John).

Time passed easily. Although Chris and I had been here before quite a few times between us, we’d never been to the observatory. So we went there. Then Chris tried unsuccessfully to send an e-mail from a coin-in-the-slot machine. Then we took a daft photo against an artificial backdrop of the Jungfrau glacier. Then we visited the toilets and had a wash in hot water. At last, with nothing else left to do, we headed back for the exit. 40 minutes later we were at the Mönchsjoch hut.

“Kicks over the traces of Hockney’s
post-perspectival obsession” – Brit. J. Post-modernism
“So real you’d think you were there” – Astigmatism Today

Lost

Oh, and if anyone finds my red Suunto Altimax wristwatch/altimeter which I left on the Jungfraufirn after taking it off to put on suncream – and which I didn’t miss until an hour later – please let me know. Otherwise it’ll remain to puzzle archaeologists in a few centuries’ time.

Statistics

Watching the Jungfrau

Day 6 – Weds 31 July

Weather

We’d been lucky with the weather so far. The high pressure that had arrived while we were at the Oberaarjoch hut had stayed with us. But towards the end of yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) things changed. A high haze turned into cloud and thunderclouds billowed up over the Jungfrau and Mönch from the Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald valleys. We didn’t get a thunderstorm, but it was drizzling and murky as night fell.

Up at 0430 and, bleary-eyed, opening the door to the terrace to go to the toilets. Six centimetres of snow! Soft, wet, unfrozen snow. Discussion over breakfast – Jungfrau, or not? The weather looked reasonable – clear, but with some cloud around. Some groups were going to try it, others were deciding not. In the end we hedged our bets – we’d go down to the Jungfraujoch station, have a look at the route, and then decide.

Sunrise on the Jungfrau. (Photo – Chris)

From the tunnel entrance we dropped down onto the glacier and followed tracks towards the start of the ascent. As soon as we moved away from the Jungfraujoch complex we were sinking into soft snow, even on the piste-bashed track. We paused to assess the situation. Fresh snow, no freeze, and we’d already heard one small avalanche somewhere to the south. We all agreed – no Jungfrau today. We’d go a bit further, watch how the other groups were getting on, but not attempt it ourselves.

Grandstand

We watched for a while from near the start of the route, then headed back to the Jungfraujoch, entering at the upper viewing gallery. We sat inside for the best part of an hour with a grandstand view of the parties on the climb, and saw them one by one turn back. We heard later that only one, possibly two, ropes had made it to the top.

Snow

Back at the hut that afternoon the weather closed in again. It was snowing by 1530, and visibility for the rest of the afternoon and evening varied from 50 down to a few metres. It was still warm, and no signs of an overnight freeze when we went to bed. We booked 7 o’clock breakfast.

John below the Mönchsjoch Hut

Route note

My edition of the Alpine Club guidebook Bernese Oberland Selected Climbs, by Les Swindin says

It is sometimes possible (in a very snowy year) to reach the Rottalsattel by ascending SW into the combe directly below the col. The bergschrund below the col is often impassable. This saves about 1hr.

This route was being used when we were there. It looked OK – parties making it to the bergschrund were getting past it near the left side with no apparent difficulty. The only dubious aspect was that any snow- or rockfall from higher up, or from the Rottalsattel ridge, would be funnelled straight down onto anyone on the route in the higher part of the comb below the bergschrund.

Our original plan was an 8 – 9 day traverse of the Berner Oberland, with some significant summits on the way.

Then there were Plans B, C, D, . . .

And finally there was what we actually did.

The Plan

Our original plan was to start at the top of the Grimsel Pass and walk in to the Oberaarjoch hut, spending the next day “training” on a local peak, probably the Studerhorn.

On day 3 we would cross the Gemslicke, with a side excursion to the top of the Oberaarrothorn, and drop down to the Finsteraarhorn hut. The Finsteraarhorn was programmed for day 4.

Day 5 – up to the Fieschersattel and the Fiescherhorn, descending to the Mönchsjoch hut.

Days 6, 7, and 8 would be Mönch, Jungfrau, and Eiger, with the order and routes depending on conditions (ours and the mountains’). This gave us a day in hand, as we weren’t due down in Grindelwald until day 9.

But it didn’t quite work out like that.

The Full Story

Thursday 12 July 2001

There were three of us – Chris, Agnès, and me. Unfortunately Agnès wasn’t feeling good, and as we walked the road from the top of the Grimselpass to the Oberaarsee dam and then along the lake to the foot of the Oberaargletscher, it became obvious we weren’t going to make the hut.

We decided to walk back out and head for Grindelwald and the Mönchsjoch hut, which would give us the option of reversing our planned route. Spending two or three days in the Mönchsjoch hut would give Agnès a chance to recover.

Tony and Agnès on the Aletschgletscher at Jungfraujoch, about to head for the Mönchsjoch Hut

We arrived at the hut on Friday 13 July. The forecast wasn’t promising – there were flurries of snow, and the (southerly) Föhn wind was bringing mild unsettled weather. By early evening visibility was down to a few metres and the wind was strengthening. We booked breakfast for 7.00 instead of 4.30.

At 7 the next morning it was still grey and blowing strongly, though hardly any fresh snow had fallen. Chris and I decided to wait an hour or so. Agnès’s chest infection was worse – she would stay in the hut. A group of 5 set off about 8.00. We still weren’t sure, but by 8.30 we decided to give it a try – we’d do the Mönch by the shortest route, the SE ridge.

And that’s what we did. 2 1/2 hours up and the same down. The guidebook grade is PD, but the conditions on the ridge probably deserved a “+”. Not knowing the route we started up the ridge in crampons, and climbed about half the route mostly on rock. The visibility came and went – at one point we had a fine aerial view of the tourists milling about around the door that leads from the Jungfraujoch complex onto the glacier. The snow higher up the ridge was mostly soft, and the final summit ridge had impressive cornices overhanging the north face. The wind varied, gusting strongly for a few minutes, then dropping to nothing before blowing up again. We didn’t linger on the summit.

Descending on the soft snow needed care, and we used the anchor posts on the top snow slope. Once we came to the rock we took off our crampons and did the remainder in boots.

And so we completed the only climb of our 10 day trip. Later that afternoon the weather closed in completely, and several inches of new snow fell overnight. Agnès’s infection was getting worse, so after breakfast the next day we trudged through thick mist and blowing snow to the Jungfraujoch station, the train to Grindelwald, and a visit to the doctor for Agnès that afternoon. The rest of the week became a walking holiday based in Grindelwald while we waited and hoped the weather would clear and conditions improve enough for us to at least attempt the Jungfrau. They didn’t.

The unpreposessing exterior of the Mönchsjoch Hut as we never saw it – in sunshine