Breithorn - Triftjigrat
It was June 26th, but a very precipitation-heavy winter here in Switzerland meant that ridges were still covered in snow and glaciers were perhaps better crossed on skis. But the large snowpack still present in the high mountains meant it was also the perfect window to tackle some north faces. A bit skeptical, however, about the now rising temperatures, Bas and I decided against an initial idea to climb the north face of the Obergabelhorn and chose instead to attempt the Triftjigrat on the Breithorn north face. There we would also be able to enjoy the lift infrastructure to avoid a potential endless plod over slushy glaciers on the descent.
So the decision was made, and the next day we were heading into Zermatt – untypically by bus, since the recent floods in the Mattertal meant the Matterhorn-Gotthard railway was still not running between Visp and Täsch. In Zermatt itself, however, there was no evidence that only days ago the streets had been turned into a raging torrent, and the only thing streaming down them now were the familiar crowds of tourists. Bas and I quickly wound our way between them to reach the cable car, which took us to nearly 3000 meters above sea level, and after a mere 20-minute stroll we reached the Gandegghütte. The energy we saved by opting for this laughably easy approach should come in useful tomorrow.
The final steps towards the charming Gandegghütte with the Breithorn in the background
Dawn approaching after crossing both the Unterer Theodulgeltscher and the Triftjigletscher
At the Gandegghütte we enjoyed the hospitality of hut warden Felix who also informed us that to his knowledge no parties had been on our route this season. In the hut, there was one other party who was going for a different route on the north face the next day. We spent the afternoon studying the Breithorn from the perfect vantage point behind the hut and it was soon time for dinner. We enjoyed some excellent Spätzle and not long after dinner we were headed to bed, our alarms set to shortly before 3 am. Perhaps it was the elevation after such a quick ascent to 3000m, but I slept quite terribly, unlike Bas who was firmly asleep while I was still turning in my bedsheets. When the alarm went off it was a relief and I quickly put on my clothes and head down for breakfast. The other party had gotten up before us and already left, we could see the beams of their headlamps down on the glacier when we stepped outside the hut. The night felt very warm which made us a bit concerned about the conditions on our route as we set off from the hut at 3:30 in the morning.
The GPX track of our route – unlike ours, the route described in many topos crosses the two glaciers on the saddle close to p. 2909.
A short hike down from the hut brought us to the Unterer Theodulgeltscher where we put on rope and crampons. For our route, we went a bit higher than what was described in a lot of topos and after leaving the Unterer Theodulgeltscher crossed the Triftjigletscher on the south side of some big crevasses. Thanks to this route chosen by Bas we were able to save some elevation by trying to stay as high as we could. That way we quickly reached the first steeper slope to the west of the Triftjisattel. Here we took out our second ice tool and started up the roughly 45° slope. Although dawn was just breaking by then, the snow was already quite soft in places as it evidently hadn’t properly frozen during the night. But by choosing to head up a gully of avalanche debris we were able to find a way up the slope where the snow was reasonably firm. It, however, also meant we didn’t go up close by the rock band on the eastern side slope which the route usually is meant to hug. This meant we found ourselves between a mix of ice and chossy rock upon exiting the snowfield. This would prove to be the first proper obstacle to be overcome. So far the slope had been gentle enough, but now some steeper steps up rocks which were quite literally disintegrating under our hands and feet meant we started to place a few pieces of protection while continuing to simul-climb. They were often only marginal and time-consuming to find, but aside from the questionable rock quality this section offered a couple of engaging moves of mixed climbing.
On the final stretches of the first snow slope
Bas navigating the big pile of choss
Eventually, we made our way into some bigger and more confidence-inspiring rocks which led us onto a short snow ridge and towards another steep snow field which we had to traverse before reaching the Triftjiplateau. It was quite a weird feeling to all of a sudden have flat ground under our feet again. We took the opportunity to have our first small rest where we ate some bars and rehydrated. But since the sun was now fully out and burning down on the snow, we were quick to start moving again. With each step we sunk into the warming snow and it was now also evident that there wouldn’t be any other track on this route. We hadn’t seen the other party since crossing the glaciers during the dark, they were now out of sight somewhere in the steepest section of the Breithorn north face so we were basically alone on the mountain from our perspective. It was a freeing feeling and we enjoyed the gentle (albeit made still exhausting by the soft now) going over some easier terrain. After gaining a short slope we reached the second step of the plateau. From here we had our first proper look at the final headwall and could start thinking about our route choices.
Traversing a steep snow field leading up to the Triftjiplateau
On the Triftjiplateau
With the summit in sight (still a long way to go though…)
As we approached the headwall, we could make out two obvious couloirs. The one to the right was considerably wider and probably what most parties use to gain the final 400 meters up to the summit. Bas in particular, however, was very keen on taking our chances with the narrower couloir. It was probably not much steeper but perhaps a bit more interesting from a technical perspective. What sealed the fact was that the Bergschrund below the narrow couloir seemed considerably easier to cross and that some more contact with rocks sounded actually more appealing than digging through the deep snow. And so we ventured into the final steep section of our climb, Bas in the lead. He had done the lion’s share of the trail-breaking so far and seemed still very motivated and energetic. As for myself, the combination of a bad night’s sleep with insufficient acclimatization meant I was happy to leave this last bit of climbing for him to lead as well. As we approached the couloir it started to look increasingly less intimidating and – as is so often the case in the mountains – sections which seem improbably steep from a distance reveal themselves to be much more mellow when you can see them up close. The Bergschrund could be crossed with one big step and I was following in Bas’ track with ease. After approximately 80 or so vertical meters, we approached the first choke point of the couloir where there was a short steep step to be overcome which might have approached 60° for a meter or two. Bas placed a cam into the rock and continued upwards. When I got to the cam I untied some of my chest coils to give Bas some more rope to reach another section of rocks where he could place the next piece of protection. Only then I took the cam out and we continued in this fashion, simul-climbing until we exited the couloir to reach a steep snow slope of perhaps 50° that led us around the shoulder of the huge ice fall to our left.
Approaching the headwall – our route follows the narrow couloir directly in the middle, another option would have been the wider couloir to the right. Upon exiting we went up straight and then to the left around and behind the right edge of the huge ice fall.
Bas approaching the first short technical section of our couloir
The snow was starting to get quite slushy, but often times underneath you could find some ice to give your tools purchase
The summit is getting closer!
Here we had to skirt around some steep rocks and here was the first time we used our ice screws. For a section of perhaps 20 meters the snow-cover got very thin so that we had to front-point, but it didn’t last very long. Bas was enjoying this section very much and almost sounded disappointed that it ended so quickly and while I could see the appeal of a bit of more technical ice climbing, my legs felt the relief as soon as my feet were again more solidly placed in the soft firn. After this short section of ice, the slope eased off a bit and we could now sense the summit getting closer. On the final stretches, Bas made sure to use every opportunity he could to get in more technical climbing which seemed sometimes more appealing than digging through the soft snow where you sometimes sunk in up to your waist. It was a bit unfortunate that we just managed to hit one of the first warm days of the year. A little bit cooler temperatures and the conditions would have been quite excellent with an all but continuous snow-cover to the summit. Leaving the last bits of rocky section behind us, the slope eased off continually until we reached the summit of the Breithorn. It was quite a surreal feeling to arrive there, two ice tools in hand with an assortment of cams, nuts, and ice screws dangling from our harnesses while the crowds from the Klein Matterhorn were going up the normal route, sometimes without even a rope.
The last slightly technical section
Summit selfie!
We were on the summit shortly before noon which meant it had taken us just over 8 hours from the hut, quite a long time to make our way through the challenging conditions we encountered. Therefore we were quite happy to have only the easy stroll down to the Klein Matterhorn in front of us and 40 minutes later we arrived at the lift station. A successful tour came to an end and although I was quite exhausted I also felt very satisfied. This was my first proper north face tour and although parts didn’t feel so different from some slopes I have climbed in the winter whilst ski touring, it was another feeling to be going through such steep terrain for such an extended period of time. From the start of the first steep snow sloper to the summit, it was over 1000 meters of climbing.
Thanks to Bas for his motivation and energy, let’s see what the rest of the summer brings!