Monte Rosa Superior – summit parade from the Breithorn to the Nordend

“Catwalk” on the ridge of the Valais Alps – a tour of superlatives …

Region: Wallis, Switzerland
Fitness Kondition

Technic Technik

maximum participants: 1
Prices: Euro 4500.-

Tour Character

Long and technically demanding mountain-ridge crossing. Climbing one of the highest western alpine massifs. Intensive altitude exposure from at least 34oo to a maximum of 4634 m.

Required Skill and Fitness Level

Skill: Safe walking with crampons. Short passages (up to 50 m) can be up to 40 degrees steep (depending on the ratio). Surefootedness and freedom from giddiness on exposed sections. Safe and speedy climbing in easy, mixed terrain.

Fitness: Daily stages between 5 and 10 hours at high altitude (see tour description).

Meeting point: Schluhmattstrasse 28, 3920 Zermatt, Schweiz

Tour Description

Kilometer-long ridges on the Breithorn and Lyskamm, impressive views of the highest rock- and iceface of the Alps in the traversal of the Dufourspitze – for the ambitious and sure-footed mountaineer a grandiose tour. The mountain guides of the Firngrat team are your dependable companions on this change between heaven and earth.

Details

Number of participants: 1 person per guide.
Services included: tour organization, reservations, guiding by a state approved mountain and ski guide including his expenses.
Services excluded: Overnight and half board ca. Euro 85.- per day, Klein Matterhorn Cable car and Gornergrat train ca. CHF 120.- (for actual prices click here).
Accomodations: Klein Matterhorn Lodge, Rifugio Quintino Sella, Capanna Gnifetti, Capanna Margherita.
Misc: Insurances (accident, travel cancellation) at customer’s responsibility. Please refer to general terms and conditions.

Dates on request Book Tour now

1. Tag

We meet early in the morning at the Klein Matterhorn cable car in Zermatt. With this we go up and cross south of the Breithorn west- and middle summit to the Volante bivouac. From there we climb the Roccia Nera, 4075 m, eastern cornerstone of Breithornkamms. Afterwards we head for the Gendarm, 4106 m, and the Eastern summit of the Breithorn ridge, 4139 m, to reach a saddle. Here starts the rocky ridge part that leads us to the middle summit. In beautiful solid rock we have to overcome climbing difficulties up to the level of difficulty III +. From the little visited middle summit, 4159m, a beautiful snow ridge leads to the populated western or main summit, 4164 m, from which we return to the Klein Matterhorn Lodge via the easy normal route. We spend the night here.

2. Tag

Initially on the same way as the day before we traverse to the approach of the Pollux southwest ridge. First over simple rocks, finally exposed via fixed ropes and a snow ridge we reach the summit of the first twin, Pollux, 4092 m. We continue on easy rock down into the "Zwillingsjoch", from where we exceed the beautiful snow summit of Castor, 4228 m. The descent leads us to the Sella hut, 3585 m.

3. Tag

Even before the day starts, we climb up to the Felikhorn in the light of the headlamps. Illuminated by the first rays of the sun, we put our hands and feet on the long ridge of the Lyskamm massif and cross the western (4479 m) and eastern (4527 m) summits. Almost the entire West Alpine arc in view, in the haze of the Po Valley still the Apennines divine, we rest below the eastern summit. The following ridge section, a magnificent as well as striking "Firn blade", requires our full concentration. Only when this almost horizontal ridge lowers to dip shortly before the so-called discovery rock in the broad firn saddle of the Lysjoch, we can relax ourselves and descend to Capanna Gnifetti, 3647 m.

4. Tag

Today's day is technically easy and completes our summit collection: our first highlight is the Vincent Pyramid, 4215 m (optional via Punta Giordani, 4046 m, then technically difficult), the second the distinctive rock horn Corno Nero, 4321 m. Afterwards we cross the easy Ludwigshöhe, 4341 m, and traverse the impressive "roof ridge" of the Parrotspitze, 4432 m. Our last climb, the Punta Gnifetti, 4554 m, we overcome after a rest on the Colle Gnifetti. We can take our time for the tour, because no further descent is ahead of us. A total time of 6 to 7 hours is planned to reach our destination, the Margherita Hut, which is at the top of the summit. We will spend the night there.

5. Tag

At night we descend to Colle Gnifetti, to climb "Zumsteispitze, 4565 m, in the first twilight. During the exposed descent into the "Grenzsattel" we are already warmed by the first rays of sun. In constant ups and downs we follow the ridge course. Overcoming short firn and rock passages, we are led to the summit of the Dufourspitze. In easy climbing, towards the end very exposed we reach the highest point of Switzerland, the Dufourspitze, 4634 m. After a long rest on the summit with an indescribable panorama, we climb or rappel into the Silbersattel, 4515 m. If we have enough motivation, we can still make the optional counter-climb to the Nordend, 4609 m. Quickly we now climb down on the Monte Rosa Glacier to the New Monte Rosa hut. There we have a break to tackle the last part of our tour, the descent to Gornergletscher, its crossing, and the ascent to the Rotenboden. With the Gornergratbahn we return to Zermatt.