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3.05.2012
The weather proved to be a hard challenge in the last weeks. Continual snowfalls and strong winds created a very tricky avalanche situation in the high mountains. Thus the access to all our mixed- and ice climbing projects in the Mont Blanc range was denied.
So we stayed in our home mountain range, where we know the terrain very well. On one of the more or less sunny days of last week we skinned up to the Gran Sertz (3552m) and enjoyed a wonderful descent on this stormy day. Watch the film of this day here
19.04.2012
Looking out of my window I see the last white fragments of ice disappearing under the warm italian sun, also the snow keeps coming back sporadically. But for the ice climbing it is definitely over, and I start to reflect the season and all the experiences we have been through, and notice, that this will take some time: The season had been long, demanding and full of challenges:
The start of the season 2011/12 appeared not to be very promising: we set out for the first ice fall of the winter, it was the 12.12.11., I had a new constellation of crampon/ boot which did not fit the optimum and as a result a very bad accident happened. After my crampon detached itself from the boot while I was leading the second pitch,I took a 20m fall. I had not put a screw because it had been easy ground, and now I was flying fast, passing the belay and smashed into the ice below. I immediately lost consciousness, emerging to the surface only from time to time, before sinking down into the blackness again. I awoke fully at the Aosta emergency hospital.
Analyses: heavy cranial trauma and several bruises. I was lucky. After four days I was released.
The long awaited snow arrived and accompanied my healing days. I came to think a lot of what had happened and how to carry on. Alpinism and especially ice- climbing has become my life, our life, which glues everything together. Our training, our motivation, our concept of life and our organization of it, our shared philosophy and our ideals.
I could not just turn my back when the time had arrived to pay a prize. But I could learn from the accident, and it definitely left me stronger...
Ten days after the accident I carried on, first only seconding, but soon enough also leading again. I had some slight shoulder problems but otherwise felt o.k.
We climbed many ice falls but the seasons exceptional climbs should become "Rappelle toi que tu est un homme" and "Rappelle toi que tu est un gnome". Both falls were outstanding, in their appearance but also in their inherit dangers.
These places of thorough dangers provide a pulling attraction.There are forces buried in them, which we cannot explain but who doubtlessly are leaving marks deep inside of us. Returning from these places makes us feel grown inside, formed and shaped by something powerful. We have experienced intense moments, as if life itself is bundled in this prism of glass, sucking out our life- energy but on the same time returning it in powerful light. We feel elevated, light and full of inner energy afterwards, also our bodies are often soar, tired and spend.
After Fressinier we prepared ourselves for an ice climbing trip to Norway. The far north captured our enthusiasm and we climbed many great falls. But the most aesthetic line we found was the legendary "Lipton", hidden in the dark gorge of Vermok. The climb of it created a strong and unforgettable memory. Another exceptional climb should become "Hydnefossen", not only because of it's barely protectable ice consistence, but also because of the rough nordic landscapes it was settled in.
Departing from the northern coastline and enduring the towering waves of the Skargeragg sea, we leave the country with the strong urge to come back.
Outside the sun is breaking powerful through the heavy clouds: I sigh and enjoy this moment of peaceful reflection. The dragons are gone now - but not for long.
The next winter will come!
18.04.2012
Even the most dreadful storm does have a break. We used a moment of good weather to make a quick ascent of the Col di Tuf in our home mountain range.
2.04.2012
Great conditions for Ski Mountaineering in Cogne. Check in the snow chapter for our video about our ascent of the Torre del GranSanPietro on the 31.03.12.
21.03.2012
Here the report from our Norway trip
Norway Ice Trip by Matthias Scherer and Tanja Schmitt
Escaping from the heatwave in the Alps we took the road to Norway - the long road.
We've heart a lot of stories about Norway in winter. We've seen photos. Will Gadd told us it would be the future of ice- climbing. We were more than curious when we loaded our ice climbing gear and our whole nutrition into the van. After 1700 km of driving we arrived in Hirtshals and entered the ferry towards Larvik. We passed the sea by night.The rough sea of the Skagerrak let the huge boat tremble beneath gigantic waves: Both of us became seasick. At two o'clock in the morning we rolled over norwegian ground through the night.
Finally we arrived in Rjukan. The town is small and colorful. The ice climbing-guidebook Rjukan tells us : "Rjukan is a place you cannot ignore, it is either makes you depressed or enthusiastic; there are a lot of emotions hidden (...)". We were curious about the emotions we were going to encounter.
To overcome our seasickness we climbed directly two great classics of Rjukan the Vemork West and the Sabotørfossen. The gorge of Vemork is an amazing place - the black rock with the veins of yellow ice creates an extraordinary aesthetic and is also laden with dramatic historic events:
In the end of the second world war, when the germans occupied the area in order to get the heavy water necessary for their desperate try to build the atomic bomb, brave acts of Norwegian sabotage thwarted the Germans plans by destroying the heavy water tanks. The heroic story of this events is remembered and given tribute in the museum of Vemork.
Matthias Scherer on the first pitch of Vemork West - photo Tanja Schmitt
Next day we went for one of the highlights of Rjukan: Juvsøyla (WI 6) is an amazing sight - this 60 meter vertical pillar is overseeing the whole lower gorge and the shine of its yellow ice cannot been overseen.
We climbed the direct start in quite dry conditions - a big pitch of delicate mixed-climbing with marginal protection on very thin ice brought us up to the gleaming yellow pillar. We climbed this perfect featured ice line in one big pitch.
Juvsöyla - photo Matthias Scherer
In the upper gorge is the real jewel of Rjukan hidden - the legendary "Lipton" fall (WI 7). We checked it from the opposite of the gorge and the line looked fantastic. I was extremely motivated to give it a try and two days later with perfect temperatures we were down-climbing in the gorge to the foot of this monumental place. "Lipton" cannot be overseen- you walk over a frozen lake to the surreal sculpted icicles and daggers surrounded by the towering walls of the gorge. Already the sight of this miraculous place was worth the travel. My plan was to link the first three pitches - the crux pitches of the line - in one. The first pitch started in a tight corner with the typical amazing yellow ice hanging in it. Some easy meters brought me to the fragile pillar, that was leading up to the traverse. I put a good cam before I went on the pillar - the ice was quite fragile and carefully I made my way up. It took some good meters before I could place a screw. The look into the traverse was very impressive - especially the last meters looked very difficult. I put a srcew and stepped out on the first hanging dagger. With over 40meters of air underneath me I stepped over to the next icicle. What a wonderful line!! It took me some moments to understand how I could get on the next icicle and then doing the moves was very intense. I scratched and hooked my ice axes over my head in an awkward move in the overhanging top of the big icicle. Then I put my right feet just on a tiny rest of an ice curtain, that was the rest of the big stalactite who had fallen off - just GREAT.
Lipton (WI 7) - photo Matthias Scherer Matthias passing the crux on Lipton - photo Tanja Schmitt
It was done and I released my tension with a loud cry - I put up a belay with good Cams - I had linked the Crux pitches of "Lipton" and the beauty of the moment will never leave me. Tanja was coming up and we had a good moment of joy and were both deeply moved from this powerful monument of frozen water.
I went in the next pitch. Not as extreme and surreal as the first, it still demanded very careful use of the tools. A last classic pitch brought us to the top of this natural wonder.
Matthias Scherer linked the first three pitches of Lipton in one pitch - photo Tanja Schmitt
We had a very pleasant rest day at Jakob Fink' s hostel in Rjukan. His place reminded me very much at the climbers and skiers community I had lived once in Chamonix. It's impossible to not get touched by Jakob's hearty and energetic personality and we can only recommend everybody a visit of his place. As one of the main organizers of the Rjukan Ice Fest we had met him the days before during this merry gathering of climbers from all over the world.
Our next aim was the well known Hydnefossen (WI 6) near Hemsedal. Although our map assured us of a smooth 250 km drive to Hemsedal, the small roads only accepted low velocity and we felt restless.
Hydnefossen - photo Matthias Scherer
Warm temperatures had arrived and we awaited the cold by going for runs and reading.
On the third of march conditions were finally good enough for this impressive line. We approached the fall under a gleaming red morning light. The cold of the day before had frozen solid the snowpack. It took us less than one hour to get to the foot of the fall. Over our head towered Hydnefossen, 200m high with all its might.
We chose the line in the middle. I climbed my way up on the stone- hard ice of the first 60 m enduro pitch. Then Tanja took the lead. At this time of the year the upper part of the fall gets 3-4 hours sun the day. Tanja climbed up a steep pillar, the ice was white and very difficult to protect making the climb an interesting mental challenge. Finally she found good ice again and built a belay under the shade of a hugh ice-column.
Tanja Schmitt on the second pitch of Hydnefossen - photo Matthias Scherer
I attacked the next pitch and after a 15 meter runout up on card house like ice, I put my first solid screw. A short time later I was on belay and Tanja followed up. 20 meters above us the big cornice was towering, the last obstacle before topping out. I worked my way through this extraordinary pitch. After I had overcome the cornice, it was a great feeling as the vertical world of the ice fall changed instantly into a horizontal line of the big northern flats. While walking back to our Van and enjoying our climb the vastness of the land around us made us dreaming - we know that we have seen just the tip of the "iceberg". Useless to say, that we will be back next winter in this land of countless ice climbing possibilities...
12.03.2012:
Back from Norway
We just returned from our Norway Ice Trip. Despite extreme weather conditions we climbed succesfully several impressive ice lines in this land of the "countless Fjords and water falls"...
Check back in the next days for our coming trip report !!
"Lipton", Rjukan - 27.02.12 : I linked the first pitches the "Crux" picthes in one pitch - picture by Tanja Schmitt
16.02.2012:
Back from a big week in the Hautes - Alpes:
We are just back from a long week on epic ice lines in the Hautes-Alpes. Here some words about those long days on extreme ice and mixed:
It started on monday the 6th of February. We went early in the morning in the Valley du Rabioux to climb the incredible line of “Rapplelle toi que tu es un gnome”. It was very cold (-15°Celsius) and that was good: The ice fall is facing the sun from early afternoon on and then everything becomes very fast very dangerous. Standing in front of the line we understood the name better - we really felt like dwarfs (gnomes) facing the gigantic hanging daggers.
the first pitch of "Rappelle toi que tu es un gnome" - picture by Tanja Schhmitt
No water was running - too cold. The ice was hard and fragile. The first pitch was climbing on classic graded ice - than in the second pitch the real climbing started with technical, brittle and thin ice.
the second pitch- picture by Tanja Schmitt
The third pitch started on a fragile pillar to get over in a wall of meduses and thin curtains. I linked this pitch with the fourth pitch to save time, because the sun was getting nearer. It was 60m of very varied difficult ice climbing - great. I went full on in the last pitch but also here a open tube with very bad ice quality was demanding careful use of the tools.
the start of the last pitch of the gnome -picture by Tanja Schmitt
When Tanja came up to the top of the fall we were extremely happy about our ascent. The sun came on the fall in the same time, so we started very fast the abseiling. The abseiling is an adventure for itself. Since the ice fall is so steep I had to catch a monstrous hanging icicle with my ice axe to pull myself back to the wall and the belay. Coming down the water was now spilling down - we packed up as fast as we could and emerged on a safe spot. It was a very good day on the ice and this fall will find for sure his place in my top ten ice falls.
Next day Tanja was keen to take the lead and she decided to go to the impressive line of the Viollines in the Freissiniere Valley. We had not the earliest start on that day, so there were already two (!!) parties engaged on the fall. But nobody was on “Cousin Hubert” the line on the right of the “Viollines”, so Tanja changed quickly heir objective for the day -we would come back for the Viollines on another day. “Cousin Hubert” is for sure looking less impressive than his neighbor, but the climbing was very technical and demanded a cool head and sure skills with the tools, because the ice was on the two crux sections thin and very fragile with no room for errors. Tanja climbed all the four pitches in a safe and calm way and I enjoyed the part of the belayer and to second the very interesting climbing.
Tanja on the second pitch of Cousin Hubert - picture by Matthias Scherer
After a rest day we headed in the lonely Valley du Couleau to have a look on the legendary ice fall “Rappelle toi que tu es un homme” first climbed by Christophe Moulin. This ice fall was a milestone in ice climbing history and so I was very curious, what it was looking like. I had heard and read many stories about this line and all came in the summary to one resume : Extremely delicate climbing on rock and even more delicate climbing on ice...
The approach on the skis went quick and we did not feel the length of the path - but I “remembered” still the “gnome” and the first sight of the “Homme” in the red light of the dawn was really impressing...
"Rappelle toi que tu es un homme" - picture by Tanja Schmitt
The nearer we got the crazier the formation of the ice became.We left our packs with the gear on a safe spot and had a closer look. I understood where the start was and how the first pitch was traversing under the ice curtain on the brittle rock up to the first belay, but I felt, that I was not in shape today to give it a try. We put our skis on and went back to our van.
Two days later we were back again - I felt fresh - especially mentally -but it was very cold. The thermometer of our van had shown - 13°Celsius on the parking and here at the foot of the ice fall there were for sure some grades less.
I climbed the first pitch - the M8 pitch - so the original grading. I used the hands or the tools where I could - the fingers were cold but it was getting better with every meter. Some old pitons were there and I could also place some C3’s in small cracks to back up the old pegs.
pitch one of "Rappelle tou que tu es un homme" - picture by Tanja Schmitt
Some other climbers were coming, while I was climbing the first pitch and observed my doing. Coming to the belay we had a short chat by calling and one of those three men were Christophe Moulin - the man of the first ascent... They decided to come back on another day and Tanja started to second up the first pitch. Also she was suffering extremely on the fingers but climbed it all free with the pack on heir back. The second pitch started with a short section on rock and than right away with very fragile and thin ice. Also for the rest of this pitch the ice remained extremely fragile and I was placing my Fusions and stingers with the outmost care.
the start of the second pitch - picture by Tanja Schmitt
The third pitch started with a slight traverse before I climbed over a thin curtain over-crowned by fragile meduses. Tanja was coming up and I prepared myself for the next pitch on this crazy line. The first 20 m of this pitch continued in the same style as the two previous pitches - very hard ice on thin columns and overhanging sections on brittle meduses. I placed screws where it was possible, but still in fragile ice like this, you don't want to test them. The ice became less steep but remained hard like concrete and every meter to gain was hard work. Scratching my way over a huge thin ice crust I made the last meters to the belay at the foot of the pillar of the fifth pitch. Arriving there I felt how the cold had worked on my body and also my mind was summing from the effort... I had a look up and the pillar was towering over me - still I felt some power and spirit left and while Tanja was coming up I restored my energy with some gels.
Tanja was also encouraging me to give this “second Crux” pitch a try and to finish the fall. In the original way the pillar was not formed and was climbed in mixed M7 on its right side. I was testing the pillar with my tools but the sound was not very good and the exit of the pillar would have been a big curtain, so I stemmed my way up between the rock and the pillar to the right side. I climbed a short section on rock before I got my legs back on the ice, some old pegs gave some pro and in that way, by placing screws on the left and cams on the right I was making my way up.
between ice and rock - on the fifth pitch - picture by Tanja Schmitt
On that last meters with very serious passages on the ice I was glad that I had spent so many days training myself over the last years - it’s for moments like this! Over less steep ice I came to the end of the pitch and placed my screws for the belay. Tanja came up and we had a moment of joy - I was very happy to be with her here on this place and without her I would never been able to climb this line (like on many others...) While I was fixing the pack on the belay I realized the weight of it and were impressed how Tanja had climbed with this extra burden! We placed two v-threads and started in the last light of a long day with the abseiling. “Rappelle toi que tu es un homme” and “un homme peut faire des erreurs” - “Remember that you are a human” and “humans can make errors” - so we did on the last pitch to the ground - we jammed our ropes ... We could not see far enough with our headlamps and decided to come back the next day to take our ropes...
So we were pilgrims of the Vallee du Couleau again the next day - when we approached the line a huge icicle were coming down and reminded us of what we are: HUMANS
To finish our big week in the Hautes-Alpes we turned back on the next day to the Viollins. I had climbed this line already in 2005 but now Tanja wanted to do it and she racked up for attacking this beautiful and impressive line. Two classic pitches brought us up to the towering freestanding pillar of the third pitch. The ice of the pillar was formed in many little fragile features and Tanja made her way up through this very technical terrain. She placed good screws and enjoyed herself on the crazy forms of this wonderful pitch.
Tanja on the impressive pillar of the "Viollins" - picture by Matthias Scherer
I came up to Tanja and hugged her for her good effort. A great week on the ice came to an end with lots of very precious memories and experiences for both of us and the always returning understanding, that there will be always something new to discover, something new to learn...
