Summer ski touring on Monte Rosa with the crew: powder on Pyramide Vincent, the airy Corno Nero ridge and Pointe Zumstein before long glacier descents.
After Mont-Blanc last year, the crew is back with two new recruits and a second guide who isn’t quite at peak fitness, but is fully operational! We’re sticking with our theme of lofty mountains named after colours. This year, it’s Monte Rosa. No separate acclimatisation trip this time: we’re going straight in!
Our strategy for keeping our time at altitude down is simple: we’ll descend on skis, a choice that meets with unanimous approval—or almost! The Italian side of Monte Rosa lends itself very well to ski touring, even in summer: a cable car takes us up to the snow, and there are vast glaciers that are relatively straightforward to ski when conditions allow.
Day 1: up to the refuge Città di Mantova
We spend two nights at the refuge Città di Mantova, reached after a short walk on the first day. The programme: fill up on minestrone and polenta, then try, with varying degrees of success, to snatch a few hours’ sleep!
Day 2: Pyramide Vincent, Ludwigshöhe and Corno Nero
We head towards Pyramide Vincent, a summit at roughly 4,200 m with no particular technical difficulty on our route.
It’s Sunday, and the stream of mountaineers heading towards the higher summits is almost uninterrupted! We find more peace on Pyramide Vincent, and our skis give us the freedom to leave the walkers’ tracks. A little bonus for us: it has snowed recently up there, and the first part of our descent is excellent, through divine settled powder!
We split the group here. Clémence and JB still have enough energy to extend the day with me, while the rest of the crew heads down with Sylvain for a well-earned rest.
We climb Ludwigshöhe, a lovely snowy summit despite its unpronounceable name! We leave our skis 1.5 m below the wind-scoured top. A hop over the bergschrund and a few turns later, we’re at the foot of Corno Nero.
This summit involves a steep snow pitch and a short ridge traverse that’s a little technical and properly exposed! Just the thing to delight JB and Clémence. Our skis wait at the bergschrund. All that remains is to glide down almost effortlessly, with the snow getting better and better as we descend! Skiing really is rather good!
The team reunites on the sunny terrace for a little gnocchi / salad / ravioli session and all the rest... Not bad at all!
Day 3: col du Lys and Pointe Zumstein
Our final day: we’re aiming for those high-altitude panoramas. The unknown, of course, is how everyone will react to the altitude after our brief day of adaptation.
We climb at a steady pace to col du Lys. A short distance away from the col, we enjoy an exceptionally beautiful view across the Alps, from Viso to the Austrian mountains... with a few star summits along the way, including Mont-Blanc, Cervin and Grand Paradis...
With a smaller group, we head towards Pointe Zumstein... Some are beginning to feel the altitude. Shortness of breath, hearts pounding... At the foot of the summit ridge, two more decide to turn back... So seven of us finish on this short ridge, not particularly difficult but undeniably beautiful... and rather airy!
Then, thanks to our skis, we lose altitude quickly. Down to col du Lys, the wind crust takes a delicate touch to enjoy, but things keep improving. Below the col, the skiing becomes really good: we move well away from the uphill tracks to make our own turns between the crevasses. Little whoops of joy punctuate the descent!
The pleasure is intense. Brief, as ski touring descents often are, but so very good! We stop at the entrance to the descent couloir to collect some things we left there before continuing towards the cable car.
An Italian skier gives us a real fright when she misses her first turn in this 40° section and slides headfirst towards the rocks below... A guardian angel stops her at the very last moment, narrowly averting disaster. An emotional little episode that puts everyone in wonderfully cheerful spirits for the descent!
A few minutes of sideslipping and a sticky glide across the glacier later, we take our skis off almost inside the cable car. Our 2019 adventure ends as it should, with a little feast overlooking the mountains!
Practical Info / Route Topo
Day 1: up to the refuge Città di Mantova
- After taking the lifts, a short walk brings us to the hut for our first night at altitude, with minestrone and polenta.
Day 2: Pyramide Vincent, Ludwigshöhe and Corno Nero
- Lovely settled powder on Pyramide Vincent, then an extra outing with Clémence and JB to Ludwigshöhe and the airy ridge of Corno Nero.
Day 3: col du Lys and Pointe Zumstein
- We climb to col du Lys, then part of the group continues to Pointe Zumstein. Magnificent views and a long glacier ski descent before one last feast!
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