As novice mountaineer Frank Persyn (only previous summit the Breithorn) and I made our way to the Dom Hut via the steep and never-ending via ferrata and rocky paths, I could not believe that Duncan, Colin and I had made the same climb in winter carrying skis, boot, poles, sleeping and cooking gear! We were a lot faster this time, reaching the hut in two and three-quarter hours versus the guidebook’s 4.5 hours. This boded well for the following day.
I woke early (2:00am) to take a few shots of the Milky Way climbing above the Matterhorn. We set off just after 3:00am to stay ahead of the other parties on the rocky section to avoid bottlenecks and falling rocks. I tried to keep the pace fast although we could not catch the team ahead, we were second which suited me just fine. The route begins with a rocky path before a modestly inclined glacier to reach the Festigrat, a band of rock which must be climbed to reach the Hoberggletscher.
I had climbed the route on our winter tour but my greater experience meant I did not build anchors every five metres and used natural belays to look after Frank. He climbed well and we were both surprised when we arrived at the ridge a lot sooner than we had expected.
There are two routes to the DOM, the normal route which is a dull, long and tedious snowy trudge which was the route I attempted earlier with Duncan and Colin on skis. The ridge route is a mix of rock and snow, more direct and slightly more challenging. The guardian of the hut had told us it was in good condition so I decided (note I did not give Frank the choice) to take this route.
I essentially assumed the role of the guide and short roped Frank on the snow. This means staying close together with Frank behind me on a very short rope, the idea being that if he slips, I can arrest his fall immediately before he gains any momentum. Whether this would work in practice is another question as Frank is a giant of a man! Fortunately, we did not have to test the theory!
We made good progress, not fast, but steady and safe. Periodically we would climb the rocky ridge line when the snow became too icy. The rock was great and we were treated to an amazing sunrise. It is a privilege and a responsibility when someone puts their trust in you to keep them safe in a potentially dangerous and hostile environment. With a reasonable amount of experience now under my belt and at a low grade of PD+ I felt extremely confident and comfortable at all times.
On our previous attempt in 2019 we turned back 300m shy of the summit as Duncan and Colin were not feeling comfortable. Our lack of a summit I put down to poor leadership on my part and I made sure that Frank was well briefed on what to expect, we looked at the route, I described some of the challenges we might encounter and how we would manage them and I took the lead. I am happy to say that Frank told me he had complete faith and trust in me throughout the trip.
As the air thinned the last few hundred meters were tough – the Dom is the highest peak entirely in Switzerland – but we eventually reached the summit. Conditions were perfect, little wind, clear skies but the warm temperatures made me nervous about the descent so we soon headed down. On the descent I was down to just my base layer but on the summit, I was in my beloved Stellar Hybrid jacket and when the wind picked up their lightweight shell was all I needed in addition. As always, its important to coordinate your outfit so the SunGod Renegades were mandatory!
We reversed the normal route on the way down and our only challenge was to descend the rocky Festigrat. In 2019 this had been straightforward, even with skis, but with so many people around it proved tricky to find a decent route down and we had to faff about here and there. Finally, we arrived back at the hut after just under 12 hours on the hill and although I had booked two nights in the hut in case we were unbelievably slow, we decided to head down immediately.
I was very proud of this trip and how I led it. I have invested a lot of time in mountaineering and all the recent, guide free trips with Sebastian have increased my confidence and skills to the point where I can confidently look after a novice on a simple expedition. The next challenge for me will be able to feel the same way about harder routes at the AD level and this probably means more trips with Sebastian at AD+ and D.
Perhaps even more importantly, this was my 44th 4,000m peak in Switzerland (57th across the whole of the Alps) which means that my original goal of climbing all 48 Swiss peaks by the time I am 70 (I am currently 52) came a step closer. There are now only four left: Nordend, Taschhorn, Lauterhorn and Piz Bernina and I am hoping to complete the Swiss list by the end of the year.
A day in the mountains is always an honour and a privilege and as always, I am grateful to Stellar Equipment and SunGod for their support.
Expeditions 