If I am honest, sometimes mountaineering is not very pleasant – wind, rain, snow, cold, dehydration, hunger, exhaustion and the risk of dying mean that sometimes I wonder what the hell I am doing clinging to the side of a mountain. The traverse of Piz Bernina, via the famous Biancograt (“white ridge”), with Scottish mountain guide Kenny Grant was, in contrast, heaven!
Piz Bernina stands alone in the far East of Switzerland and requires a 6-hour drive just to get to the start of the approach. Fortunately, the approach consisted of a gentle stroll alongside a river before steepening to arrive at the hut. The guidebook said 4.5 hours but we arrived in under 2.5. Whilst Covid is annoying, on the plus side it means that capacity in Swiss huts is restricted and so we had plenty of space to stretch out and sleep.
At 3:30am we set off under clear skies with no wind and warm temperatures – I was soon only wearing my base layer but I was grateful for my Stellar lightweight shell jacket later on the ridge where the wind was cold. A well-defined path winds up from the hut before a short section of technical rock which is then followed by a mellow path that traverses two small waterfalls. The path eventually leads you to the base of the glacier. With crampons on, it’s a gentle ascent to a rock band on the left of the valley which is fully equipped in an almost via ferrata style. The only challenge was that the metal footrests were caked in clear ice and treacherous but with plenty of other man made holds to grasp onto, the ascent was simple.
We arrived at the col just a little too late for sunrise but still early enough for some photography as the sun climbed higher into the sky. From the col a short section of rock took us to the Biancograt – a stunning, curving snowy knife edge ridge. Fortunately, the ridge had not been recently sharpened and whilst steep, we were able to make good progress.
I thought the Biancograt would lead us directly to the summit but I was wrong and beyond the snowy peak was an increasingly challenging rocky route although the moves were all well within my grade and at a level that I would be prepared to lead (although it would push me). The rock was solid, the sun was shining and the climbing was superb. It took a while but we eventually arrived at the summit and were buzzed by a helicopter on a sightseeing mission. Piz Bernina definitely ranks of as one of top three days on the hill and is well worth the trip.
We stayed a while enjoying the stunning views as thick white clouded bubbled away in the valley below. After the obligatory summit photoshoot we descended towards Italy which comprised a series of abseils but was otherwise uneventful. The Italian hut was only an hour and half from the summit.
The Italian hut was rammed and I had forgotten how cosy it is normally in a hut. I lay closer to Kenny in our shared bunk than I do with Catie. However, a combination of red wine, nytol and antihistamine meant I slept pretty well albeit a little groggy first thing in the morning.
The challenge with Piz Bernina is that the whole route is complicated. We had a long glacial walk before descending a rock band before crossing the heavily crevassed main glacier to access the final path to the cable car that would take us back down.
We were progressing well and whilst we had to thread our way between crevasses, we were making good progress. Kenny explained that you should avoid white snow because it is less dense and therefore less likely to hold your weight than dirty, grey looking snow. Kenny had only just said this when I had to jump across a crevasse which had a patch of white snow on the other side. I kept saying to myself “don’t land on the white snow, don’t land on the white snow” but of course I was so focused on the white snow, that is exactly where I landed.
My right leg punched a whole through the snow and it was only my forward momentum that meant I had my right arm and should on the other side which saved me from fully crashing into the dark abyss below. I was badly winded and had smashed my elbow on the concrete like snow. I had taken off my gloves and the razor like ice shredded my hands. When my breathing finally stabilised I was able to haul myself out and tape up my bleeding hands. I really don’t know how I managed to land on the white snow but it demonstrated perfectly the risk Kenny had highlighted to me only a few moments before.
We continued and I was grateful that as crevasse falls go, this was pretty benign and I certainly kept away from the remaining white snow which separated us from the moraine. We finally climbed a dusty track, caught a cable car down to the valley and jumped on a train that took us back to the car. We had contemplated taking only two days for the trip but I was grateful to Kenny for planning a three-day trip as we still had a seven-hour drive to get home.
Piz Bernina was a fantastic summit even with the crevasse moment. It brings my Swiss 4,000m peak tally to 45 which means now only three remain. My goal is to try and complete Nordend, Taschhorn and Lauterhhorn before the end of the year its going to be challenging to find the time – I am hoping for good weather in late summer and early autumn. Once again, I was grateful for my Stellar kit and sunglasses from SunGod and their support in my 4,000m mission.
Expeditions 