The Taschhorn represented my penultimate 4,000m summit in Switzerland and whilst I desperately wanted the trip to succeed, recent bad weather ensured that I had to keep my expectations low. Sebastian and I knew it was a risk as we left our valley after a 3:00am alarm, but you have to put yourself in a position to succeed.
The mountain railway left us under the summit of the Allalinhorn and we immediately made our way up the glacier before traversing a rock bank and steep snowy face to arrive on the summit of Alphubel. It was a relief to find little snow on the rock which was a positive signal for our ascent of the Taschhorn. We traversed Alphubel and then descended first across snow and then a rocky ridge to arrive at the unmanned hut.
Two Swiss-Germans were already there and the wood burning stove had already created a warm and welcoming home for the night. There was only the four of us and I enjoyed cooking in the little kitchen and devoured all my food and that which had been left behind by other climbers. We debated tomorrow’s start time and the risk of missing the last train and settled on a midnight alarm – I think we were asleep by 6:00am.
We began our ascent at around 1:00am after a slower start than I would have liked. Sebastian had already climbed the Taschhorn during his Taschhorn and Dom traverse so he took the lead. Sebastian is planning to enter the mountain guide training scheme and had clearly been doing his homework. I noted a significant improvement in his short roping technique and he looked like a guide and I felt very safe – in fact, I actually felt we could have moved a little faster and with less protection as I felt very secure on what was not difficult rock. However, I said nothing as I knew it was important for him to practice and develop his skills and there is never any harm in being overly cautious and safe other than sacrifice of speed.
I also took the opportunity to lead on one occasion and normally I feel quite anxious when “on point” but the early season climbing with Sebastian had paid off and I also felt very secure and strong at the sharp end. There was snow on the ridge but whilst it did make for slower progress, there was enough of it to add a sense of greater security under foot.
We made steady, safe but relatively slow progress and eventually reached the summit. There were limited opportunities for photography due to the very early start so we quickly began the descent. I have not spent as much time in the mountains as usual and so my speed across knife edge ridges was slower and more anxious than usual. These are still the things that psychologically still really cause me problems but after a while I re-established some of my confidence and it was good to hear Sebastian comment that he saw a marked change in my confidence on these ridge lines. It is entirely in my head but that is partly what I like about mountaineering – the mental game.
We eventually reached the hut without any excitement and then began the arduous task of getting back to civilisation. I was UTMB fit and so I felt fine, Sebastian on the other hand has not had the chance to develop his endurance and was suffering. Once on the snow I took the lead and did my best to pull him up to Alphubel – I was working at full gas as we raced for the last lift.
At the summit we made the call to wind our way through the glacier to the cable car rather than traverse back to the train. I led and ran down the slope but Sebastian could not maintain the pace and we had to back off, but by this stage we were confident we would make the last lift. We make a good team on the mountain, we share the same attitude towards security and safety and work well together. Our challenge remains that of learning to move faster. The route was endless but finally we arrived at the life and ordered a panache at the lift’s café. We shook hands to celebrate another success and I was overcome with a touch of emotion as now only one summit separates me from my goal of climbing every 4,000m peak in Switzerland!
Expeditions 