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Home , Breithorn, Castor (mountain), Dufourspitze, Gnifetti Hut, Gornergrat, High mountain tour

Mountaineering in the . Contents. Concluding remarks Tour itinerary training Planning &financials Background Team Overview 32 16 12 9 5 2 1 Overview. 4000m. above peaks several in taking Italian and detailsSwiss the in tour the of and the Cairngorms in Scottish course training alpine work, an preparatory covers The stage. report planning the at made choices through minimized be may adverse environmental impact of such also the a trip how explore were to keen We mountaineering. high-altitude in steps first our take common interest of our team was to Exploration The Trust.Centralians’ Old the and London the College Imperial of Board by supported the 2020, in August in massif Rosa Monte conducted tour alpine of overview an an gives report This Summary Cairngorms Scottish London + + • • • Aims Minimise environmental impact above 4000minoneweek more thantenpeaks Train mountaineering skills Massif Monte Rosa +

1 Team

2 Team.

Laura Braun

Role: Expedition Leader Occupation: PhD Student, Imperial College London Age: 29

Laura researches technical interventions in the fight against neglected tropical diseases. Her passion for the outdoors manifests itself in the many hours spent every week. Whenever London becomes too hectic, her touring bike quite literally becomes her escape. But often the downward facing dog, the warrior or child’s pose will also have the desired effect.

Benedict Krueger

Role: Deputy expedition leader, med. officer Occupation: PhD Student, Imperial College London Age: 27

Ben’s research focuses on exploring novel treatment technologies for human waste to improve sanitation in low- and middle-income countries. He spends his free time singing in a choir and playing sports. Every year he embarks on some form of outdoor adventure, from climbing snow-capped in the Atlas to trekking through beautifully rugged Icelandic .

3 Jack Morford Nicolas Felka Team. around thenext climbingdestination. revolve holidays his outdoors, the for passion a with and Kent for and Surreyon- of (and offer hills off-) the road or Weekendscycling. climb, As to cragsan UK weeks.environmentalist to escapes him busy keeps the yoga throughout and focused climbing indoor A of start-ups’. ‘fintech combination of world the to turned Jack 2016, of end the at Astrophysics in doctorate his Completing Age: Occupation: Role: from entertaining background knowledge enroute. and of adventurous tours,where fellow mountaineers benefit football takes a particular interest in the research cycling, and preparation the through GR20 in and the Watzmann Ridge Traverse. lifestyle He include record track his from Examples mountaineering. active enjoys He region. an alpine the in destinations aircraft, propeller-driven servicing in specializes Nico pilot a As Age: Occupation: Role: 29 Technical project Manager Alpine Technical Lead 28 Pilot Logistics andtreasurer 4 Background

5 The Capanna sitting atop the Background.

Monte Rosa

The Monte Rosa mountain massif is set in the Swiss-Italian border region and is part of the . The peaks of the Monte Rosa are among the highest and most challenging peaks in the Alps. The highest summit is the , rising 4634m above sea level. The region is known for its and steep east walls which are adventurous playgrounds for well- trained and appropriately equipped mountaineers. One of the alpine huts located in Monte Rosa, the Capanna Regina Margherita, holds the record of being the highest hut in the entire Alps. It is also known as “headache box” due to its remarkable altitude and the fact that the international centre for high-altitude research is based in the refuge.

6 Mountain 1000m Hut Our Route Border To ...

Monte Rosa HUEtte Background.

Klein

Capanna Regina Margherita

Signalkuppe

il Naso del Rifugio Guide della Val d'Ayas LudwigshOEhe Schwarzhorn Balmenhorn

Italy

Rifugio Quintino Capanna Giovanni Sella al Felik Gnifetti "Spaghetti Tour"

The so-called Spaghetti Tour gets several times. The second part of the its name from the Italian huts along U-shaped route runs from east to this iconic route. The cuisine which west in the heart of the Pennine Alps, is served here seems to impress where summits are higher and closer the mountaineers as much as the together than anywhere else in the spectacular scenery. It is a six-day Alps. high-altitude alpine tour including more than ten peaks over 4000m. The personal requirements to As most of the tour is spent above successfully master this tour involve 3500m, the major challenges of both physical and mental fitness, the Spaghetti Tour are dealing as mountaineers must be able to with the typical phenomena of climb over 1500m of altitude a day great heights, technical ice and in regions with decreased oxygen , crossing of glaciers levels for as long as nine hours a and walking on narrow ridges. day. Besides professional equipment, basic technical skills in handling ice The start and end point of the axes and are required. The tour is the alpine village Zermatt difficulty of the Spaghetti Tour is in Switzerland. The first half of classified as easy to moderate on the the tour leads from west to east, scale for high-altitude expeditions of crossing the Swiss-Italian border the (DAV).

7 Background.

Low Impact Travel

Our undertaking aims to show that it is possible to enjoy a great adventure whilst trying to minimise adverse environmental impact based on the choices we make at the planning stage. The first choice was to stay as close as possible, where we arranged for a tailored alpine preparation course in the Scottish Cairngorms in winter instead of training for the necessary mountaineering skills in the alps in summer as we had initially thought to do. Concerning the alpine tour, we resisted the lure of heading to the Himalayas and sought out a tour in the alps that maximised our time at altitude. Secondly, we agreed not to travel by air and take the train where possible. And thirdly, we planned on hiring mountaineering equipment or sourcing it secondhand.

above Instructor and Ben practising rescue

Below Laura familiarising herself with techniques

8 planning & financials

Laura, Jack and Nico ascending the Zumsteinspitze

9 Planning and financials. f lie lb wr temporarily closed. were clubs alpine of buyto equipmenthad storesthe as largely we Unfortunately, August. international could the travel restrictions were loosened in once and and Switzerland in March tour lockdown the complete in the started before mountaineering training for travel Scotland to able to were We this project. saved distances choice minimise The to new and compromised. be to had planning the of aspects other the regulations, changing dynamically to of our proved beneficial choices planning some earlier While slightly was modified. plan tour initial the pandemic, coronavirus the Given Personal contribution Funding (Old Centralians’ Trust) Funding (Exploration Board, Imperial College London) Total cost Financing Total Local trains Parking Cable cars Camping Zermatt Mountain huts(halfboard) Eurotunnel (return) Road tolls Petrol (return) London–Zermatt Glenmore Lodge (training andfullboard) Trains toScotland (return) Expenditure • • Schedule travel from London to Switzerland to by car. us forcing axes, ice and crampons transport to impossible was it that meant Eurostar the on services baggage reduced Further, before thetour andafter including contingency days Massif, Switzerland andItaly Tour,Spaghetti Monte Rosa 5 –16August2020 Glenmore Lodge, Scotland Mountaineering training, 6 –10March 2020 pp [£] 490 475 30 30 75 15 Total [£] Total [£] +1840 (+460pp) 5140 (1285pp)

+1800 +1500 -5140

1900 1960 300 360 100 160 120 120 60 60 10 Equipment list. beanie midlayer,Clothing: hardshell jacket, buff, trousers, softshell gloves, socks, Toiletries Face mask Sleeping bagliner Knife Charger Powerbank Mobile phone Thermoflask Water bottle Whistle Compass Map First aidkit goggles Headtorch Gaiters Boots Rucksack Belay plate Walking pole Screwgate Prussik Sling Crampons Rope Quick draw Harness Ice axe Helmet Description Quantity pp Quantity 2 (total) 2 (total) 2 (total) 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Mountaineering training

I did not sign up for this

Nico playing the role of an unconscious mountaineer awaiting rescue from his rope team partner

12 Mountaineering training. We set out to Scotland with with Scotland to out set We Itinerary Alpine preparation aroundCoireant-sneachda intheCairngorms national park uig u tredy training areas. following the covered three-day we course, our During falls? crevasse of risk the minimise to How ? and weather Howconditions? do you avoid poor alpine high-altitude in safely move avoiding is place. first the How do you in them part important most the but emergencies, alpine with It is important to learn about dealing attitude. changed a with training our returned from we but things, these all about Werescue?crevasselearned a conduct you a do in How navigate whiteout? you do How catch fall? alpine a you with do How deal learn emergencies. to to how wanting about of mindset a • • • Day 3: • • • Day 2: • • • Day 1: Tour planning Moving inarope team Navigating inalpineterrain axe Building ice anchors/buried and placingprotection Moving insteep alpineterrain Self-arrest ice axe crampons and with conditions Moving insnowy andicy and risk Assessing weather conditions

13 above Ben traversing the Coire an T-Sneachda

Below Laura practising self-arrest

14 above Jack brushing up on his crampon techniques

Below The team descends after a cold and wet day in the scottish mountains

15 tour itinerary

16 Tour itinerary. awaiting usthefollowing days. many peaks above of 4000m of that were part the preparation and 3000m above spent nights crucial in a acclimatising was up into 3000m nearly at Sleeping way. the us marmots along and landscapes, Edelweiss alpine moderate took breathtaking of tour difficulty hiking This Domhuette (2940m) Day 1:Taesch (1449m)to 1400m 0m 3h 45m edelweiss, ararealpinebeauty found above 1800m,growing besidethetrail 17 0m 1400m 2h 30m Day 2: Domhuette to Taesch

For further acclimatisation we spent the morning on the Domhuette discussing our plans for the following days and enjoying the beautiful scenery. Following this, we descended to Taesch, crossing Tour itinerary. Tour the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge at a length of 494m.

18 Tour itinerary. Tour

Team yoga session on the domhuette, featuring the 'vrikshasana' or 'tree' pose

Matterhorn

19 Tour itinerary. Tour

Arriving at the rifugio d'ayas hut

400m 850m 6H

Klein Breithorn Day 3: Zermatt (1608m) to Matterhorn Rifugio Guide della Val d'Ayas (3425m)

A series of cable cars transported us to the beginning of our tour. After Rifugio Guide della Val d'Ayas climbing Breithorn Occidentale (4164m) and continuing along the ridge to Breithorn Centrale (4259m) we trekked over a glacier until we reached the Refuge Guide d’Ayas. This was the first test of our newly acquired alpine skills, moving in two rope teams. We perceived how important our training had been, especially when one team member crashed through a over a crevasse and got stuck waist deep, legs dangling freely in the void. It was also the first day that altitude made itself noticeable and hydration, food and rest became increasingly important.

20 Approaching the Breithorn along a well-trodden path; Nico (foreground) & Ben (behind)

21 Tour itinerary. Tour

Ben and Nico crossing the ridge to Castor summit

800m 650m 5h 15m Day 4: Rifugio Guide della Val d'Ayas to Rifugio al Felik (3585m)

castor Rifugio Guide della Backtracking our steps up the Val d'Ayas glacier, we proceeded to the peak of Castor (4223m) and onwards to the next hut. More technical than the previous day, one stage required the placement of ice screws for Rifugio Quintino protection, followed by a hair- Sella al Felik raising narrow ridge leading to the peak. The scenery was spectacular and matched by the gorgeous food where other teams had taken served on the Italian huts. By the unnecessary risks leading to end of day two we had witnessed precarious situations saved by their two incidents on exposed ridges, rope teams.

22 Tour itinerary. Tour

above Laura risks a glance into the abyss

Below breathtaking scenes on the descent from castor

23 Tour itinerary. Tour

A quick photo whilst jack assesses the upcoming icy up il Naso del Lyskamm

1000m 1200m 7h 30m Day 5: Rifugio Quintino Sella al Felik to Capanna Giovanni Gnifetti (3647m)

il Naso del Lyskamm Today’s challenge was to overcome the steep approach to il Naso del Lyskamm (4272m). Jack, the alpine technical lead, ascended first and placed ice screws for protection. Rifugio Quintino Capanna Giovanni The remaining team was then Sella al Felik Gnifetti belayed up until the slope of the face decreased to a safer angle. A hurried descent due to an incoming thunderstorm saw us clearing crevasse infested ground to reach the Capanna Gnifetti in time for lunch.

24 Tour itinerary. Tour

above a welcome refuge after a tiring day

Below THE CAPANNA IS RENOWNED FOR ITS FOOD

25 1600m 800m 7h Day 6: Capanna Giovanni Gnifetti to Capanna Regina

Capanna Zumsteinspitze Margherita (4554m) Regina Margherita

Signalkuppe Cumulatively, we reached six

Parrotspitze peaks above 4000 metres in one day: Vincent Pyramid (4215m), LudwigshOEhe Schwarzhorn Balmenhorn (4167m), Schwarzhorn Tour itinerary. Tour Balmenhorn (4321m), Ludwigshöhe (4341m), Vincent pyramid Parrotspitze (4432m) and Signalkuppe (4554m). This terrain can suitably be described as a Capanna Giovanni Gnifetti mountaineer’s playground, boasting the highest density of peaks above 4000m anywhere in the alps. The last peak was home to ’s highest inhabited structure and our stopover for the night, the Capanna Margherita.

View of the Schwarzhorn on the descent from Vincent Pyramid

26 above Laura and jack ascending vincent pyramid as the sun rises

Below view from the capanna Margherita

27 Ben approaching the capanna margherita hut

28 Matterhorn Tour itinerary. Tour

Monte rosa hut

Grenzgletscher

Monte Rosa HUEtte

500m 1900m 4h Capanna Zumsteinspitze Day 7: Capanna Regina Regina Margherita to Monte Rosa Margherita Huette (2883m) Signalkuppe

After scaling Switzerland’s second highest mountain, the Zumsteinspitze (4563m), we followed the Grenzgletscher downhill until we reached the futuristic and beautifully located .

29 Tour itinerary. Tour

above Nico finding a route along the Grenzgletscher

Below Laura and Jack walking on a long rope for added safety due to the frequency of in the area

30 300m 1600m 3h 30m Day 8: Monte Rosa Huette to Zermatt

To zermatt...

A long and exciting week came to a close after we crossed the Gornergletscher, climbed up the and descended down Monte Rosa into Zermatt. Crossing glacier HUEtte

Tour itinerary. Tour territory for one last time, we were in awe of the beauty of the that we were leaving behind us.

Looking back on the Gornergletscher from the Gornergrat

31 Concluding remarks

32 Concluding remarks. Reflections iiie hi environmental their impact. can minimise they how about think adventurous to an trip planning is who would like toencourage anyone we targets, environmental our of all meet to able not were we While moving through extremely exposed of terrain. fears unexpected altitude and of effects strenuous the through other each supporting by spirit team boundaries also our strengthened personal and have our we tested But risks. alpine Weto manage andnavigate through team. necessary skills the a acquired have as both and us individually developed has trip This food supplies. and water maps products, proofing with us supplying for RXBAR and Ordnance Survey, Eat the Natural, Huel Nikwax, to go thanks Further planning the the phase. during also but guidance support, financial We generous the Trust. only not appreciate Centralians’ Old the and Board Exploration Imperial’s towards gratitude our express to like would we foremost, and First Acknowledgements 33