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Spaghetti Tour. 5 day trek around Monta Rosa, Italian Alps.

Spaghetti Tour. 5 day trek around Monta Rosa, Italian Alps.


Postby mountainstar » Fri Jul 01, 2016 3:04 pm

Date walked: 23/06/2016

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The Spaghetti Tour. A 5 day trek around the Monta Rosa Range, in the Swiss/Italian Alps starting from Zermatt.
Friday 24th-28th June 2016.

Day 1.
Zermatt to the Breithorn (4165m) Then to the Val d'Ayes Hut (3440)
Hot and sunny, cold on the Breithorn.
A cable car from Zermatt took us to Klein Matterhorn (3883m) From there we roped up to cross the glacier steadily climbing steeper to the summit of the Breithorn.
An airy ridge leads back down to the glacier, which undulates then drops steeply to our hut for the night.

ImageView of the Matterhorn from Zermatt by Alan, on Flickr

ImageBreithorn and Klein Matterhorn by Alan, on Flickr

ImageBreithorn by Alan, on Flickr

ImageBreithorn summit by Alan, on Flickr

ImageMont Blanc in the left distance by Alan, on Flickr

ImageBreithorn summit ridge by Alan, on Flickr

ImageGlacier walking to the Rifugio Sella (1) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageGlacier walking to the Rifugio Sella (2) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageRifugio Sella in view. by Alan, on Flickr

ImageRifugio Sella by Alan, on Flickr

ImageLast sun from the Rifugio Sella by Alan, on Flickr

Day 2. Saturday 25th
Val d'Ayes Hut (3440) to St Jacques village (1689m)
Cloudy morning, thunder storm early afternoon, hot and sunny later.
We awoke to cloud and a poor forecast so our planned high route over Castor (4221m) to our next mountain hut (Quintinu Sella) was out, there was an alternative route which took us down the valley then re-climb up. We dropped down to the valley, but a bad lightning storm stopped us from continuing back uphill. A check on the map showed a village several kilometres down the valley, so we headed down, ironically the storm passes and the sun broke out as we neared the village.
We found a nice apartment and a bar showing the Wales v Northern Ireland Euro game which Wales won 1-0, happy days! :D

ImageDropping down from the Val d'Ayes Hut by Alan, on Flickr

ImageDropping down from the Val d'Ayes Hut by Alan, on Flickr

ImageThunder brewing clouds in the valley. by Alan, on Flickr

ImageEnjoying a beer in sunshine after the storm. (2) by Alan, on Flickr

Day 3. Sunday 26th
St Jacques Village (1689m) to the Rifugio Gniffeti (3647m)
Hot and mainly sunny, cloud later on our climb to the hut.
To get back on track we had to climb the Valley della Forca pass (2672m) then down to the village of Stafel where a cable car took us back up towards our next hut the Rifugio Gniffeti.
From the cable car it was straight onto the glacier for a steep climb though deep snow and occasional rock scrambling to the hut.

ImageView from our balcony in Saint Jacques by Alan, on Flickr

ImageSaint Jacques by Alan, on Flickr

ImageValley della Forca. by Alan, on Flickr

ImageValley della Forca. (2) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageValley della Forca. (3) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageValley della Forca pass (2672m) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageHeading for the Refuge Gnifetti (3647m) (1) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageHeading for the Refuge Gnifetti (3647m) (2) by Alan, on Flickr

Day 4. Monday 27th
Rifugio Gniffeti (3647m) to the Margaerita Hut (4554m) (Highest hut in the Alps)
Taking in Ludwigshöhe, (4342m) en route.
Warm and sunny.
Today we would climb to some of the highest mountains in the Alps, one of them spectacularly capped by a mountain hut, this would be the highpoint and highlight of our trek, we had preyed for good weather for our stay up here, luckily our prayers were answered, as we had perfect weather, visibility and a sunset to die for.
But it was bloody hard work getting there, much climbing up steep and deep fresh snow covered glaciers, we even climbed another mountain Ludwigshöhe en route.

ImageClimbers leaving the Refuge Gnifetti (3647m) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageEarly morning view from the Refuge Gnifetti (3647m) (2) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageLeaving the Refuge Gnifetti (3647m) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageGlacier walking (1) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageGlacier walking (2) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageRefuge Gnifetti (3647m) (1) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageRefuge Gnifetti (3647m) (2) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageGlacier walking by Alan, on Flickr

ImageView to Mont Blanc in the distance by Alan, on Flickr
ImageGlacier walking (3) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageGlacier walking (4) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageLiskamm (4479m) (2) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageLudwgshohe summit (4341m) (2) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageLiskamm (4479m) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageLast push to the Margherita Hut (4559m) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageViews from the Margherita Hut (4559m) (1) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageViews from the Margherita Hut (4559m) (2) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageViews from the Margherita Hut (4559m) (3) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageMargherita Hut (4559m) Sunset (1) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageMargherita Hut (4559m) Sunset (2) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageMargherita Hut (4559m) Sunset (3) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageMargherita Hut (4559m) Sunset (4) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageMargherita Hut (4559m) Sunset (5) by Alan, on Flickr


Day 5. Tuesday 28th
Margharita (4554m )- Monte Rosa Hütte - Gornergrat Railway – Zermatt.
Sunny. Cold up high, but hot again lower down the glacier.
We left the hut on another breathtaking day, the walk down the Monte Rosa glacier was a treat, with just a few crevasses to weave our way through. Once at the Monte Rosa hut the terrain changed, first to steep snow slopes, then horrible moraine boulder fields, followed by a dry glacier with massive crevasse crumbling at the edges, all of this making for very tiring walking. Once across the glacier we climbed ladders and scrambled up rock ledges to reach the path that would take us up to the Gornergrat railway, and a well deserved leisurely journey back to Zermatt.
What a fantastic trip it was. We were lucky with the weather, these trips have to be booked well in advance, if we would have had bad weather it would have been called off for sure, it's not the terrain to be in any type of bad weather, not for us anyway.
And a big thanks to Martin and Nathan for making it such a memorable trip. :clap:
ImageClimbers leaving the Margherita Hut (4559m) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageEarly morning views from Margherita Hut (4559m) (1) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageEarly morning views from Margherita Hut (4559m) (2) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageLeaving the Margherita Hut (4559m) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageMonta Rosa glacier (2) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageMonta Rosa glacier (3) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageMonta Rosa glacier (4) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageMonta Rosa glacier (5) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageMonta Rosa glacier (6) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageMonta Rosa glacier (7) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageMonta Rosa Hut (2) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageMonta Rosa glacier (8) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageGornersee Lake (1) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageGornersee Lake (3) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageGornersee Lake (4) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageGornersee Lake (5) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageMatterhorn from the Monta Rosa glacier by Alan, on Flickr

ImageA tricky traverse on the edge of the Monta Rosa glacier by Alan, on Flickr

ImageThe lower path to Gornergrat (1) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageThe lower path to Gornergrat (2) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageThe lower path to Gornergrat (3) by Alan, on Flickr

ImageLooking back up the Monte Rosa Glacier by Alan, on Flickr

ImageThe Breithorn. by Alan, on Flickr

My video of this trip is here....
https://youtu.be/7JR0mlbFDmk
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mountainstar
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Re: Spaghetti Tour. 5 day trek around Monta Rosa, Italian Al

Postby sross » Fri Jul 01, 2016 5:02 pm

Stunning photos and amazing trip. Hill walking in the north of Italian, is on our bucket list. I think your trip is over our heads. Thank you for sharing this challenging and stunning trip. :clap: Congratulations to you mountainstar and your friends.

Sparky
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Re: Spaghetti Tour. 5 day trek around Monta Rosa, Italian Al

Postby ChrisW » Mon Jul 04, 2016 5:18 am

Good lord Mountainstar, you sure as hell lived up to your screen name with this one. What a breathtaking series of photos. I'd picked out a few as favourites but the further I got the longer the list became until selecting any single one would be a disservice to the others.

Fantastic effort over some challenging terrain to bring this spectacle right to my living room, thanks for taking the time to share such a wonderful week with us internet strangers, greatly appreciated :clap: :clap:
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Re: Spaghetti Tour. 5 day trek around Monta Rosa, Italian Al

Postby scoob999 » Mon Jul 04, 2016 7:43 am

Just Brilliant :clap: :clap: :clap:

Great report of a great trip 8) The more I see of the Alps the more I want to go. Hopefully one day though
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Re: Spaghetti Tour. 5 day trek around Monta Rosa, Italian Al

Postby mountainstar » Mon Jul 04, 2016 11:08 pm

Cheers guys, pleased you enjoyed it. 8)
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Re: Spaghetti Tour. 5 day trek around Monta Rosa, Italian Al

Postby malky_c » Tue Jul 05, 2016 10:16 pm

Tried to comment on this at Scottishhills, but the photo sizes aren't limited there and they seem to have broken my iPad :lol: . Can't wait to look at them on my large monitor at work 8) .

Top stuff as usual. I'm going to have to go on one of these alpine circuits one day :D
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Re: Spaghetti Tour. 5 day trek around Monta Rosa, Italian Al

Postby nathan79 » Tue Jul 05, 2016 10:24 pm

Twas indeed a fine week (aside from that short spell of lighning combined with machine gun hailstones). And to be fair that horrid walkout at the end was a mere blip in teh scale of the week's fun. All worth it for that sunset at the Margherita hut.

Sat and watched the video on Sunday. A grand watch. :clap:
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Re: Spaghetti Tour. 5 day trek around Monta Rosa, Italian Al

Postby mountainstar » Tue Jul 05, 2016 10:34 pm

malky_c wrote:Tried to comment on this at Scottishhills, but the photo sizes aren't limited there and they seem to have broken my iPad :lol: . Can't wait to look at them on my large monitor at work 8) .

Top stuff as usual. I'm going to have to go on one of these alpine circuits one day :D


Best on Imax cinemascope!
Aye go for it Malky, but yours will be Martin Moran-esk...in shorts! :lol:
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Re: Spaghetti Tour. 5 day trek around Monta Rosa, Italian Al

Postby mountainstar » Tue Jul 05, 2016 10:35 pm

nathan79 wrote:Twas indeed a fine week (aside from that short spell of lighning combined with machine gun hailstones). And to be fair that horrid walkout at the end was a mere blip in teh scale of the week's fun. All worth it for that sunset at the Margherita hut.

Sat and watched the video on Sunday. A grand watch. :clap:


Bound to be a grand watch...it starred you!
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Re: Spaghetti Tour. 5 day trek around Monta Rosa, Italian Al

Postby Alteknacker » Tue Jul 05, 2016 10:55 pm

Absolutely sensational! What a 4th day you had! If the vistas were even half as good as the pictures they must have been pretty amazing.
I'd really like to get up to those sort of places, though the idea of a guide rather puts me off... Probably need a bit of time to acclimatize myself to the idea.
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Re: Spaghetti Tour. 5 day trek around Monta Rosa, Italian Al

Postby mountainstar » Wed Jul 06, 2016 6:58 am

Alteknacker wrote:Absolutely sensational! What a 4th day you had! If the vistas were even half as good as the pictures they must have been pretty amazing.
I'd really like to get up to those sort of places, though the idea of a guide rather puts me off... Probably need a bit of time to acclimatize myself to the idea.

I can confirm it was amazing.
Get yourself there, the memories will last you a lifetime.
Thanks for your comments. :D
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Re: Spaghetti Tour. 5 day trek around Monta Rosa, Italian Al

Postby gaffr » Thu Jul 07, 2016 7:32 am

Yes, walking along the frontier is one of the grand alpine trips. :)
Out of interest....how did you get from Rifugio Ayas to Rifugio Sella without going over Castore?
You must go back again for Polluce, Castore, Liskamm, Pyramide Vincent, Schwarzhorn, Balmanhorn, Parrotspitze and Zumsteinspitze.....maybe the time factor or not so good weather would curtail the traverse?
Big changes at the Monte Rosa Hutte in recent times as in many other areas of the Swiss alps....an amazing looking structure. :)
17 Monte Rosa Hutte with Obergabelhorn behind (800x533) (2).jpg
The Monte Rosa Hutte around ten years ago....I guess as in most of the alpine areas more shrinkage of the glacier.
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Re: Spaghetti Tour. 5 day trek around Monta Rosa, Italian Al

Postby mountainstar » Thu Jul 07, 2016 9:57 am

gaffr wrote:Yes, walking along the frontier is one of the grand alpine trips. :)
Out of interest....how did you get from Rifugio Ayas to Rifugio Sella without going over Castore?
You must go back again for Polluce, Castore, Liskamm, Pyramide Vincent, Schwarzhorn, Balmanhorn, Parrotspitze and Zumsteinspitze.....maybe the time factor or not so good weather would curtail the traverse?
Big changes at the Monte Rosa Hutte in recent times as in many other areas of the Swiss alps....an amazing looking structure. :)
17 Monte Rosa Hutte with Obergabelhorn behind (800x533) (2).jpg

Look at day 2 and 3 for our alternative route which was our plan C. We were going to do a lower plan B route anyway with the cloud and poor forecast, there was a lower path which connected the two huts. Plan C came in when lightning thundered all around us.
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Re: Spaghetti Tour. 5 day trek around Monta Rosa, Italian Al

Postby dav2930 » Fri Jul 08, 2016 7:35 pm

What a magnificent trip! Stunning views, brilliant weather and amazing photos; those sunsets from the Margherita hut are sublime 8) I'm very envious :mrgreen: :clap: :clap:
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Re: Spaghetti Tour. 5 day trek around Monta Rosa, Italian Al

Postby Riverman » Sun Jul 10, 2016 12:38 pm

Absolutely fantastic. Great photos of some wonderful vistas. This has really whet my appetite and I cannot wait until September and my first trip to the Alps.

For the summits on this route was the climbing technically hard?
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