Swiss Giants: the Dom and the Dufourspitze
At 4634m and 4545m respectively, the Dufourspitze and the Dom are the second and third highest peaks of the Alps. The Dom is the highest summit entirely within Switzerland and the Dufourspitze the highest peak forming Switzerland's border.
As Switzerland's highest peak, the Dufourspitze is an especially coveted ascent for aspiring mountaineers, having the advantage that it remains much less 'busy' than Mt Blanc while offering a similar type of challenge. Its ascent has been facilitated recently with the building of the new Monte Rosa hut (a showpiece for the Swiss Alpine club and a very comfortable base to use for an ascent of the peak) and the re-equipping of the final, more difficult, section of the route just below the summit with new fixed anchors.
The Dom provides a comparable ascent to the Dufourspitze in that it involves a long ascent on glaciers and snow ridges to one of the very highest alpine peaks. It also has a comfortable new hut to base the ascent from, set in a fantastic Alpine panorama. Its proximity to the Dufourspitze means that the two peaks can be combined in an intense and physical week of mountaineering.
Whilst neither of these peaks involves technically difficult climbing, they are not for the faint-hearted or unfit mountaineer! To climb both peaks during the week involves a total height gain of well over 5000m, with much of that made on glacial terrain at high altitude. Some prior acclimatisation is very strongly recommended - see the notes in the section below.
Who the course will suit
This course is aimed at participants with some previous Alpine experience. The routes that we attempt on this course are not especially technically difficult climbs and hence do not require a high level of technical climbing skills. They both involve long approaches on demanding glacial terrain, so some prior experience of this would be beneficial (although the essentials of safe glacier travel will be taught/refreshed by the guide). Above all, both climbs are long and tiring ascents at high altitude, so a high level of general physical fitness is definitely necessary.
Pre-acclimatisation
As we plan to make our first climb on this course the ascent of the Dom (4545m), some prior acclimatisation immediately before starting the course is very strongly recommended. This could be achieved by preceding it with one of our other courses, or by spending at least one (preferably two) nights sleeping at a high mountain hut. ISM can provide details of an inexpensive itinerary for acclimatisation within easy reach of Leysin.
Brief outline of the typical course programme
Day 1. Meeting with the guides and course briefing at the Grand Chalet hotel, Leysin, 6.45 pm.
Day 2. Equipment check and travel to the Zermatt valley. Walk up to the Dom hut (2940m) 4-5 hours. Technical session on alpine rope work, crampons and ice axe.
Day 3. Ascent of the Dom and return to the Dom hut.
Day 4. Descend from the Dom hut back down into the Zermatt valley and our hotel. Rest afternoon.
Day 5. Take the Gornergrat railway from Zermatt up to Rotenboden and then walk up to the Monte Rosa hut, crossing the Grentz glacier.
Day 6. Ascent of the Dufourspitze and return to the Monte Rosa hut.
Day 7. Descent from the Monte Rosa hut back to Rotenboden. Train down to Zermatt and return to Leysin.
Day 8. Breakfast and depart.
Typical Course Programme
Saturday evening
The course starts with participants and guides meeting at 6.45pm at Le Grand Chalet hotel in Leysin. This is the chance for the guides to give you a thorough briefing of the details of the course, sort out any particular personal equipment requirements and for you to ask any questions that you may have!
Sunday
After breakfast, we start by checking equipment and issuing any items needed by course participants. We travel by minibus up the Rhone valley before turning into the Mattertal and following this up towards Zermatt, parking at the small village of Randa (c.1400m) a few kilometres before Zermatt. The trail starts just above the village and goes up through meadows and then more steeply through the larch forests. Above the tree line it continues on towards a steep rock barrier at about 2400m, which has some cables and fixed anchors to safeguard the way. Once over this this the path leads more easily up to the Dom hut at 2940m (4-5 hours from Randa). The Dom hut itself is a recently rebuilt traditional stone hut with a fantastic outlook over many of the surrounding peaks. After a cup of tea or two we will have a teaching/revision session on the use of the rope, crampons and axes.
Monday
This is a big day, with 1600m of ascent from the hut to the summit of the Dom, and we make a proper 'Alpine start' by head torch light to begin our climb. The rough track continues above the hut to quickly gain the Festiglacier at about 3200m. We rope up here and ascend the often quite crevassed glacier to a point below the Festijoch. A short, steep ascent on rocks, with some fixed ropes, takes us to the Festijoch (3723m) and the Hohbarg glacier. We make an arcing ascent up the easiest part of this glacier, below the Lenzspitze, and then climb the steeper snow slopes on the North side of the Dom. A short snow ridge, often corniced, leads to the summit at 4545m. We will descend by the same route back to the hut. This route is the 'normal' and most straightforward route on the Dom. For climbers with more experience there is also the possibility of taking the more direct (and more difficult) route from the Festijoch, via the Festigrat, to the summit.
Tuesday
We will make a much more relaxed start after yesterday's exertions. After breakfast we descend the track back down into the valley, taking our time to enjoy the surroundings. Once back in the valley we check in to our hotel (either in Herbriggen, just below Randa, or up in Zermatt itself). The afternoon will be free to relax and to prepare for our ascent of the Dufourspitze.
Wednesday
We catch the famous Gornergrat cog railway up from Zermatt, stopping at Rotenboden (2815m).The route to the Monte Rosa hut starts with a long and gentle descent eastwards on a good track along the steep hillside above the Gorner glacier. The glacier has retreated enormously in recent years and there is now a steep ladder to make the final descend down onto it (c. 2600m). We cross the Gorner glacier and a medial moraine ridge to gain the Grentz glacier. This is normally a bare 'dry' glacier in summer and has a marked way across it, but crampons generally make the going easier across its many ridges and crevasses. We gain the track which climbs the final 300m up the steep rock slopes to the new hut, situated about 100m above the site of the old one at 2883m. (4 - 5 hours from Zermatt). The new hut is the showpiece of the Swiss Alpine Club and has solar panels and other new technologies to make it 90% self sufficient for energy. It is also very comfortable!
Thursday
The Dufourspitze. Another big, glaciated ascent of over 1700m means another pre-dawn start with head torches. The route ascends initially via rock slabs and then some steeper, awkward rocky ground to gain the top of the Ober Plattje at 3360m. Here we get onto the Monte Rosa glacier, which we will follow all the way to the final climb to the summit. For the most part the glacier is not too steep and relatively straightforward - but it is a very long way! Also, the first section of the glacier above the Ober Plattje can be quite convoluted, which can make route finding difficult in the dark, especially when the glacier does not have good snow cover at this point.
There are two options for the final part of the climb to the summit; either via the west ridge from Sattel (4359m), or by continuing up the glacier to the Silbersattel at 4515m and climbing directly up a short, steep gully to gain the summit ridge just below the top. This way has been recently re-equipped with some fixed ropes and anchors, which makes using this route a much more reasonable prospect, either for ascent or descent. We will retrace our steps down the glacier back to the hut - and a well earned beer or two!
Friday
We descend from the hut, back across the Grentz and Gorner glaciers and then make the long ascent back up the hillside to Rotenboden. We catch the train down to Zermatt from here and will take a break in town before heading back to Leysin and the Grand Chalet hotel by minibus. The course will normally finish (as most our courses do!) with a 'debrief' and evening out at the Lynx or Yeti bar in town.
Saturday
Breakfast at the hotel and depart.
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