UKC

Saas high peak conditions

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 Mike Lates 13 Jul 2013
Friends out at the end of next week. Whats the snow/glacier conditions? ta, M
 euanw 13 Jul 2013
In reply to Mike Lates:

Hi Mike

Recently I climbed Alphubel from the Tasch Hut via the South East Ridge. We found good conditions. There is a couple of photos of the route and some more details on the ClimbNow blog. There was also tracks on the Rimpfischhorn from the Tasch valley and lots of teams on the Voie Normale on the Allalinhorn.

Cheers

Euan
 Simon4 13 Jul 2013
In reply to euanw: A lot of snow around Saas then Euan? Glaciers well covered?
 KlaasW 13 Jul 2013
In reply to Simon4: even two weeks ago there were loads of people going up the Weissmiess.
 Blinder 14 Jul 2013
In reply to Mike Lates: Hi Mike Counted about 50 people on the Wiessmiss ( north face route) last weekend.

Cheers
Mark crampton
 Jaylaz 15 Jul 2013
In reply to Mike Lates:

Any info on North face of Lenspitze and Nadelhorn traverse?
 euanw 17 Jul 2013
In reply to Mike Lates:

Hi Simon

The glaciers were in good condition for travelling last week. It is worth being early though as by about 10 am they were becoming very soft in the heat.
OP Mike Lates 17 Jul 2013
In reply to euanw: Hi Euan
Looks like plenty of snow around on rock sections still? Lagginhorn still snowy up voie normal after the glacier i take it? What about Nadelgrat, any news anyone?
Cheers
 Simon4 17 Jul 2013
In reply to euanw: Thanks Euan.

Looks like a couple of days of iffy weather, then the 0 degree isotherm is going to rise quite high, which is a potential problem. On the other hand it may give good weathering of loose snow if there is an adequate overnight freeze.
 LakesWinter 17 Jul 2013
In reply to Simon4: meteo suisse suggests 0 degree isothern around 3800m in the day, like at the moment after the didgy weather. After that is anyone's guess, hopefully it stays nice, heading out next weds/thurs
 Simon4 17 Jul 2013
In reply to jon: Interesting :

"Toutes les cordées tirent des longueurs" (on the N face of the Lenzspitz),

Well I'm certainly not going to!
 jon 17 Jul 2013
In reply to Simon4:

Yeah, but you're a roughie toughie.
 Alan.T 17 Jul 2013
In reply to Simon4:
> (In reply to jon) Interesting :
>
> "Toutes les cordées tirent des longueurs" (on the N face of the Lenzspitz),
>
> Well I'm certainly not going to!

What does this mean? Google translate gives - All strung draw lengths

Does it mean groups moving together?
 LakesWinter 17 Jul 2013
In reply to Alan.T: All parties climbing the route in pitches, i.e. not moving together but pitching the whole thing
 Simon4 17 Jul 2013
In reply to Alan.T: No, it means the rope teams were pitching it. Hence my comment that I would not to that if it was remotely possible to avoid it - move together continuously.

I would never have more than 1 ice-screw on the rope at any one time, or it is too slow. I find one ice-screw doesn't really slow you up as it gives a bit of a rest anyway. Second gets to the ice-screw, calls out,clears the ice, leader places next screw, when the leader has used all 3 ice-screws, they take a "belay" with both axes planted firmly and the second just goes through with the clean ice-screws and repeats the cycle.

All assumes that the bergschrund is straightforward, which I would think that it currently is, indeed the account said "bergschrund? what bergschrund?", though it is hard to see how this is relevant to the Nadelgrat (presumably done from the Bordier hut, judging by the account).

So weather and the other mountain Gods allowing, it should be perfectly do-able.
 Alan.T 17 Jul 2013
In reply to LakesWinter:
Thanks for that. Good to hear it's being done but don't fancy pitching it all.
 Simon4 17 Jul 2013
In reply to Alan.T: As Lakes Winter has said.
 Simon4 17 Jul 2013
In reply to Alan.T: Oh, one other thing. It says "1/3 of face snow, 2/3rds ice". So have sharp tools/crampons, saves a lot of effort for the icy bits. Though that seems like conjecture, as the party reporting didn't do the face, it is implied that they saw teams on it and judged the state of the face visually.
 Alan.T 17 Jul 2013
In reply to Simon4:
Cheers, This would be the method I'd like to be able to adopt but I think the face can sometimes make it difficult to do depending on the conditions. Fingers crossed.
 MG 17 Jul 2013
In reply to Simon4: Look, stop it!!! Isn't two alpine trips in one summer enough without rubbing everyone's nose in it
 jon 17 Jul 2013
In reply to Simon4:

> though it is hard to see how this is relevant to the Nadelgrat (presumably done from the Bordier hut, judging by the account).

The bergschrund at the foot of the Dirrujoch couloir.

 Simon4 17 Jul 2013
In reply to MG: Haven't any successes from the forthcoming trip yet! Got to forget what has gone before, and give the Lenzspitz suitable respect, after all, it is a big bad mountain - and it doesn't know what you have already climbed!
 Simon4 18 Jul 2013
In reply to jon: Which does possibly explain why the teams that they saw on the Dreiesselwand were all pitching - if they had already been along the Nadelgrat and the teams were still there!

I once climbed the Nadelhorn, got back down to the Mishabel hut and found a team visible less than a third of the way up the face, still having to finish most of it and THEN climb the ridge into the teeth of a very fierce wind directly in their faces (which was why we had scrubbed the idea of the Dreiesselwand on that occasion). Not exactly the crispest of outfits, it would seem.

I HOPE they got down that night, when we left for the descent to Saas Fee at 2:30 they were still on the face, not that much further up it.

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