UKC

Hi all , thinking of doing the mittiligi ridge this season, just wondering if anyone has done it and could give me advice on route difficulty , min leading uk climbing grade I should be , crux difficult etc cheers

In reply to aindris75:

http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/54714/fr/eiger-arete-mittellegi

Camp to camp gives an adjectival grade of 4a with an overall alpine grade of D. From what I understand it's a fairly serious climb just to gain the hut but I've not done it so can't give you any personal experience. I'm sure others with actual experience will be along shortly to impart their knowledge.

In reply to aindris75:

Over 20 years since I did it. An awesome climb. Forget 'crux' and all the little particularities of UK trad climbing. The secret here is moving fast, confidently on easy/ moderate terrain, otherwise you'll find yourself doing a forced, unconfortable bivvy ! When you're prepared, go for it !

In reply to aindris75:

Hi aindris75

I did the classic traverse ascending via the Mittellegi (Difficile) and descending via the South Ridge (AD) a few summers ago and it is an outstanding adventure. Ironically the technical "crux" of the whole route is encountered on the first day on the slab (about VS in big boots) immediately above the Challifirn Glacier, after leaving the Eismeer railway station on your way to the Mittellegi Hut. It is an amazing hut in a spectacular setting and the old boy who runs it is a legend. If there is a settled spell of weather on the way, make sure you book a few days in advance as it gets full very quickly!

If interested the following is a wee film of our 2 day tour which shows getting to the hut + that cheeky crux, the Mittellegi hut and on the super-exposed ridge itself, which is thinner than an anorexic After Eight mint in places...

youtube.com/watch?v=kwAy1T-BP4Q&

Hope this helps!

Dave