UKC

Kuffner arete this july

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 nicjbuk 18 Mar 2016
This is a D alpine route- how does it compare to one of the big nevis ridges difficulty wise? Hoping to get this done once fully acclimatised but any info appreciated.
 Simon4 18 Mar 2016
In reply to nicjbuk:

Usual caveats apply re fitness, steadiness, a good pairing, aclimitisation etc, but I presume from the way you phrased your question you already know that.

I would say it is LESS technical than the main Nevis ridges, certainly I remember little in the way of difficulty around the Pointe d l'Androsace, normally flagged as the most technical section in rock climbing terms. There is a lot of careful cramponing on exposed snow crests however, also getting to the Forche bivouac involves probably Scottish II/III climbing. I have heard people advocate not going to the Forche but doing it directly from the Torino hut, starting higher along the ridge. Seems a bit implausible to me as you would be making the day very long, starting very early and adding a quite technical start to the day, but those who have done it seem to think it works.

You have to get off the other end of course, in practice it is not essential to go to Mont Maudit summit, you can branch off some way below that.
 Carless 18 Mar 2016
In reply to nicjbuk:

As Simon4 says, I've also heard of people doing it directly from the Torino as a very long day, but the Fourche is a magnificent place to stay in good weather

The ridge itself is a great trip for the views (I have to do it again as the clouds came in and we saw bugger all after 7am) and not that technical

I think you'd regret not going to the summit of Maudit
 pec 18 Mar 2016
In reply to nicjbuk:

My recollection of it was that it felt very at D and no harder than other classic AD ridges, like the Forbes, Italian Ridge (Matterhorn) and the Brenva Spur (which gets AD/D but is more serious).
Its no harder than Tower Ridge and easier than Observatory.
Having said all that its obviously conditions dependant, I have a friend who spent about 6 hours getting half way up it before turning back because of deep powder on it.
 Simon4 18 Mar 2016
In reply to Carless:
> The ridge itself is a great trip for the views (I have to do it again as the clouds came in and we saw bugger all after 7am) and not that technical

There are some wonderful pictures on it, quite a lot of them taken by that bastard Ben Tibbetts. Mind, he could make a walk down Southall high street look like a stroll with a damsel in the garden of Eden.

> I think you'd regret not going to the summit of Maudit

Wasn't suggesting it as an idea to approach with, just pointing out that there is an earlier escape point if needed.
Post edited at 22:46
 Simon4 18 Mar 2016
In reply to pec:
> My recollection of it was that it felt very at D

I think you have a word missing there, is it "overgraded"?
Post edited at 22:46
OP nicjbuk 19 Mar 2016
In reply to nicjbuk:

Many thanks for the replies people, having done observatory ridge, tower and castle ridges I hope we'll cope admirably, conditions dependant of course.
 Tim Davies 19 Mar 2016
In reply to nicjbuk:
Did it late June a few years ago. The most dodgy bit was getting up to the hut. Slopes were very sugary and a few rocks coming down. I think I'd take the long day option from the Torino or the cosmiques next time and climb the couloir to the main ridge.
It's like the easy, meandering sections of tower ridge. Nothing like NE buttress or the steep pitches of Castle/ observatory.
Not a route to get acclimatised on.
 Robert Durran 19 Mar 2016
In reply to Tim Davies:

> It's like the easy, meandering sections of tower ridge. Nothing like NE buttress or the steep pitches of Castle/ observatory.

Maybe some truth in that, but don't lose sight of the fact that the biggest difference is that it is a big, high alpine route and not just a big Nevis ridge. It can be very delicate in places.

 pec 19 Mar 2016
In reply to Simon4:

> I think you have a word missing there, is it "overgraded"? >

Yes, sorry. Indeed it should say overgraded and I can't even use the excuse it was late when I posted that, just poor proof reading.

 Simon4 19 Mar 2016
In reply to pec:

No worries, I just thought it best to clarify in case it might mislead the OP.
 Simon4 19 Mar 2016
In reply to Tim Davies:
> The most dodgy bit was getting up to the hut.

It is not to be taken lightly, but is not very hard. Mostly the problem is that people do it mid-afternoon, so I tend to do it reasonably early in the morning, which means it should be in good condition, also you get well rested at the Forche, well hydrated/fed, also ensure you have some beds before potential late comers arrive. On the other hand Pat Littlejohn, who is generally considered to know what he is doing, once arrived quite late in the day with a client with a view to climbing the Kuffner.

> I think I'd take the long day option from the Torino or the cosmiques next time and climb the couloir to the main ridge.

As I say, if that is your reason, why not just leave the Torino fairly early in the day?

One final point for the OP, DON'T do it in high season, on a weekend with an outstanding forecast - the hut if not the route has a fair chance of being mayhem, it also has people aiming for other routes, most notably the Brenva spur. There used to be another hut just the other side of the big gendarme, but if fell off and was never replaced.
Post edited at 14:20
OP nicjbuk 19 Mar 2016
In reply to Simon4:
We are there the first 2 weeks in July so it's likely to be our final route possibly on weds/ thurs
Continental rules apply, no British reserve !
 alasdair19 19 Mar 2016
In reply to nicjbuk:

did it last July it's excellent. We had good conditions though it was slightly too warm

We started at the torino which worked fine right up until the point you have to walk back to the lift from directly below the midi.

it seems to me that in hot summers an evening climb to the fourche could be unpleasant.

d- is fair enough it's high and a biggish day
 pec 19 Mar 2016
In reply to Simon4:


> . . There used to be another hut just the other side of the big gendarme, but if fell off and was never replaced. >

Has the trident actually fallen off now? I know it was closed for a while because they thought it was going to but then they re-opened it. It was in pretty poor condition when I was there though.

 Simon4 19 Mar 2016
In reply to pec:

It tilted ever more drastically, was officially closed but people kept using it, so they eventually removed it before it toppled off with a load of climbers in it. You can still see the platform where it used to be.

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...