UKC

This may not strictly be alpine mountaineering so please feel free to redirect me and I'll move it.

I'm heading to Zermatt in a couple of weeks and looking at some walking peaks. Don't have the map yet (expensive here and only found the 1:50000) so I'm currently using a combination of google earth and various guidebooks to get some ideas together.

This will be a walking/scrambling holiday. The guys I'm going with have no climbing experience and mine is mostly in rock climbing with a little bit of easy mountaineering in chamonix some years ago.

The Mettelhorn stuck out like an obvious peak that could be walked in a (long) day but on reading various accounts there seems to be some difference of opinion on whether there's a glacier just before the summit or not?

If anybody has been up there, particularly around this time of year and would care to comment on this that would be very useful. I guess what I'm really asking is whether this is reasonably safe at this time of year with walking gear or whether I should be considering ropes and axes. I'm thinking of the route that heads past Trift.

thanks
Mark

In reply to marko61:

I can't comment on the Mettelhorn glacier but there is a peak next to the Mettelhorn called the Platthorn that does not involve any glacier work. It's a loose path up the summit pyramid, with a great view down to Zermatt from the summit block. I took my children (then aged about 10 to 14) up it in 2002 or 2003. I can also recomend the Trift Hotel en-route.

In reply to marko61:

Hi Mark,

I did the walk you're thinking of this year in mid July as acclimatization. There is a short section of permenant snow at just before the final climb to the top. It wasn't clear to us whether it might be the top bit of a glacier, but we (and everyone else who was around) just walked across it unroped. It didn't look like the kind of place where there'd be any crevass danger. It's also recommended as a walk in various Zermatt tourist leaflets and graded as a walk in the Alpine club guide so that suggests that there isn't crevass danger.

We did take ice axes, and although we didn't use them they might be useful late in the season, as might crampons I suppose... Maybe worth asking in the guides' office?

It's a nice walk with a hut halfway good for a snack on the way down and amazing views of all the surrounding mountains. A great way for walkers to feel they're up in the high alps.

In reply to marko61:

I think just before the summit the ridge is at the very top of the Hohlicht glacier although I'm not sure if you would actually need to go on the glacier but you would certainly be very close to it. Check the map pic at the below link its certainly not definitive but it gives an idea.

http://www.hikingalps.com/images/Clipboard_mettelhorn3.jpg

In reply to peterd:

Thanks Peter that's very useful. If the Platthorn is definitely a walking route then it's probably worth going up and then assessing the last stretch to the Mettelhorn when we're there.

Still open to other replies as my experience with glaciers is limited so I'm ready to admit my judgement would be helped by any one with more experience.

thanks

In reply to marko61:

Have done it 3 times and although strictly speaking what you are crossing is the top of the glacier, it's essentially a flattish snowfield and there's never been any need to worry. Obviously take care and use common sense - but unless you start wandering off downhill to where the angle of the slope increases, should be ok. It will probably have a trail across it too - though obviously that doesn't mean you shouldn't look where you're going for yourself! There may be a bit of a gap to cross as you come over the ridge and go from rock to snow.

It's well worth it...save for a good clear day!

In reply to bigbobbyking:

Bobby - that's exactly what I envisaged. I've been across similar stretches of snow before and would behappy to do so again without axes/crampons but it's hard to tell without a proper map.

Your suggestion about checking at the guides' office is a good one which I'll probably follow up when we arrive.

thanks

In reply to ajsteele:

thanks AJ, that's the one. From a couple of photos I've seen it looks pretty flat at the top but my main concern is whether there are any crevasses.

thanks for posting that.

In reply to DeadSquirrel:

Thanks that's what I thought/was hoping for. I'm not planning on leaving the common sense behind and have backed off enough climbs/walks/scrambles in the past due to bad conditions (and sometimes outright cowardice of course) so I'm not planning to get carried away.

From what everyone's telling me though, with reasonable weather and assuming there isn't a bucketload of early snow this should be a cracking walk.

I like the photo of Gross Glockner in your gallery by the way.

Haven't looked at these forums for some time (it's been a busy year with children and home improvements). I'd forgotten how friendly and informative it can be. So useful in fact that I'll probably post a couple more queries later.

So thanks again to all of you.

In reply to marko61:
>I'm not planning on leaving the common sense behind


In that case, depending on the season, there can be some excellent bumsliding opportunities on the descent!

In reply to DeadSquirrel:

Funnily enough the same thought had crossed my mind. I always used to feel a little irresponsible after such antics on snow and scree until I read Annapurna or something similar and discovered the technical term is glissade, and even Chamonix Guides do it.

After all, it's supposed to be fun as well.

Cheers.

In reply to marko61:
When I did it in early July 2007, there was snow quite a way down the gorge and we were glad to take ice axes and crampons (which saw significant use from well beneath the permanent snowfield), although we did not employ a rope. I doubt you will find similar conditions at this time of year, but you never know.

In reply to Only a hill:

Thanks for that. If it's looking like that when we get there then I don't think we'll be going much further.

Btw, if you need a map: http://www.mapsworldwide.com/sku_10335.htm?aid=32951

There are 2 routes up, both from Zermatt. The final section is idd on 'glacier'. Just a plot of snow to be honest.

Ascent via the trift gorge is a nice walk. Do Mettelhorn/Platthorn and descent then. Close to an elektricity mast (or something like that, cant miss it) close to a river, there is a path going towards Tasch. (Always better to make a tour than coming back the same way eh). Cool thins is that the other path brings you to the foot of the Wisshorn @ 2700m. There is a nice path going up through some avalanche blockers (those big iron things), i thought that was quite enjoyable, it is only a 30min 'detour' up and 15 min back down to the path.

Be aware that it is a 'warming up' hike, but Zermatt is @ 1600m and Mettelhorn 3400m. well, dont try it on your first day after arriving in Zermatt. You might become a little altitude sick, or exhausted. Normal time up is 4-6 and down another 3-4. So it will be quite a long day.

Oh yeah, i forgot to mention. The route consists of very steep rock sections or flat-ish grass plots. When i was in the region end of july, there was a lot of snow < 2500m in the Saastal, Zermatt will be the same i guess.

Those 'steep rock sections' combined with some snow plots might make a rope or axe useful.

In reply to joa_ds@mount_Wiki:

Yep, when we were there we decided to do it in two days, in view of the conditions, and due to the fact that it was our first 'route' of the season. We took the walk-in slow and snowholed on the glacier before climbing the peak and descending the next day.

In reply to joa_ds@mount_Wiki:

did it the day after arriving in Zermatt in a single day with no trouble...

In reply to bigbobbyking: So did i...
I live at 0m, 100m away from the North Sea. Drove to Zermatt a whole day, slept and left the next day for the Mettelhorn summit. Around 3000m i started to feel very akward.

I guess it differs between people

Thanks for the additional replies since I last looked. We won't be doing it on the first day. I have a nice easy walk planned to start with a night out somewhere near Schwarzsee. After that we'll see how fit everybody is and the negotiations can begin.

thanks all.

In reply to marko61:


I did the Mettelhorn on the first day of walking in Zermatt and was fine! It's a nice walk. And yes, the route crosses the very top of the Hohlichtgletscher, but it's an unproblematic snowfield (much reduced, I believe, from what it used to be).

In reply to bigbobbyking:
>

The only trouble we had with doing that last time was that we'd arrived late the night before with no food, then discovered the next morning that there was some sort of religious festival and that all the shops were shut for the day... At great expense, we eventually managed to get hold of a few eggs and some chocolate from some sort of tourist-tat shop just before it, too closed. None of us being of particularly free-spending nature (our last day on the campsite was spent raiding the recycling bin for refundable bottles), supplies were rather limited but just about sufficient to get us up and down the Mettelhorn...

In reply to marko61:hi i am out on 23/9 to do the mettelhorn ... looks a good walk . some differing views on the glacier crossing. when you out? would appreciate an upto date view on conditions, although i know they change frequently.anyone any general ideas as to cobditions at end sep?

In reply to phil dixon: Hi Phil - I'm a friend of mark061 (the one with no climbing experience) and thought I'd reply as we've just got back.

We did the Mettelhorn on the penultimate day of our holiday (11th Sept) so we were fit and had no problems with the altitude. Weather was perfect, sunny and no wind. Had breakfast at Trift but the hotel closes this week for 9 months.

Got to the glacier near the summit and Mark started muttering about sliding off into the 'sarlak-like' punch-bowl of ice 100 meters down and leaving his kids fatherless. It's a 30 degree slope of hard crusty snow with a few slippery ice patches and some pointy boulders for comic effect. I felt ok scrambling across it while he went up the Platterhorn instead. Got to the top of the Mettlehorn and we waved at each other from our respective perches. It was spectacular but terrifying peering over the edge. I had an unrelaxing roll-up and a few sick-burps then clambered back down.

Unsettlingly I found an old camcorder from the 1980's half buried in the glacier, along with some old-fashioned sunglasses and a bag. I feel a bit weird about it but I took the tape and brought it home. I've sent it away to be converted to a dvd - not sure what I'm expecting but curiosity got the better of me.