Bishorn (4153m), 13./14.7.1996

 

Bishorn. 4153 meters above sea level. It is a mere 5 meters in height shy of the majestic Jungfrau. It is known as one of the easiest 4000ers in Switzerland, but make no mistake: it is by no means easy. Relatively speaking it is easy in technical terms, but the air above 4000 meters is thin no matter where you are.

Arnold Barmettler led our group of varying experience with a skillful hand. We started out at about 1700m in the Zinal valley in the Valais (approximately West of the Bishorn). Our first goal was the Cabane Tracuit, among the highest of Switzerland’s fine mountain cabins (3256m). From the valley, it took us about 5 hours, including a lunch break on the way. Based on the long ascent to the cabin alone, we had hoped that few would be there. Not only were we not alone at the hut, we had a full house of more than 130! We enjoyed a leisurely afternoon acclimatizing. In the evening, we decided on two rope teams of three and surveyed our approach. Exhausted we turned in for the night and endured the continuos chatter of inconsiderate people (despite the sign stipulating quiet for the bunk rooms).

The “Hüttenwart (the mountain equivalent of an innkeeper) woke us up at 4:30 am and we dashed to eat and gather our gear, so that we could beat the impending confusion of a big crowd. We roped up and set out across the glacier with an amazing sunrise to our backs. To the right of our well trodden path lay tracks from an earlier attempt to cross the glacier which ended at a gaping crevasse! We had practiced the z-pulley (Flaschenzug in German) a few weeks earlier for a good reason. Besides this hint of what could go wrong, the glacier crossing remained uneventful.

The ascent was a little more amusing. One of our teams decided to put on crampons after the glacier; the other opted not to in order to save time (though it was agreed the night before that everyone would). In the end it made little difference. Mid-way up one of our climbers (who will remain nameless) had to succumb to the urge of nature. The classic alpinist’s outhouse (a pit dug in the snow) was erected in no time and the business was finished off with a little emergency toilet paper, a little discussed necessity for every pack (why do you think there’s a zippered flap in the seat of mountaineering pants). The evidence was buried and we pressed onward.

By the time we reached 4000 m, even a normal pace meant breathing hard. Our goal was in sight, so we pushed a little harder, knowing we could stop soon. The peak wasn’t quite as isolated as one might imagine after seeing documentaries about Himalayan ascents. A few groups had already made it before us and many more were below. We kept our stay at the top brief in considerations of climbers behind us. The view was still stunning and the air crisp and clean. We studied the Bishorn’s neighbor, the Weisshorn, as a possibility for a future, substantially more advanced climb. We turned around and clambered up a somewhat lower, unnamed peak nearby (a mere 30 m above the trail). From this vantage point we saw an interesting ice-climbing route for the somewhat more daring members of our club.

We made our descent quickly and went about the business of heading home. That night we all slept quite soundly.

Sam Broderich

		Akademischer Alpen-Club Zürich AACZ / 15. Apr. 2005 (ab) info@aacz.ch