Mont Vélan
Valais
Switzerland
Monday, September 9:
Wilco and I had contact a while ago to go climbing together. He had been busy rowing on the Rhine for Team Ocean and for me it had been a ‘special’ climbing year in the Alps. So we both felt like climbing another mountain. We had focused on the Schreckhorn-Lauteraarhorn Traverse and/or the Finsteraarhorn in the Bernese Oberland. But the week before we were to go, the weather forecast was very bad in this region. The weather in Valais should be a little better, with Tuesday in particular being a beautiful day. So I suggested the Grand Combin traverse. Three 4000ers with the highest peak the Grand Combin de Grafeneire 4314 meters. Wilco was immediately enthusiastic so I booked the Cabane du Valsorey for us. Let’s hope the weather forecast is correct.
On Monday afternoon we arrive in Bourg-Saint-Pierre, the starting point of the hike towards the Grand Combin. We pack our bags and have something to eat. Wilco brought stroopwafels, there is no better preparation! The lead time to the hut is 3 to 4 hours and we set off in good spirits. The valley in which the hut is located is a wonderfully quiet and authentic valley. No mass tourism like in Zermatt or Grindelwald. We encountered some rain showers along the way, but hey, we knew the weather wouldn’t be great today. We also come across a group of ibexes of about 25 animals. It is always special to see these animals. After a three-hour walk we arrive at the hut at 3037 meters and are welcomed by Berta, the hut owner. She is already busy stoking up the wood stove so that we can warm up. There is snow outside the hut so it is certainly not warm. In the hut we read some books and hang out to save our energy. We also check the weather for the next day and the expectations are great, that should work out well! Dinner is at 7:00 PM and we replenish our reserves. Climbing a mountain always takes a lot of energy and you get energy from food. We go to bed around 8:00 PM to get as much sleep as possible. The alarm goes off at 3:00 am the next day.
Tuesday, September 10:
We get up at 3:00 am and get dressed. Time for the always delicious (not) breakfast. After we opened the door to see what the weather was like, we were not happy. It is blowing and snowing very hard and the visibility is less than 50 meters. That was not predicted and these are certainly not conditions for climbing a rock ridge that is difficult to navigate! We decide to wait until the weather improves, but unfortunately that took a while. Fortunately, we can always fill the time with talking. In this way we solve all the problems in the world in a few hours and we are relationship therapists and environmental experts at the same time. But it will take so long that we have to look at a plan B and that must be Mont Vélan, a mountain of 3727 meters high opposite the Grand Combin. We agree to leave at 6:30 am, whatever the weather. Wilco lies down for a while and I leaf through some books. At the agreed time I kick him out of bed and we leave the cabin. The moment we step out the door the weather suddenly clears up completely. We have a beautiful view of Mont Vélan with an incredibly beautiful sunrise. Who would have thought that! Unfortunately it was too late to start the Grand Combin, but the Vélan would make up for everything. We walk quite quickly to the Cabane du Vélan. This hut is located opposite the hut where we slept. However, opposite means something different in the mountains than in our flat land. First descend from 3037 meters to about 2400 meters and then climb again to 2642 meters. But luckily we get to our destination quickly. When we arrive at the hut, we have a quick chat with the hut innkeeper and set off towards the mountain.
The route first runs along a path for a while and then quickly turns into block terrain. The cold makes the stones very slippery and we occasionally slip. We do some moonwalks that Michael Jackson would have envied. Now we come to an ice field and strap on our crampons. We cross the ice field from right to left to emerge above a smooth rock and climb towards the Col de la Gouille. When we arrive at the bottom of the pass we see a ladder and a funnel on fixed ropes and chains. This way we can easily climb up. As soon as you reach the pass, it immediately becomes clear that summer is really over. Where the rock ridge is normally snow-free, there is now at least 5 centimeters of fresh snow.
From the col we go up to the right and start at the Arête de la Gouille, a beautiful rock ridge towards the top of Mont Vélan. Normally the route is classified PD, but in these circumstances this is probably a grade higher. Because of the snow it is sometimes difficult to find where to place your hands and feet, but we climb steadily up at a nice pace. Under a clear blue sky we get higher and higher until we reach a snow plateau. This is a nice point to take a break, after all we are in no hurry today. After the break we have to cross one last piece of rock ridge and then we arrived at the snow ridge, the last part towards the snow dome where the summit is located. The last few meters of snow pound and then we are at the top of Mont Vélan at 3727 meters. It is not a 4000er but what a beautiful thing to climb, the mountain has everything. Rock ridge, glacier, ice, you name it. Below us is the city of Aosta. Around us all the 4000 peaks of Wallis and the Mont Blanc massif. The Gran Paradiso and Grivola in the distance. The back of the famous Matterhorn. And close to the huge Grand Combin.
We agree that we will definitely climb the Combin in the short term. We take the well-known top photos and videos and descend slightly for the next break. Just below the top you are out of the wind, something that is a lot more pleasant in the mountains. We keep the break short again, a descent of 2100 meters awaits us back to the valley. The descent follows the summit ridge for a while and then we descend via a steep ice/snow wall towards the glacier. There are few crevasses on the right side of the glacier, while there are many on the left. But yes, we have to cross the col on the left again, so we decided to take the left side. From higher up we saw quite clearly how we could get through it and it worked. After the crevasse zone we look around to see if we are already near the col and that’s right, we are indeed close to it. A few more minutes of descent and there hang the chains to point us to the pass. We climb up and are soon at the top. We descend on the other side with the chains we used on the way up and soon we put our feet back on the glacier. We descend quickly over snow and ice because our bellies are starting to rumble. Halfway through we fill our bottles with glacier water. Filling the bottle with water was also a symbolic moment. Wilco will row across the Pacific next year with Team Ocean with the message that we must use our water sparingly and well. After all, we cannot live without water.
We walk back across the block area to the hut where we left some things. On the way we had already decided that we would order soup at the hut and we did so immediately upon arrival. A soup in the mountains always tastes extra delicious. After the break we descend through the beautiful valley to the car where we arrive at 7:00 PM. We decide to drive towards Upper Valais and climb another mountain around Saas-Fee the next morning. However, upon arrival in Stalden where we have booked a room, we see on the signs that the Saas Valley is closed due to flooding. Wallis has already been hit by floods several times this year, not a good sign. We hadn’t thought of that… But we are both very satisfied with what we have done that day and we decide to leave the next day. Wilco still has something to do and I have my daddy day at home the next day. So it works out well this way. We took a quick shower at the room and wanted to go eat something. Unfortunately, the kitchen appears to already be closed. Fortunately, we can still order a beer, so we can toast the successful day. Back in the room we ate a bag of chips together and went to sleep tired but satisfied.
We had fun days together again and climbed a beautiful route.
Wilco, thanks friend!
On to the next adventure!
