By far the best explanation I've ever seen on YT, great job. And yes, I'm a local, thumbs up. With the lost of the permafrost these kind of mountains with steep exposed ridges will get more and more dangerous. Stay safe...
Really good overview and explanation Nino - thank you. I'm coming at this from an ascent via the Hornli last September with my son who is also an IFMGA guide. It was a true whistlestop trip from the UK as we had significant time pressure due to a new family arrival. Frankly, I'm enjoying it retrospectively and kind of understanding things more now as I summitted on the 3rd day after arriving in Saas Grund having driven non-stop from Wales! We did an acclimatisation route up the Lagginhorn then next day walked up to the Hornli. A really spectacular experience but without full acclimatisation pretty gruelling (I'm closer to 70 than 60 years old). Important pointers for anyone attempting the route are pretty obvious: get some good aerobic training in and don't neglect some strength work. There is a good bit of pulling on fixed ropes higher up. Be well acclimatised (I wasn't and it felt that way!). The climbing isn't that technical at all and in fact is mostly quite straightforward scrambling. For anyone unguided the route finding, especially in descent, can be very tricky. I chatted afterwards with two young guys from Colorado who took over 10 hours in descent alone but was full of admiration for their efforts - chapeau! I thought the exposure would be worrying in places but frankly was feeling too knackered to really notice it! Also I had 100% faith in my boy to keep me safe - that's the other part of things, some people do worry excessively before the event and end up baling. Understandable but a shame to miss out on an amazing summit. Thanks once again for a great presentation.
Frankly I didn't find the ridge that bad or worrying. It is exposed for sure but, particularly on the summit ridge, don't be fooled by the daft Gopro footage which gives a razors edge perspective. Fish eye lenses make everything look heroic! I rock climbed and ice climbed a bit when I was younger but now just closing in on my final 30 Munros. If you're a competent scrambler and go with a guide you'll be fine. Just make sure you're acclimatised and devote a good 3 months to getting fit and strong for an ascent. Plenty of aerobic stuff, scrambling if you can and don't neglect the asrms for the fixed ropes!
I’m in Zermatt right now on a snowboarding trip with my family. I’ve been to dozens of great ski resorts in Utah, California, and Canada, but I’ve never experienced anything like Zermatt. The lift infrastructure is spectacular. The skiable terrain is endless. The village is a special place. I highly recommend Zermatt.
Absolutely love your sensitivity aspect when it comes to climbing and summiting mountains. My last experience has been nothing short of fully spiritual! Yes there’s a physical aspect of it but it’s the physical and pushed my spiritual awakening, awareness of oneself. Would be lovely to connect!
When you are doing the edgy type of climbing where you are exposed, are you hooked up to the chain in case you slip or is it free solo type of thing? Honestly, a thing I am the most concerned about.
