High Five

The winter of 2022 will not be remembered by many as a particularly snowy one in the Alps. Down in the valley, spring has long since arrived, and looking out of the window of the cab that takes us from the train station up to Täschalp, the green hues clearly dominate. The taxi driver had already given us a pitying look down at the train station when we loaded our touring skis into his trunk. Despite snowless roads, he drops us off already a good bit below Täschalp at the “Loch“ and eventually asks us: “Do you still want to ski here?“ It is the end of April. We are on a western slope that is completely clear of snow until well above 10,000 feet. We are late and don’t want to miss dinner at the Täsch Hut.

Our answer is, therefore, brief: “That’s the plan!“ Three minutes later, we are walking uphill, following the paved road. Our skis would stay on our backpacks until we reach the hut. We understand the cab driver. But at the same time, we feel sorry for him: if he only knew what he was missing. We wouldn’t have taken a seven-hour train ride if we didn’t know that we would still find ideal conditions for alpine ski touring. A low-pressure system a few days ago provided exactly those 20 inches of fresh snow that were urgently needed for perfect conditions. We are in the right place at the right time. We reach the cozy Täsch Hut in time for dinner and realize that only ten guests are here - despite a weather forecast that could not have been better.

With the first daylight and the skis on our backpacks, we walk about 100 yards behind the hut. From there, we can finally switch to our skinned skis and make our tracks towards the Alphubeljoch. What happens behind our backs is magical: The rising sun drenches the Weisshorn, Zinalrothorn, Dent Blanche, Obergabelhorn and the Matterhorn in a stunning glow. Soon the sun’s warming rays reach us, and we cross below the Alphubel through the most delicate powder to the final steep summit approach. Untracked slopes in perfect weather on one of the usually most frequented 13,000-foot ski touring peaks in the Alps. Who would’ve known?

Shortly after noon, we check in at the Britannia Hut and, while enjoying a beer on the sun deck, watch more and more people trickle in. The next day’s hike to the Strahlhorn is, therefore, a bit busier. Only as we take a leisurely rest on the summit and turn towards Zermatt on the downhill run at Adlerpass, we are alone again. After unskiable hard-frozen slush, we find the finest spring corn 600 feet further down, allowing us to slalom into the valley rejoicingly. The Gornergratbahn takes us to the center of Zermatt. From there, we take the cable car to the highest station in the Alps, Klein Matterhorn.

From here, it’s only a short detour to Breithorn and a little later to Pollux, two summits we wouldn’t want to miss, given the conditions and weather. What follows, is one of the most spectacular and impressive descents in the Alps via Schwarztor through the wild fractures of the Schwärze Glacier and down to the foot of the Gorner Glacier. At the end of the run, we are hundreds of feet below the edge of the moraine, in a vast valley created by the retreating ice masses since their peak time at the end of the 19th century. We are glad that, despite climate change, there are still enough glaciers meandering through the massif with several side streams, easing our upcoming ascent to the Monte Rosa hut on the other side.

The following day with the highest peak, Dufourspitze, on the agenda, our weather luck briefly fails us. Kilian, the innkeeper at Monte Rosa hut, gives us confidence: “The weather is coming from the west, so it’s not usually that bad over here.“ Nevertheless, we are the only ones to set out. Eventually, we are standing just below the ski dump at the saddle a few hours later. At first, we see nothing, but after a short wait, the fog clears up a little. We find the entrance to the summit ridge, and a bit later we reach Switzerland’s highest peak. On the way down, we have to slowly make our way toward the hut with the help of our GPS. For the last day, the weather forecast is excellent again.

We cross the Monte Rosa massif to the Italian side and down to Stafal – a traverse that would be highly unpleasant without any tracks and visibility. However, it’s a bluebird day and the crowning finale of our week in the Matter valley. As we are back on the train that takes us back home to South Tyrol, we have enough time to relax and review the last few days, looking back on a brilliant end to our season.