Nordend

Date:

24.06.2023

Characteristic:

Alpine trip

Duration:

10:10h

Distance:

11.0km

© Hannah Vickers Nordend is one of the 50 major 4000m summits listed in Martin Moran’s guidebook to the 4000m peaks of the Alps, despite having a prominence of less than 100m, so it was on my to-do list for this summer even though given the choice I’d rather have done a ski-assisted ascent much like I’d done on the Dufourspitze a couple of years earlier. After almost an entire week of strong gales and a storm depositing new snow up high I’d originally wanted to use the new weather window to go and climb the Kuffner Arete on Mont Maudit, but since both the Torino and Cosmiques huts were full for friday and saturday night, we ended up heading to Nordend first since there was still many availabe beds in the Monte Rosa hut, which had literally just opened for the summer season. We drove over to Zermatt >>>

Dufourspitze

Date:

10.05.2019

Characteristic:

Randonnée/Telemark

Duration:

9:00h

Distance:

24.0km

© Hannah Vickers I first climbed the Dufourspitze in 2003 as a novice mountaineer with the late female British guide Brede Arkless as the final peak on a 4-day long trip around the Italian side of the Monte Rosa massif. Due to my camera betteries dying at the Gnifetti hut I never did get any photos to remember the spectacular ridge traverse over the Zumsteinspitze and Dufourspitze from the Margherita hut, but had not forgotten that it was a peak to return to and do again! Sixteen years later, and after having a one day break following our ascent of the Gran Paradiso we had a few options for finishing off the week given that the weather in the Zermatt valley was forecasted to be awesome on the Friday. With the exception of the Dom and Bishorn there aren’t actually that many peaks in the Zermatt valley that >>>

Monte Rosa traverse

Date:

24.07.2003

Nose of Lyskamm/Piramide Vincent

Date:

22.07.2003

© Hannah Vickers Second day of the Monte Rosa traverse. Started from the Quintino Sella hut. Didn't go over Liskamm for some reason or another (either snow conditions or too much wind, I forget now). Finished at the Gnifetti Hut.