On Tuesday father and son Alec and Haydon, led by Stefan from the Netherlands climbed Tschingelhorn.
We set off on foot from the village of Stechelberg and climbed for 6 hours without a break, the higher section across glacier to get to the mountain hut. where we stayed overnight.
The mountian hut was typical one; perched on a remote rocky outcrop located (between glaciers) safe from the threat avalanche, with several rooms with communal mattresses that ran the length of each room.
We enjoyed a (fairly) hearty dinner cooked and served by the Hut staff (how do they get there?) and eaten to the noisy accompanyment of a party of school children.
I'll never know whether it was their noise or the atitude that was the start of a headache lasting the next two days.
The following morning we set off at 5:45am in the dark for our 6 hours again climb, first across the glacier again, navigating crevasses by dark, then a rock climb to summit.
On the climb up Stefan accidentally dislodged a boulder that almost snagged our climbing rope that almost took us all plunging hundreds of meters to the glacier below.
Fortunalely Stef, a very experienced climber and patient guide, whipped the rope away in time as the boulder thundered past me.
I didn't have time to capture it on film having other priorities such as preserving my life.
Haydon on the snowridge summit and us both not too close to it!
Stef was content to remain below and not chance the remaining 100 meters to the snow ridge!
The climb down took 8 hours, a 14 hour climbing day in all. Haydon predicted an 8pm return to the car and ran the last kilometer to prove the point.
