Previous
Wednesday August 5, 2015
Lyon and Zermatt
Thursday August 6, 2015
Tour de Monte Rosa Trip Report
Zermatt to Resy
Next
Friday August 7, 2015
Tour de Monte Rosa Trip Report
Resy to Rifugio Gnifetti
Paul's pic
The Matterhorn!
The Zermatt Coop did not open until 8am, and we needed to buy groceries
and
beer for the next few days of hiking.
We went shortly after 8am and bought lots of stuff, then figured out how to pack lots of stuff.
Paul's pic
Paul's pic
By the time we got to the
base of the lift to buy tickets there was a small mob scene.
Everyone was asking
stupid questions before buying their lift tickets - apparently no one
had done any research at all and no one had any idea where they were
really going. After perhaps 5 minutes when it was time for
us to buy tickets we tried to buy a ticket that included the Italian
side as well but were told they don't sell those tickets.
Apparently those lift tickets are only available during the winter ski
season. We then tried to buy one way tickets and we they told us
'you can't walk down from the top'. A lot she knew. We
insisted, and they sold us the one way tickets, and half price of
course since we had our Half Fare cards.
Paul's pic
Paul's pic
Approaching Trockener Steg, where you transfer from a ski lift to a gondola
Paul's pic
Trockener Steg
Paul's pic
Klien Matterhorn, looking south to Italy.
Paul's pic
Klien Matterhorn
Paul's pic
Plateau Rosa from
Klien Matterhorn
We're hiking down to
Plateau Rosa
Paul's pic
The Matterhorn from
Klien Matterhorn
Jed's pic of me messing with my gaitors and pack at Klien Matterhorn
By the time we got to the Klien Matterhorn and we were ready to leave
it was 10:30.
I realized this was really late, and I made the
call that the Breithorn was not going to happen today. No one
argued. Breithorn was always a stretch goal.
Finally we were on our way on the Tour de Monte Rosa!
We had a somewhat vague idea how to hike around the ski runs.
We
generally walked on the snowcat tracks next to the runs.
We saw a
ski run head down in our direction but it was labelled 'advanced skiers
only' and we decided to try to hike around it despite the fact we'd
take a longer route.
11:06
Breithorn - you can see the trail to the summit run up the left side
11:06
Klein Matterhorn 3883m is on the right
Matterhorn is in the clouds on the left
11:06
Hiking in the snowcat tracks to avoid the skiers and crevasses
11:09
iPhone panorama - click here for a
full size image of the pano
Jed, Paul and Kent are ahead on the left - the trail ahead is going
southwest
Matterhorn is in the clouds in left center
Klien Matterhorn is right center
Breithorn is on the right
11:25
Ready to head down the snowcat tracks next to a blue ski run.
11:25
Klien Matterhorn and Breithorn from next to the Plateau Rosa 2 ski run
/ lift
Plateau Rosa 1 is in the foreground.
11:34
Hiking down to Plateau Rosa
11:42
Klien Matterhorn
11:42
Hiking down to Plateau Rosa
11:45
iPhone panorama - click here for a
full size image of the pano
Matterhorn is in the clouds ahead of Jed, Paul and Kent on the
right. The ski run is headed north
Klein Matterhorn is right center
11:52
Testa Grigia 3479m
Lift tickets to get down to Lago Cime Bianche were only 5 euros each.
12:06
Lago Cime Bianche 2831m is the lake in the foreground
Lago Goillet 2516m is the larger dammed reservoir in behind the ski
lift.
Breuil-Cervinia is in the background in the valley below
12:06
Paul's pic
Lago Cime Bianche
12:44
Leaving Lago Cime Bianche
12:44
Testa Grigia from below
The entire area looked like a moonscape covered in roads and
construction equipment, it was pretty ugly.
12:52
Paul's pic
1:24
Colle Superierure della Cime Bianche 2982m
We saw an ibex in silhouette, but it ran away as we got closer and we
only got fuzzy pictures of its fuzzy butt after this.
There were a surprising number of people on the trail considering we
thought we were in the middle of nowhere.
Apparently this is quite a popular hike up from Saint Jacques.
Fortunately we didn't see too many people after lunch.
I think this had something to do with our relatively late start.
We waited for everyone else to leave before we had lunch.
1:29
Looking east - Klien Matterhorn where we started the day is to the left
Mont de Verax 3129m is in the background behind my head
Glacier d'Aventine is the large high glacier on the left behind Jed
Glacier de Cere is the smaller glacier in the center between Paul and
Kent
I don't think the small lake in the picture is named
Grand Lac 2806M, which is mentioned a nice place for a break in the
guidebook, is below out of sight. I only have it pictured in one
pano.
1:47
Lunchtime
1:52
iPhone panorama - click here for a
full size image of the pano
This was the only picture I got with the Grand Lac below
1:57
Done with lunch, ready to start hiking again!
Paul's pic
Paul's pic
1:58
Grand Tournalin 3379m is on the right
Paul's pic
Grand Lac
1:58
2:29
2:29
2:30
2:30
2:32
2:44
2:44
2:56
2:57
Paul's pic
2:58
2:58
2:59
3:07
3:14
3:24
The ruins of Mase, Italy
Paul's pic
3:30
3:31
3:32
3:35
3:39
3:43
iPhone panorama - click here for a full
size image of the pano
3:59
4:10
4:10
4:10
Paul's pic
4:20
Paul's pic
4:32
4:32
Paul's pic
4:42
4:42
4:42
Fortunately Paul brought a map, cause there were a lot of trails around
here....
The signs said it was 1:40 to Saint Jacques and 1:50 to Resy.
4:47
4:58
Still 1:10 away from Resy according to the signs...
5:15
5:17
We're still an hour away from Resy and we're pretty tired of hiking....
and we're worried that we'll miss dinner!!!
5:26
Another 55 minutes to Resy....
5:26
Two signs, one for each Refuge in Resy
5:53pm
While the sign said it would take us 55 minutes to get to Resy we did
it in 30.
We had to hike uphill part of the way, we worked through our second
wind.
This was perhaps the only time we've ever beaten the hiking time
indicated on a sign anywhere in Europe.
6:07pm
Paul checked at Rifugio Ferraro, the one with rave reviews about great
food and free hot showers, and they only had two beds left.
We started to get a really bad feeling that we may have to descend over
1000' to Saint Jacques below to get beds for the night.
He then checked the only other refuge and they had four beds left,
which we immediately grabbed.
Paul and Jed were downstairs, along with over a dozen other people, and
Kent and I were in the loft upstairs.
The loft was actually really cool and gave us a shred of privacy in a
room full of 16 other people.
When we checked in everyone else was at dinner or at the bar so the
rooms had no people in them at all.
We had to wait perhaps 45 minutes for dinner but that was fine -
anything was fine as long as we were fed and didn't have to hike
another 1000' downhill tonight
6:08
Saint Jacques, Italy is the tiny community on the right.
Champoluc is the small town in the center further down the valley
6:08
6:09
Resy, Italy
6:10
6:35
4 of the 16 beds on the upper floor of the Rifugio Guide Frachey
Paul's pic
The loft where Kent and I got to bunk.
Paul's pic
Paul's pic
Paul's pic
7:07
Dinner!!!
We were served dinner after everyone else was done.
The pasta was not very good, the sauce had a slightly off flavor, but
of
course we ate it all.
We were dying for booze with dinner - we were offered only water.
We were basically the only English speakers in the refuge other than
the owner.
Eventually we saw that one of the other tables had a bottle of wine,
and we noticed a few dozen bottles of wine and alcohol in the corner.
Paul finally asked if we could have a bottle of wine and of course the
answer was 'yes'.
He didn't ask how much, which led to a little aprehension about the
cost of the wine we were enjoying.
When the first bottle was gone he asked how much the bottle was - 16
euro - a bargain!
Then we asked for another bottle.
By 8pm we were the only ones left eating, and then the owner and his
family ate dinner at the table next to us with a few solo hikers.
They had beer on tap with dinner - we foolishly failed to ask if that
was an option.
We saw absolutely no indication that there was even a road up to the
refuge nonetheless beer on tap.
But the wine was fine and we were very very happy to get fed and a
place to sleep.
Total for the day:
About 10 miles
1320m / 4330' descent - 404m / 1325' from Klien Matterhorn to Testa
Giglia in crampons, 916m / 3005' from Colle Superierure della Cime
Bianche to Resy
151m / 495' ascent from Lago Cime Bianche to Colle Superierure della
Cime Bianche
Previous
Wednesday August 5, 2015
Lyon and Zermatt
Thursday August 6, 2015
Tour de Monte Rosa Trip Report
Zermatt to Resy
Next
Friday August 7, 2015
Tour de Monte Rosa Trip Report
Resy to Rifugio Gnifetti
