Keywords

Strahlgrat, Strahlhorn, Bernese Oberland, Aletcsh glacier, benighted, Alps, snowfield water

Summary

We planned to do the Strahlgrat (GR 65051445; 4 hours PD) as our first acclimatization day in the Alps. After a late start, we reached the col very late at 13.00 after an accumulation of 'first-day' delays. Assuming that the 4-hour guidebook time referred to the entire route, we decided to stick to our plan and return South along the ridge. At approximately 19.00, after completing only 15% of the ridge, we realized that we were going to be benighted. We 'escaped' West off the ridge towards the Aletsch glacier, down increasingly steep choss/scree slopes, and eventually had to abseil blind in the dark. We found a safe place to stop at about 01.00, and sat against a rock for 5 hours. Next morning we drank snowfield water in desperation (no ill effects), got down to the glacier via a steep watercourse, and trudged back to the hut, which had run out of apple strudel!

The route

We had planned this route for our first-day acclimatization peak. At 3,186 m (= highest point of ridge at GR 65051464) it was a little higher than our first-day route in previous years, Mitaghorn in Saastal, but we had never felt out-of-breath on Mitaghorn, so an extra 100 m wasn't going to kill us. The guidebook said it was 4 hours PD (Alpine Club Guide Bernese Oberland by Les Swindin; ISBN 0900523646; page 109). Although there was a snowfield on the way up, it was dry all the way down so if it took us double guidebook time, we would not have to rush down to avoid slushy snow. The book described the ridge as having 'difficulties of II to III on sound rock’.

The day

It was a perfect Alpine day: blue sky, no wind. After a 5-minute walk from the campsite in Fiesch to the lift station, we missed the first gondola so had to wait half-an-hour for the next one at 08.15. When we got up to Fiescheralp (also known as Kuhboden, although this word does not appear on the map), there was an abundance of signposts to direct us to the Gletscherstube hut via the tunnel, an hour’s walk. From the hut we should have gone directly North alongside the ridge, but instead we tracked right to avoid wasted ascent, which was of course a waste of time. Eventually we got to the snowfield, put on our crampons and roped up. Being the first day this inevitably took a long time. Also, we were slow moving on the snowfield, with lots of stops. Perhaps the altitude was making itself felt. At the col at 13.00, we realized how late it was, and debated whether to go back the way we had come or continue with the planned route. I didn’t fancy going down the snow again as it felt very steep (but that was probably just because it was the first day – everything feels steep on the first day). Anyway, we decided to carry on, and we set off South along the ridge. We were going pretty slow, what with four of us on the rope, but it was a glorious day and we pottered along happily. At the first abseil, our first ever ‘real’ abseil, we dutifully put in our own 6 mm tat alongside the sun-bleached piece that was already there, reminded ourselves how to do it, and I went down first. I waited at the bottom for what seemed like ages, but it was only 16.00. I thought, “we may miss the lift down, but at least we will get down in the light”. It turns out that my watch had stopped, and by the time we all got down that first abseil it was actually 18.30! We kept on going for a little while but it soon became obvious that we were not even going to complete the ridge before dark, let alone get back to a path. So we had to do something.

The evening

We knew we didn’t want to stay on the ridge overnight. Clouds were beginning to appear and a ridge is not a good place in bad weather. We didn’t have time to retrace our steps to the col and make it back down the snowfield, so we had to escape off left or right. While left was back to the valley that we had recently ascended to get to the col, it was vertical rock for at least 100 m. Right looked much easier, although it took us down into the main Aletsch glacier. There was no question of getting lost, what with the largest glacier in Western Europe shining up at us, but if we went that way we would end up in the wrong valley with a long walk out. It did not take us long to decide that the safest option was the easy looking escape on the right, down to the Aletsch glacier.
Off we went, down the easy scree slopes, which got steeper and steeper. Eventually, the choss and scree was so steep that we knew it would not be long before one of us lost our footing, and we would all crash down together. So we contoured right about 100 m to a smooth section of cliff face. There was a perfect abseil station there, and the best thing to do was to abseil down while it was still just light. We had 60 m of rope, and although it didn’t look as if one abseil would get us down to the snowfield below, perhaps we could do it in two. I abseiled down in the gathering dusk, looking for a good abseil station, knowing that if I did not find one, I would have to prussik back up and we would then have no option but to climb back up to the ridge. Not a pleasant prospect! And I cannot deny that the thought "helicopter rescue" crossed my mind. Anyway, near the bottom of the rope, maybe after 25 m, I found a good abseil station under a bit of an overhang, and made myself safe there. The overhang was a good thing because of falling rocks: it emerged that this smooth-rock descent was actually a rock chute. I shouted up that I was safe, but all they could hear was muffled shouting – no words. Anyway, they felt the rope go slack, so Ian came down next. Ian helped me make the stance significantly safer, with a couple of wires as well as my 8-foot sling. That was all the protection we could find, so I was safe to those three things, and Ian was attached to me on an 8-foot sling. Nat came down next, and attached to Ian, and Nick came down last, and attached to Nat. By now it was pitch dark. Everyone else was cold, but I stayed warm ‘using fear’, which was a good thing as I was only wearing a base layer and there was no way I was going to fiddle about in my rucksack while attached like a fly to a wall.
We now threaded the rope through the protection, and through each of our belay devices in turn, so we were all on the rope in a line, with Nick at the bottom. Nick had to go first, down into the pitch black, and he asked if I was sure that we could do it in one abseil. Well, I had been sure when I first got to that place an hour ago while it was still light, but when you can’t see a thing except the tiny circle illuminated by your head torch, everything else feels a long, long way away. But there was nothing else for it, so Nick lowered himself off into the dark, and we waited. After a short time (it seemed) we heard Nick shouting “Yay!” He had come to the bottom, and was safe on the snowfield. We each went down in turn. I tried to get my two wires out (I was prepared to leave the 8-foot sling), but the combined weight of the four of us had welded them into the crack, so they will be there until the end of time.
High on relief, we clambered over the snowfield to a rock field that was a safe distance from the cliff, and found a good large boulder to lean against. We put all our metalwork in a bag about 10 m away from us in case of lightning, put on all our clothes, waterproofs and hats, sat on the rope, leaned against our rucksacks, drank the last few drops of water, and tried to sleep. Ian fell asleep straight away, and started snoring. Usually Ian’s snoring is incredibly irritating, but just this once it was quite comforting. Nat could not get warm, so we sandwiched her between me and Nick, but it did not work; she was still cold. It was an overcast night, and it drizzled a little. We saw many lightning flashes, but we did not hear any thunder, and we could not tell which direction the flashes came from.

Day 2

At first light we jumped up, repacked our bags and set off. We had no water left, and were parched. Thirst tainted every thought. Very soon we came to a little stream, which looked as if it came out of a snowfield rather than a glacier. We knew about the effects of glacier water, and the last thing we needed was further dehydration due to diarrhoea, but this wasn’t glacier water, it was snowfield water! Anyway, we drank and filled our bottles. Ah! Wonderful water! There were no ill effects from this water, so we can state that snowfield water is OK, presumably so long as it has not come out of a glacier further up. We were still a long way above the Aletsch glacier, and it was very tricky getting down. In the end, the least steep route was down the bed of a stream. The main trouble with that was that the boulders were really loose, so we were constantly shouting ‘Below!’ at each other. Not that that would have helped when a suitcase-sized boulder was about land on your back. Also we got wet, but hey! when you’re alive you don’t care about wet! Eventually we got onto the Aletsch glacier, found the main drag, and plodded down to Marjela. When we finally got back to the hut, they had sold out of apfel strudel, but at least they had beer!

Next time we go

We are going to travel in ropes of 2. Moving together as a rope of 4 was the main thing that slowed us down. Also, we are going to stay at the hut and leave at first light. I don’t think we need to practice abseiling; it is burned into our memory!

Someone else's much more serious experience of being benighted in the Alps is recounted here