October 3: A Tale of Two Alpine Mountain Climbs
October 3 has turned out to be a good day for alpine mountain climbing over the past couple of years. As we got ready for a climb here it got me thinking back to a great trip we had to the Alps at this same time last year. It was my first time alpine mountain climbing in Europe so I can’t help but compare and contrast the different experiences.
I’ll start with our experience in the Alps….
Alps – Highs and Lows
Lifts
In the Alps they are very good at getting you up high. You can go by cable car, funicular, gondola, 3-S ropeway, chairlift, cage, tram or just a high powered train. Generally each lift has a nice restaurant at the top where you can get a pint of beer, measured to a line on the glass of course.
There are 52 lifts in Zermatt alone. There is no peak that is too sketchy to throw in some sort of lift device to get you to the top. Also, if you want to go to Italy for lunch, there is a lift to get you there too.
Tunnels
The Swiss are also very good at getting you down low. There are many super highways that borough directly through any mountain that sits in the way. We aren’t talking short little excursions either. A search shows the longest road tunnel is 17km and the longest rail tunnel is 57km! The rail tunnel is 2.3 km under the Alps!
As with everything else that’s Swiss, the reason is very practical. There is a huge expense in the initial build of these tunnels BUT after that maintenance is minimal in comparison to a four season road that crosses over the mountains. That makes a lot of sense.
Rockies Highs and Lows
Going up
If you are an alpine mountain climber you will need a good pair of boots. There is no lift in the country that is dedicated to getting you into a good place to start any kind of climb. If you want to get off the ground, you are on your own. On top of the self powered trek to get up, you firstly have to get to the place where you start going up. This can be close to a road or it can be a day or two hike to get back there. Bring a tent.
Down
Nothing. You can’t go through a mountain. That’s crazy talk…
Alps Getting to the Alpine Mountain Climb
We landed in Geneva and went directly to Chamonix, France. This place was incredible. The town was similar to any mountain town anywhere. The highlight was the cable car going up to the top of a mountain called the Aiguille du Midi. They would pile 40 people on each cable car standing up. Don’t worry you didn’t move around at all because you were jammed in so tight. Then the lift would go straight up. There was a huge visitor center up top with a museum, gift store, restaurant and multiple lookouts. At night from town it looked like a star!
Rockies Getting To the Alpine Mountain Climb
Our ski hill got a high speed quad chair that goes part way up one of the mountains. We thought that was pretty cool.
Chamonix, the Alpine Mountains Climbing Experience
We left from our Airbnb early, but not too early. The cable car doesn’t open until 8. We donned all our climbing costumes including alpine boots, harness with various climbing implements attached, big back pack etc. This kind of freaked me out a bit because we were right in town and it seemed like a loser thing to do. But our friend assured us that this was how it was done.
We then had a pleasant breakfast at a small cafe. So weird but there were other climbers dressed in the same type garb.
After this it was up the cable car. We got packed on and did our best not to stab anyone with the ice axes attached to our packs. Everyone survived.
When we got to the top, all the tourists head right. The alpine mountain climbers head left through a drippy tunnel. There is a scurry to get the crampons on before arriving at a fence that says “Climbers only. Enter at your own risk.” You hop that fence and suddenly you are on a glacier with a narrow snow trail where you can fall to your death on either side. So cool! And so your climbing begins.
Northern Rockies, the Alpine Mountain Climbing Experience
We crawled out of the back of my mini van at 4:30am, guzzled some instant coffee, ate a handful of nuts and started walking. We first walked up a road that was gated. Then we walked along a trail heading up for quite some time. After, we hiked across a glacier. Then we had to awkwardly quasi climb up the glacier to gain more altitude. It was that in between stage – too steep to walk, not quite steep enough to be considered a climb…sort of crawling on all fours like an animal but juggling ice tools. See Northern Rockies climb video.
After this we hit some steep rock. It wasn’t the clean well groomed solid rock of the Alps. It was the crumbling, the mountain is falling down, choss of the Rockies. And so the climb began.
*Definition of ‘choss’ according to Google: Rock that is unsuitable for climbing, generally due to a. softness, the rock will not support the weight of the climber, b. wet and possibly unstable, that is, the possibility of large slabs falling off is unknown.
The Alps: People
The Aiguilles du Midi is a popular climbing route and it is often guided. There are dozens of people who do this route every day. In good conditions there may be a hundred or more people cycled through this climb. The climbing level is moderate but its the approach, downhill, that probably attracts all the people.
Northern Rockies: People
If you want to get away from people you climb in the northern Rockies. There are usually several different climbing routes up the same mountain. If you see another group on the same mountain, that’s weird. And if someone is on the same route, well something strange is going on. It’s more likely that you will have the whole mountain range to yourself.
Though having said that, this last climb when we got to the top there was a friend of mine there. That happens a lot too. When we looked at the sign in book we also recognized the guy who had done the route last. He was a friend of Carl’s. It’s a small world when mountain climbing in the Rockies it seems.
Wildlife in the Alps
There is wildlife in Switzerland but you have to go way up high to see it. We started from the friend’s house in Ringgenberg and walked uphill for a few hours. (Off season, the lift was closed). It was very foggy and not much to see for all the effort. But then like spirits they started appearing before us – herds of ibex and chamois. They were skittish but not until you were really close. No one was around. Who does a tricky ridge walk in the fog?
It turned out to be one of the best parts of our trip. Big wild animals in a country that doesn’t have many!
The rest of the ridge walk was exciting. Steep grassy slopes gave the illusion of safety as compared to a rock cliff. Crosses lining the trail indicating where people had fallen to their death presented a different reality.
Wildlife Northern Rockies
Is that a grizzly bear chasing the sheep up there? Damn. That is where we need to start our climb. Maybe if we yell…great, now it’s looking at us.
Conclusions:
- Alpine mountain climbing encompasses a wide range of experiences.
- The Alps have infrastructure and tradition.
- The Rockies have ruggedness and remoteness. See rock climb video.
- Wild animals are cool, let’s keep them around.
- If you want to see a friend do a remote climb in the Rockies.
- If you are in the mountains, you are winning. See small cabin living in the Northern Rockies.
Which type of alpine mountain climbing experience appeals to you more?
