The latter is not a ski-runner’s mountain. The gradients are too sharp and exposed. Monte Rosa, on the contrary, is an ideal runner’s mountain. I lay no stress on the fact that Mr. Kurz’s raid was guideless. I have endeavoured elsewhere to show how much this term is a misnomer when applied to perfectly competent mountaineering parties that dispense with professional guides.
March 27th.—We started three from St. Nicolas for the Mischabel hut up the glacier of Ried and over the Windjoch pass. The weather was very fine, extremely warm at about three o’clock in the afternoon. The glacier was extremely broken up, presenting the same appearance as in autumn. Would do very well for ski in a normal year, particularly on the higher névé. The last 300 feet of the Windjoch should be done on foot. On the top of the pass there rose an unpleasant west wind, and the snow being most unpleasantly hard, we elected to leave our ski on the spot, intending to come back for them on the next day and to ascend the Nadelhorn by the way. We spent the night at the Mischabel hut.
March 28th.—Very uncertain weather; too much wind to attempt the Nadelhorn. We walked down to Saas Fée in two hours on very firm and very reliable snow.
March 29th.—On hard snow and dry rocks we walked up to the Gemshorn and thence along the snow arête to the Ulrichshorn, coming down on to the Windjoch to pick up our ski. We then ran down the Riedgletscher till within a few hundred feet of Gassenried, and thence walked to St. Nicolas, first on hard snow and then on wet snow.
March 30th.—We walked from St. Nicolas and then skied to a fairly hospitable hut on the Untere Taesch Alp.
March 31st.—Along the Untere Taesch Alp and the Langefluh glacier, our ski carried us up to the arête rising above the Rimpfisch Waenge and along that arête to the altitude of 3,600 metres. Then on foot along the ordinary route we reached the top of the Rimpfischhorn (13,790 feet). The ascent took seven hours, the descent four hours. The rocks were absolutely dry, as “summery” as possible. This is a very interesting ski tour and had not yet been attempted.
April 1st.—The weather is bad; we come down to Taesch and go to Zermatt to get fresh supplies.
April 2nd.—Weather splendid with a furious north wind. We return to our cabin on the Taesch Alp. One of us returns to the lowlands and two only are left to continue the campaign.
April 3rd.—The weather is very cold and we make too early a start. We cross the Alphubeljoch to Saas Fée, leaving the Alphubel unascended on account of the fury of the wind. A pass somewhat steep from the Taesch side and somewhat crevassed on the Saas side, from the runner’s point of view, but magnificent with respect to scenery.
