Another rush this morning .. clear and bright, we needed to be packed and ready before breakfast so we could check out and get up to the pass before all the parking spaces were taken. Otherwise we would have had to walk up the road quite a way first.
We joined the end of the parked cars snaking down from the barrier, and got ready. Then off up the side a slight flat section then straight up ... steep.
A bunch of speeders passed us on the narrow icy track ... the first two just overtook on the up hill side, the third employed diversionary tactics .. step on the back of the skis of the person in front until they stop to complain then huff and puff your way past... obviously the weaker of the party!
As we got higher we could see some peaks sticking out over the skyline ... one would be ours.
The slope eased up after the initial steep section, and we climbed through the moraine like flatter section.
We were still not sure which of the peaks was ours ... In the middle to the back.
There it is .. would would approach from the right, but behind the rocky tops.
This was a false view ... it is the top but you cannot see the bit in between... it cuts to the right, over the shoulder, and then up to a col. Before you can climb the summit cone.
The col ... a steep sting in the tail.
Watched by the people sunning themselves at the ski depot.
From here we walked around the large rock face and up the ridge to the summit.
The summit ... small and windy .. just a pause for some photos then back down to the shelter of the ski depot.
A veritable sun trap ... nice views,
The other parties (except one) had left, so peace and quiet.
We were a little late on the descent, so it was a mixture of crust and heavy snow, interspersed with some powder sections and some firn... a real mixture and each turn was different,
Down near the bottom it got soft and slightly easier to manage, but still needed attention.
I chose to stay south of our ascent path following the larger number of tracks, and we had to negotiate the steep final section ... luckily there was enough snow cover to make this simpler than it could have been
Back at the van, most of the other parties had vanished ... being much quicker than us (although we were now fit enough to be on guide book time).
From here we were heading for Pontresina in the Engadin valley and back on the original plan, So a drop down towards Klosters and picked up the Vereina tunnel (a drive on/ off train) slightly more expensive than the Kanderstegg and Andermatt ones, but it got us over into the Engadin valley.
Here it was a drive up the surprisingly wide valley towards St Morritz and slightly south to Pontresina.
Another youth hostel - this valley seems too rich to have cheap accommodation - disappointed with dinner .. the usual soup and salad, but the main course was a cross between welsh rarebit and croc Monsieur ... strange mixture of toast cheese ham and tomato. warm not hot and burnt around the edges. ... however when you are hungry. ...
