Deploying the rope, we climbed many pitches with ice screw protection, usually belaying for 60 meters and climbing together for another 40 or so. Finally we realized our mistake and went back halfway, settling for a traversing ascent up the ice shield. Crossing a large bergschrund, we actually stood below it but didn't believe it, chosing to traverse slowly east on tricky ground. Now we traversed glacial slopes looking for our ice way. We dropped down on the north side while they climbed the rocky ridge. Georg heads off alone to tag the remote Tsessette summit.ģ am found us leading a train of climbers up to a high col. A short but steep walk to the hut finally tired us out, and we admired the rocky side of the Gran Combin, steaming above in remnant clouds like Vesuvius. We riffed on an Italian tunnel under Velon, and were generally silly. We joked about Martigny as a steampunk industrial hub of concentrated decay, extracting value from it's hinterland in the meanest possible ways. We stopped to rest in a sheep-filled meadow and admired Monte Velon on the other side of the valley, a peak that marks the border with Italy. It had rained in this valley, but clouds were lifting to reveal broad green slopes that were restful after the Aiguilles. The hike to the Valsorey Hut was pretty long, but pleasant. I on the other hand found an exciting new backpack, the Black Diamond Epic, which allowed me to store crampons outside among other features. They all seemed to be strange brands, and sat very high on the head "mushroom-like." I didn't blame him for sticking with his old helmet. Surprisingly, we were unable to find a decent helmet in the Chamonix valley. Rockfall on the Hochferner in May had dislodged the inner styrofoam of his helmet, making it a two-piece unit. We stopped at a climbing store to try and buy a helmet for him. There was an enticing ice route, the Northwest Face, and descent via a nearby ridge of rock. So we looked east, and found an island of sun around the Gran Combin. It was raining outside the Belvedere! That won't do. Showered and restored, we asked the next logical question: what about the weather. There are about 25 of them for this segment. I took a different approach with this (very) long trip report. "The golden rule is to find out beforehand from the mountain guides about the chosen route and its current feasibility.Georg approaches the Valsorey HutPART II. "When the zero-degree-Celsius isotherm is around 4,000 metres above sea level, it is better to be extra careful or not attempt the route if in doubt," Wallis police said. The police issued a note of caution about setting off on such high-altitude expeditions. The Grand Combin massif has three summits above 4,000 metres, the highest of which is the Combin de Grafeneire at 4,314 metres. The serac fall happened at an altitude of 3,400 metres (11,100 feet) in the Plateau de Dejeuner section along the Voie du Gardien ascent route. The regional public prosecutor has opened an investigation "to determine the circumstances of this event", the police said. Other mountaineers were evacuated by helicopter. Two of them are seriously injured, police said. Nine mountaineers were airlifted to hospitals in nearby Sion and in Lausanne. They were a 40-year-old Frenchwoman and a 65-year-old man from Spain. "Two people died at the scene of the accident," Wallis police said in a statement. Seven helicopters with mountain rescue experts flew to the scene, finding 17 mountaineers split among several groups. Police received calls at 6:20 am (0420 GMT) reporting that mountaineers had been caught up in falling seracs - columns of glacial ice formed by crevasses - on the Grand Combin, a glacial massif near the Italian border in the Wallis region.
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