Castor
with Geo Dunn and Dave Hahn of International Mountain Guides
Mount Castor
Mount Castor
[click to zoom]
All are up and cramming down a little breakfast at 5:30am. We walk through town under a low overcast sky. Far from looking conspicuous with our packs and ice axes, we blend well with all the other early risers, and we aren't the first to the tram. In fact, it is chock full of ski racers in wild spandex and Lycra suits. Turns out that a number of national ski teams are working out up on the glacier at Kleine Matterhorn, our jumping off point for a day climb of Castor. We stand shoulder to shoulder waiting for the first of three tram rides, and then begin shuffling awkwardly to the open door of the car. Weird to suddenly be back among Americans as we get stuffed into the same car as many of the women's team.

The ride to Kleine Matterhorn is usually a pretty one, another set of tremendous spans that go up wild mountainsides to great heights. But on this morning, not much could be seen. We seemed to be in about 12,500 feet of cloud. Out of a tunnel in the top station, we began throwing on harnesses and clothing layers for the near whiteout we find ourselves in. We set out across the level glacier in our own little roped up world within the murk.
Mount Castor
Crevasse crossing
[click to zoom]
After about an hour or so, the clouds began to drop away, not completely, not well enough to see the real Matterhorn across the valley, but clear enough so that we could begin to see the closer peaks. At this hour, nearly all of these peaks had little strings of climbers starting up them.

We trudged on for about 2½ hours before reaching the foot of Castor. We crossed a couple of funky crevasse bridges on the way that got me wondering how the same bridges would feel later if the day turned hot. Castor turned out to be a pleasant, not too steep, not too long glacier climb, until nearly the top. There we had to swing in the picks to get across a bergschrund wall and use the crampons for real in a bit of hard ice on the upper side of the crack. George threw in a couple of quick ice screws as protection and we attained the final ridge.

Mount Castor
Summit ridge
[click to zoom]
That final ridge was only about 200 feet long, but it was an exciting 200 feet. It came to a sharp edge which we walked on with good dropoffs on either side. I felt at a disadvantage here, trying to bring my size 14s in for landings where a bunch of tiny Euro feet had left petite tracks. I considered reminding Marilyn behind me to give not only a yell that she might be falling, but also a hint as to which side would be down so I could jump the other way. Didn't say it though. I guess I only wanted her, and Mike McTigue a few steps back, to simply concentrate on good steps. And they did a fine job. We topped out in perfectly pleasant conditions to share the 20 foot wide summit with about 20 other friendly folks.

Everyone loved this climb, the perfect Alps experience — a day trip to a big mountaintop that without trams would take a week or so. And the prospect of being down for afternoon beer at the Alpenblick hotel if we minded our P's and Q's on the descent. That we did, with only an occasional leg stuck into a crevasse here and there on the return to the station. We had the trams all to ourselves for the trip into town. The urge to celebrate was tempered with the knowledge that we'd begin our final climb the next day. Monte Rosa's Dufourspitz, the highest summit in Switzerland awaited us.

— Dave Hahn, International Mountain Guides

PAGE 4 of 5