Bishorn Climber's Log

Viewing: 21-40 of 61
domipost

domipost - Jun 25, 2011 1:59 pm Date Climbed: Jul 30, 2009

Normal route  Sucess!

Too crowded for my likings, but the landscape is nice :)

tomshaw

tomshaw - Apr 25, 2011 9:29 am Date Climbed: Jul 13, 2010

Bishorn via Normal route  Sucess!

Over night at Cabane De Tracuit 3256 m and a storm! However by 4-00 am all quiet and sky clear. Big Glacier ascent, plenty of crevasses evident and not so! Rope of Three after meeting a fellow Brit Solo in the hut. Fresh snow on upper reaches but safe. Made Summit ahead of time wonderful views of Weisshorn. Easy descent of less than two hours back to hut. Followed by hut walk out. Great Day.

Jurgen

Jurgen - Aug 15, 2010 9:19 am

Normal route  Sucess!

While leading a youth climbing course. Very bad weather, so we didn't see anything.

brade

brade - Aug 11, 2010 9:07 am Date Climbed: Jul 22, 2010

Normal Route  Sucess!

nice and fast... after a stormy night in tent above Tracuit hut

Climbed with matti

parky

parky - Aug 10, 2010 8:49 pm Date Climbed: Aug 12, 1993

Meteoric Nightime Ascent  Sucess!

To round off a very full three week climbing trip back in August 1993, my friends and I decided to squeeze in another 4000er by quickly nipping up the Bishorn. The Tracuit Hut was fully booked, so resulting in us having a most pleasurable and memorable trip on a simple peak. We would climb it at night.

The four of us decided to bring up food and a light tent which we pitched some distance below the hut. Arriving mid-afternoon, we managed a meal and an hour or so of sleep before gearing up and heading upwards to the hut. Arriving sometime around 9pm, we marched determinedly past the few climbers who were outside enjoying the late evening air and who looked incredulous that we mad English should be considering climbing at this time of day. But what a time of day it was!

The warm sun was setting in a clear sky. Despite our best efforts we couldn't quite keep pace with the lengthening shadows as the sun began to set. Tantalisingly, the sunlit snow was always some 500 metres ahead of us. Instead of climbing upwards in the last rays of sunshine, as we had hoped, we were soon cramponing on rapidly freezing ice.

As darkness fell, the skies filled with stars. The milky way shone out with a radiance we so rarely see outside of the mountain ranges. But then we saw other stars - shooting stars. Not one, not two, but over the course of our climb many, many dozens. It was mid August - the Tracuit Hut we later discovered was extra full with people who had come to watch the Perseid meteor show, about which we had known absolutely nothing until that night, but which had been forecast to be extra special that year. Luckily the glacier was smooth and simple to move across as I think I spent more time with my headtorch pointing skyward than I did checking the route ahead.

We arrived on the summit, cold but exhilarated around 1.30am, having seen more meteors than most people ever see in a lifetime. The bitter cold soon drove us back down from the summit, down the dark glacier, down past the hut with its sleeping, snoring occupants, and finally back to our little tent at three or four in the morning, I no longer remember.

But I do remember turning back for one final look at the silhouette of the hut against the starry sky. Just at the moment one final meteor streaked majestically across the sky, breaking into two with a burst of brilliant white, as if in some final farewell.

Our party included young Simon, a strong 15 year old who was clearly much at home in the mountains, as were his parents, Steve and Pam. This was our final climb together. I returned to England the following day whilst they remained in Switzerland for another week of climbing.

I never saw them all together again. Steve was killed the following summer on Mont Blanc, and young Simon who was with him at the time has not surprisingly ever climbed again. As the years go by, Pam's and my dream of climbing all the alpine 4000m peaks looks unlikely ever to be achieved. We may have done most of Europe’s highest summits, but our simple mistake was to leave the hardest to the end, and so too late. But that sweet, magical night on the Bishorn showed that even the easiest of alpine peaks is capable of leaving the most enduring of memories.

JanVanGenk

JanVanGenk - Apr 18, 2010 10:32 am Date Climbed: Apr 10, 2010

Bishorn normal route on skis  Sucess!

Approached via the Turtmann valley to the Tracuit hut in 2 days. Summit day was perfect - clear skies and nice views. The upper slopes were quite icy. Very long and nice descent from the summit back to Zinal. It was possible to ski all the way down to the last parking area (near camping) in Zinal.

selinunte01

selinunte01 - Jan 4, 2010 8:18 am Date Climbed: Aug 19, 2004

Nasty weather  Sucess!

with storm and snow - but fun.

John Climber

John Climber - Aug 21, 2009 6:11 pm Date Climbed: Aug 11, 2009

Surprise on the glacier  Sucess!

Successful climb from the Tracuit Hut, with two other partners. Windy but clear conditions. Surprisingly, there were many -and big- crevasses on the glacier, just in the neigbourhood of the hut (just stepping into it and there were the big abbys into the ice). Somehow tricky walk through this part. Many people.

26/7/2011
Climbed again with two partners. We were using a short window of good weather among periods of clouds, rain, snow. Still a beautiful day in the mountains! We were the first of the hut to reach the summit, partly opennig the track in deep snow! Great!!

Felsberg

Felsberg - Jul 13, 2009 3:37 am Date Climbed: Jul 12, 2009

Normal Route  Sucess!

a crowded but fun climb.

Roman1981

Roman1981 - May 7, 2009 12:14 pm Date Climbed: Aug 4, 2008

Normal Route from Capanne Tracuit  Sucess!

Succesfully climbed, see also: http://www.hikr.org/tour/post7922.html

skileraar

skileraar - Sep 7, 2008 7:39 am Date Climbed: Jul 31, 2008

Normal Route from Tracuit hut  Sucess!

Summited with 9 Dutch kids, while leading a climbing course

Rafa Bartolome

Rafa Bartolome - Jul 20, 2008 10:13 am Date Climbed: Jul 15, 2008

Nice peak  Sucess!

After a lot of snowfall the previous 2 days we ascended to Tracuit after the wait in Zinal because the next day the prediction was good. In a long route with snow from 2500m without views of the signals in many points with fog, snowfall,... we reached the cabane de Tracuit after more than 5 hours and we've very tired. We were lucky at night with a beautiful sunset in the refuge. The next day was perfect, one of the best days in panorama in my visits to Alps. To some of my friends it was their first 4000m and I was very happy to help them to make real their dream. A day to remember long time with the impressive vision of a long panorama.
It's not a very important peak, the route is easy,... but the effort is long and the reward is wonderfull. It's a very advisable peak to know the Alps. I love this small peak.

Mathias Zehring

Mathias Zehring - Jun 27, 2008 2:47 pm Date Climbed: Aug 5, 2007

from Turtmann hut  Sucess!

a long but great day was climbing Bishorn from turtmann hut. We reached the summit ato 3pm or so, all alone as last group, while the mountain was crowded the whole morning. Perfect day until evening with great views

Cyrill

Cyrill - Nov 9, 2007 10:44 am Date Climbed: Jul 25, 2007

Bishorn 4153m  Sucess!

Beautiful tour to the Bishorn 4153m

photos are here: Bishorn 4153m

MtnMagic

MtnMagic - Oct 14, 2007 1:03 pm

Voie Normale  Sucess!

Just an easy stroll to what I thought was just a high point on the ridge connecting it to the Weisshorn. Still a pleasant day and beautiful view.

marco979

marco979 - Jul 16, 2007 7:20 am Date Climbed: Jul 14, 2007

Normal Route  Sucess!

Wonderful weather a great climbing with my friend Carlo

Nikman

Nikman - May 6, 2007 5:21 pm Date Climbed: Aug 1, 2004

Normal Route  Sucess!

We came from Turtmanntal which is a nice alternative to the boring Zinal-ascent. We started from the well kept Turtmannhütte and went down passing by Cab. de Tracuit and further down into Zinaltal.
Nice views on the summit on a cold but clear day.

iceiswise - Jan 31, 2007 8:30 pm Date Climbed: Jul 7, 2000

north face  Sucess!

Climbed this the day after the Bruneckhorn-northface. A lot of new snow. We took a line left of the big serracs, where in normal conditions you find mostly rocks. Not really a classic.

Koen

Koen - Sep 11, 2006 10:50 am Date Climbed: Sep 7, 2006

Normal Route  Sucess!

Nice hike up from the Cabane de Tracuit.

schmid_th

schmid_th - Sep 5, 2006 2:32 pm Date Climbed: Aug 1, 2003

Dreaming of Weisshorn  Sucess!

Ascending to Cabane de Tracuit in a snow storm. Next day great weather and a beautiful sight from the top to Weisshorn.

Viewing: 21-40 of 61
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