Climbing alone a 4000 m. in the Alps? I did it only one time. The only peak that I climbed alone in the Alps was Gran Paradiso, and it was easy: no crevasses and only a short (but dangerous) rocky ridge to get to the summit. But I wouldn't repeat this climb or others with glaciers alone.
Bishorn is a very easy climb to, but you have to cross glaciers in all (I supose) 4000 m. peaks in the Alps, and you don't know if there are crevasses under the snow...
You can find a partner easily if you visit Chamonix or Zermatt. There are lots of people looking for partners to climb; look for in the tourist information of those villages.

too many questions ... I think you're not ready for a solo climb, forget it and try to find some (good) partners to rope with.
I made my two longest (difficult but not the most difficult) rock routes in solo in a simple way : I started from the refuge ready to give over and come back in case of problems ... that's all

I carried my sleeping bag only on 4 routes ... the Aiguille Noire S ridge - the Tronchey ridge to Jorasses and twice to climb the Palù N spurs (just as I knew that I was going to find no room at the Diavolezza hut)
The only needed things to climb a mountain are fit, training and determination, ascending or descending at night is normal on the high mountains of the Alps

Fly to Colorado or California and you can easily find a trip where you can spend multiple nights above 4000m with just a single walk up

I'll let you sleep in my living room LOL

sjarelkwint wrote:Sounds like a great idea if you only have 20 days of vacation a year ...

Try 13 days And I can't even take them all...

We are fogetting about the [url http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock ... horn-.html] Dirruhorn[/url]

The new normal route is all on rock or dry glacier an easy solo but more exposed than Laggerhorn

I wouldn't take the Lagginhorn too lightly. What if the weather turns? What if there is snow on the ridge, or ice? It's still very high.

The only 4000er that I would possibly consider doing solo would be Breithorn, since the trail is so well trodden and you're never really alone up there. Bishorn is nice and very easy technically, but the Turtmann glacier has crevasses and the normal route goes parallel to them.

Guides aren't too expensive on the easy 4000ers (100-200 euros), and for a bit more you can also try something a little more exciting than a simple snow-trod, without having to worry too much.

If I were you, I would either go with a guide and do something fun if you really want the altitude, or just go for a little bit lower than 4000 meters, and just put in a bit more excercise at those altitudes (e.g. push-ups )

Yes there's always a risk for crevasses. Due to the well trodded trail however, and under right circumstances I might consider doing Breithorn solo. But I haven't really researched into this much, so please don't take this as any sort of advice either way!

Moni and Fred Spicker have climbed it with their son, they could know if there are crevasses anytime in the year. I haven't ascend it yet. A sudden storm or fog would also be dangerous there. Anyway, you should be more confident and open for team aims. Breithorn will be an easy and safe objective if weather is good but you'll adquire more experience if you try another mountain with some climbers. We all have had to retreat from a 4000er due to the lack of experience, bad weather, few time (we had to descent from near half the face of Mont Blanc du Tacul because we could leave the last cableway trip if not)... This is an aspect that you'll learn by doing many climbs. Be positive and open-minded sjarelkwint. But always be informed of weather predictions, avalanche risks, getaway possible routes, lift times, etc. Take crampons, ice axe, warm clothes, map, compass, gps or altimeter with you. And enjoy

there are few rules to become an alpinist :
- get the necessary info about the mountain you would like to climb : difficulty-lenght-dangers
- try to be fit and trained
then START and if you feel unsafe give over and get back
all the rest are words words words ... and climbing is action, not words

Breithorn June : i watched couple of curious unprepared visitors to zermatt stray a bit too far from the cable car station on other's tracks and one of them fell waste deep in the snow and screamed,then she was shoulder deep. they'd taken the cable car and gone 200/300metres from the station - a guide fished her out in a flash and yelled at her. it's a very busy route but you can't see any of the dangers because it's always covered in snow. it's by far the easiest though

gabriele wrote:there are few rules to become an alpinist :
- get the necessary info about the mountain you would like to climb : difficulty-lenght-dangers
- try to be fit and trained
then START and if you feel unsafe give over and get back
all the rest are words words words ... and climbing is action, not words

And one rule more:

Drink always a beer in the hut.

Digitalis wrote:And one rule more: Drink always a beer in the hut.

So finally I have to find out, that I am not an alpinist
I prefer red wine

I soloed Gran Paradiso and Lagginhorn. There are some other alpine 4000m mountains I did in double team (together with only one mate) but unroped all the way leaving the rope in the backpack (Allalin in April, Alphubel and Strahlhorn in May, MB du Tacul in June) or we only used the rope at some certain passages where crevasses might be under the snow (Weißmies nnw, Breithorn traverse, Bishorn).
There is no general rule for safety at any alpine 4000m mountain. It depends on personal fitness, skills and the conditions and those can vary a lot. Anybody who says: "soloing this mountain is no problem or that mountain is dangerous" can just refer to certain conditions and personal skills. Gran Paradiso for example was a safe solo climb for me in early summer after a winter with much snow. Lagginhorn was safe by means of objective danger, but there was blank ice in the summit ice field and crampons and some skills and good nerves were needed. Someone who doesn't stay cool might have been in problems.

Don't underestimate Mont Blanc! The Rother guidebook says: someone should have done at least ten 4000m mountains in the Alps before trying Mont Blanc.

@sjarelkwint: if you are honestly thinking about taking your sleeping bag inside your backpack up any PD-route on an Alpine 4000m peak you should get some skills on lower mountains first and learn about mountains and yourself or pick a partner that might teach you. This forum can't replace a solid learning process from gaining practical experience.