Any good adventure begins before the sun even contemplates rising in the east. Under the cover of darkness, my girlfriend Britt and I got up, packed our tent and stuffed everything in our car. After a few mouthfuls of breakfast, we set off for the one-hour drive to Staffal from where our adventure was to begin. We took the ski lift past the most boring and trivial parts of the mountain. The lower sections of the mountains around Staffal are mostly covered in uninspiring and, in all honestly, horribly looking ski slopes. It might be beautiful and fun in winter, but in summer it’s a part best skipped as fast as the ski lifts allow. With the three different ski lifts, you climb from 1864m to 3280m. From here you pass under the heartfelt welcome sign stating: “YOU ARE ENTERING A HIGH MOUNTAUIN AREA”. I guess it’s meant as a warning, but for us, it’s just a confirmation that we’re on the right track.

After gearing up, we set off on an epic adventure. Starting with a short piece on some snow fields, which quickly turned into a couple hundred meters of scrambling and a few short, easy sections of climbing with some fixed ropes. After having crossed the rocky part, we finally got onto the ice and our climb over the glacier could begin. From here, we moved upwards and made good speed. We knew in advance that our planning had been somewhat ambitious. With the fast increase in altitude, we were slightly beginning to feel the effects. From about 3500m you being to be able to feel the decrease in available oxygen. Staying at this altitude for extended periods of time without proper acclimatization does come with some risk. Even though we had already spent a couple of weeks climbing in the different parts of the alps, we were ascending faster and to a higher altitude than generally advised. After having passed by the Mantova and Gnifetti huts on our left side, we continued up and past Piramide Vincent, Balmenhorn and Ludwigshohe until we arrived at Colle del Lys lying between the Parrotspitze and the stunning Lyskamm. From here the view of Signalkuppe and Zumsteinspitze truly opens. On the top of Signalkuppe, you will see the Margherita Hut. Located at 4.554m, it’s the highest building in Europe and our goal for the day. Life at this altitude is different than at sea-level. Most mountain huts are located somewhat lower on the mountain, allowing for such luxuries as running water and flushing toilets. In most huts the water supply consists of a mix of snow and ice naturally melting off the mountain and rainwater collected from the roof of the hut. With the Margherita Hut place on top of a mountain there’s only a very limited capacity to collect water. Water does therefore become a distinctly scarce resource. Drinking water is expensive and the flush toilet is replaced with a hole in the floor and a wooden stick as a stand-in for the water. Not a luxurious experience, but an experience nonetheless. In exchange for the lack of basic amenities and creeping effects of the altitude, you’re rewarded with some of the most spectacular mountain views on earth. Uninterrupted view of Dufourspitze, Zumsteinspitze, Matterhorn and the northern face of the Lyskamm. All glowing in the yellow and reddish colors as the sun sets. Further in the background you can see both Mont Blanc and Gran Paradiso.

After a short and oxygen lacking night of sleep, we got up and prepared for the day. We packed our bags, ate a classic Italian breakfast mostly consisting of white bread, cookies and coffee and set of for the first of climb of the day. We walk down from Signalkuppe (4554 m) and continued the couple hundred meters across the relatively flat glacier over Colle Gnifetti (4454 m) to the point where the actual ascent of Zumsteinspitze (4564 m) begins. In a straight line, it is only about 700 meters from peak to peak, with a total ascent of 10 m. In total, the climb took us about an hour. The only slightly difficult section on the approach is a bit of rock just before the summit where you must decide whether you prefer doing a bit of mixed climbing between the rocks or if you’re more into a somewhat exposed traverse on ice around the rock formation. We choose the latter. Having arrived safely on the top of Zumsteinspitze it was time to ask a question that I had been preparing for months. Luckily, she said yes. Having secured myself a life-long adventure partner, we geared up and continued our adventure.

There’s no better way to celebrate an engagement than climbing the over the ridge of the Parrotspitze. A truly breathtaking view. After completing the length of the ridge, we took a left turn and made a quick stop at the Balmenhorn. Afterwards we continued in the direction of the Gnifetti Hut with another quick stop on the top of the Piramide Vincent. A very straightforward climb without any technical challenges. I image that the view is beautiful from the top but as we closed in on the top, the clouds closed in on us. We were unable see more than a few meters ahead. Without much of a view our break on the top was no more than a few minutes. After Piramide Vincent we descended towards the Gnifetti Hut which would serve as our stop for the night. Having arrived at the Gnifetti Hut we continued the celebrated of our engagement with tea, coffee, peanuts and chocolate in the busy and somewhat noise common room. At 3610 m that’s what constitute a party.

The next morning, we got up at around 4am to ensure that we would have enough time to undertake the day’s adventure. The plan was to head up and over Naso del Lyskamm from east to west. Generally, the route is advised in the other direction because of the almost vertical ice on the western face of Naso del Lyskamm. The climb up and over Naso del Lyskamm went without much difficulty. As expected, the descent on the western part posed the most significant challenge. Climbing in the opposite direction of us was a small unexperienced Belgium climbing party which was moving slowly and blocking our descent. After having waited in-line for what most have been 30-45 minutes, we decided to climb around them. We were getting cold and staying too long on the exposed ridge was beginning to pose an unnecessary risk. Climbing around them meant descending on a section of somewhat more exposed ice but with the freezing temperature and the relentless wind, we could not stay in place much longer. After having descended the couple hundred meters of near-vertical ice we came to the rock section which dominates the lower part. Navigating through the rocks took some time but posed no particular difficulty. Getting back down to the glacier meant that only a relatively flat section of glacier walking was left. The midday sun was beginning to melt the top layer of snow turning it into slush ice. Apart from the fact that slush ice is hard and uncomfortable to walk in, it also becomes more dangerous as the snow’s loadbearing capacity is reduced significantly. This means that the risk of falling through the snow-covered crevasses increase. To minimize the time spent in this exposed position we walked as fast as we could and covered the about 5 km of glacier is just above one hour. After arriving at the Quintino Sella hut with more daylight to spare than expected, we celebrated another successful day with tea, coffee and an afternoon nap.

On the final day of our tour of the Monte Rosa massiv we started with an early morning climb to Castore (4221 m). The ascent takes you over a breathtakingly beautiful ridgeline. Walking on the top of the ridge you can enjoy the view of Lyskamm and rest of the Monta Rosa massiv to your right and to your left you can get a glimpse Mont Blanc and Gran Paradiso in the distance. The peak of Castore was busy with quite a few guided groups summiting around the same time as us. After a few photos we started our descent the same way down as we had come up. After a quick break at the Quintino Sella hut, we continued down in the direction of the ski lifts which would lift us the rest of the way down to the valley floor. Here we were reconnected with our beloved adventures little blue Skoda Citigo named Ellen, in honor of my adventures grandma.