We drove from Martigny to Zermatt, took a cable car to Furi, then hiked two hours to the Hornlihutte. Found the winter room unexpectedly open — a welcome surprise as we weren't sure we'd have shelter. Three Italian climbers were already there, also planning to attempt the north face the following morning.
An early brew at 2:30 AM and we were off by 2:45. The glacier approach went smoothly and we were moving quickly, following tracks in the moonlight toward the start of the mixed ground around 7:00 AM as dawn broke.
That's when it hit me. Around 4,000 metres I walked straight into a wall of nausea and cold. The kind of altitude sickness that makes every step feel like wading through concrete. You push through it because you're already committed and the summit is closer than the hut.
The route above threw everything at us. Water ice pitches, a precarious traverse pitch that needed careful footwork, then easier snow ramps leading toward the summit ridge. Multiple tracks crossed the face making route-finding tricky in places — you'd follow one line only to realise it petered out and you needed to traverse across to pick up another.
We reached the summit around 2:00 PM. The final 300 metres of ridge scrambling took about an hour, picking our way along the iconic profile that's probably the most recognisable mountain shape in the world. Views across to Monte Rosa and the Pennine Alps. A moment to take it in, then straight into the descent.
Conditions turned severe almost immediately. Approximately -20C with 60 km/h winds battering the Hornli ridge. The rope was going horizontal in the gusts, which makes handling it properly almost impossible. Every exposed section became a battle against the wind rather than the terrain.
We reached Solvay Hut by 6:30 PM — the emergency shelter partway down the Hornli ridge. Decided to stop there rather than push on in those conditions. Inside, we learned the Italian team hadn't made it down. They'd been forced to bivouac on the summit overnight in those temperatures and winds. We heard later they all got down safely the next day, thankfully.
I had to reschedule a teaching lesson to get down the next morning, which felt absurd given what we'd just done. A superb route on one of the great alpine north faces. Grateful to Morgan for solid climbing throughout, and to my family for their patience with these pursuits.