48 Hours of Glacier Training in the Alps

48 Hours of Glacier Training in the Alps

Bishorn, Switzerland, August 2024. Over the next few days, an intense glacier training is on the agenda. Bishorn, the little brother of Weishorn, is one of the less technical 4000-meter peaks in the Alps but has a beautiful glacier on its mountain flanks. Goal: to reach the summit of Bishorn via the glacier on the north west flank.

We depart early in the morning from Brussels Airport with the morning flight to Geneva. Within 3 days, we plan to be back here, enriched with a glacier experience. I am accompanied on this expedition by seven summiteer Bjorn Vandewege, managing director of Climbing Managers.

Day one is mainly filled with transport from the airport to the foot of Bishorn. We sleep in the campervan by the roadside. The next morning, we drive to Zinal, pack our backpacks and the necessary climbing gear: climbing harnesses and ropes, crampons and helmets. The ascent of Bishorn is not very technical; we are mainly here for the glacier experience. We start our climb from Zinal to the Cabane de Tracuit at 3256m. Here we spend the night and go to bed early. The alarm is set before sunset for our summit day.

After a quick breakfast we step out of the hut into the morning mist. At the edge of the glacier, we strap on the crampons and step onto the glacier in a rope team of 4,. It is mainly about watching out for crevasses and treacherous ice bridges. Looking out for something you don’t always see :-) . Cooperation is indispensable here; walking in a rope team is indispensable on the glacier.

The pace is brisk, and soon we pass the first group of climbers. Two hours and five minutes later, we stand on the summit of Bishorn at 4,153 meter. After the obligatory photo session, we begin the fast descent. 2700m down, the distance we climbed up over the past 2 days. During the descent, I particularly notice the amount of meltwater. The glacier is melting faster than it grows in winter. A consequence of climate change that can no longer be denied. It is frightening to know that I probably won’t be able to cross this glacier again in 20 years, simply because it might not be there anymore.

At a quarter to one, we are back at the parking lot. We still have time for an ice cream (we can’t get enough of it) and a dip in Lake Geneva before we take the planned flight back to Brussels Airport.