UKH

Hi, 

I'm going to be skiing in Cervinia in mid-February with the family and thought it would be rude not to use the facilities a bit and get some climbing in also. 

The Breithorn is regarded as the easiest 4000m peak and it appears you can get very close to it via ski lifts, so I wondered whether it would be feasible to head up there on my own?

I have done a lot of ski mountaineering (including the Patrouille des Glaciers three times), and some Alpine mountaineering - I climbed Gran Paradiso in October last year and spent two weeks in Chamonix on an Alpine Mountaineering Course with the Army. We're heading out to Nepal later this year to do a 6,000m peak and then back for Everest hopefully in 2025. I also scooted up from Les Houches to the Tete Rousse refuge last year (in summer, via the Chemin des Rognes, so I had the whole hillside to myself until the very last bit, which was ace) on my tod so I'm comfortable travelling solo. 

I haven't done the Breithorn though and obviously travelling solo on glaciated terrain with the risk of crevasses is generally a really bad idea, hence asking whether it is at all feasible. I'm happy to hire a guide and that's probably the prudent course of action, but just wanted to check in case the house view is that it really is straightforward enough (even in winter) to do solo. I would take crampons, ice axe etc. obviously. 

If anyone has any other recommendations for nearby peaks from Cervinia that are achievable in a day (it'll go down like a fish milkshake with the wife if I bugger off to a refuge overnight and leave her with the children), or guide recommendations, please do shout. 

Thanks in advance.  

Quite doable on skis from the lift. You won't be alone if the weather is even semi decent. Take a bit of care just near the lift but off piste - there are crevasses there. Also, the Breithorn plateau is very easy to get lost on in mist.

Thanks - do you think it's feasible then to skin across the plateau from the top of the lifts and then switch to crampons for the slop up to the arete itself? 

I had entertained the notion of getting up at stupid o'clock and just skinning all the way up from Breuil-Cervinia via the pistes but that's c.2,000m of verts and quite a schlep. Probably easier to just wait for the lifts to open (albeit earning far fewer beer tokens)!

When I did Breithorn a bit later in the season (early April), we didn’t use crampons. Simply skinned from the lifts all the way to the top. Pretty standard fair.

But yeah, the plateau is indeed a glacier. So there are also crevases.

Both entirely possible.

It maybe worth looking into skiing down to Champoluc if you can arrange return transport.

I'd add no point at all having a guide for the Breithorn if you are competent.

I wouldn´t do it alone; competence doesn´t get you out of a crevasse if you´re hurt.

Clearly not but on skis on a huge track, I'd say a minimal risk.

As always: depends on the conditions. Fresh snow, time pressure ...

Indeed, and if you do the slight detour towards East (IIRC), you stay clear of the convex portion of the glacier thus avoiding most of the crevasses... and the bergschrund or rather separation of the actual mountain and the glacier is also pretty mellow or non existant... in winter/spring. Late summer might be a different thing though.

This is what the Swiss Alpine Club recommends: https://www.sac-cas.ch/en/huts-and-tours/sac-route-portal/breithorn-zermatt...

Hi,

I will be around Chamonix area in mid feb. If you are looking for a partner I am keen to link up. fairly competent mountaineer, alright ski touring.

Cheers, Nick

Massively helpful, thanks!

I'll be in Cervinia 10-17th Feb. Let me know if you could make it over there at some point that week - I'd be happy to link up. I'll bring my rope if so.