The Dom – Long Days on Switzerland’s Highest Mountain

At 4,545 metres, the Dom de Mischabel is the highest mountain standing entirely within Switzerland. The Dufourspitze on Monte Rosa rises higher, but its summit lies directly on the border with Italy. The Dom, instead, is Swiss from valley to summit — and reaching that summit requires a considerable amount of walking.

I was spending two nights at the Domhütte, working with different guests from Bergschaft.ch. Unfortunately, the first attempt ended almost before it began, when my client Jonas injured himself not far from the hut and we had to turn back. We promised we would try again next year, perhaps with a proper programme beforehand to test his knee on the kind of varied and rugged terrain that characterises the ascent.

Even reaching the Domhütte is already a proper mountain day. From the valley, there are roughly 1,600 vertical metres to climb before you can sit down for dinner. This is quite different from some of the high summits of Monte Rosa or Mont Blanc where lifts take away a large part of the approach. Here, you walk. And you walk a lot.

From the hut to the summit there are another 1,600–1,700 metres of ascent, including increasingly technical sections as the glaciers continue to retreat.

Into the dark

The next morning, after a short but good night's sleep, we leave the hut at around 3 a.m. Everything is completely dark. The first section crosses a chaotic landscape of moraine and boulders, following an endless sequence of small cairns — Steinmänner, as they are called in German. Finding the route isn't particularly obvious in the darkness, but several other teams are already ahead of us and the little procession of headlamps helps us find our way.

After roughly an hour we reach the glacier. Crampons on, and we start moving across initially straightforward terrain. Gradually the glacier becomes steeper and more crevassed, and we rope up for the approach towards the Festijoch.

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The Festijoch

The Festijoch has become one of the key passages of the normal route. Over the last 10–15 years the glacier has lowered considerably, leaving a rocky step of roughly one hundred metres that now has to be climbed to reach the col. Fortunately, the passage is equipped and even marked with reflective indicators — very useful when you arrive there before sunrise.

My two clients, Matteo and Samuel, are both strong and move quickly. I can protect them easily while we alternate between short pitches and short-roping through the rocky section. Soon we reach the top. But the Festijoch is only half of the problem.

On the other side we have to descend onto the Festi Glacier. It is already late in the summer season and we find plenty of bare ice. We descend carefully, avoiding the increasingly open gaps around the bergschrund, before traversing back onto the broad glacier basin below the north face of the Dom.

From there the character of the climb changes completely. We lengthen the rope again and start moving across the glacier. There are some substantial crevasses around, so it is definitely worth staying alert, but conditions are good and the three of us are moving efficiently. The morning becomes brighter and brighter.

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As the terrain steepens we shorten the rope again and continue upward. Everyone is feeling good and we gain altitude surprisingly quickly. Eventually we reach the final bergschrund. It is enormous. Fortunately, a solid snow bridge still connects the two sides, allowing us to cross without difficulty. From there, only the long final snow slope remains.

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I keep making steps as we climb, partly because I know that on the descent it will be nice to find a good staircase already waiting for us. And then suddenly there is nowhere higher to go.

On the summit

The summit couldn't have been better. Not a breath of wind. We sit down at more than 4,500 metres, eat something, take pictures and simply enjoy being there.

Other teams slowly arrive. Among them is a Swiss mountain guide carrying something rather unexpected for a climb of the Dom: an harmonica. He takes it out and starts playing on the summit. There are worse places for a private concert.

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Back to the valley

Eventually, however, it is time to head down. We shorten the rope and descend quickly back towards the Festijoch. Crossing the rocky section again requires a little more work. We use a few short lowers for the clients, while I down-climb parts of it myself. The rock is loose and dirty in places, and without a rope from above I find this part considerably more demanding than it looked during the ascent.

Once back on the glacier, the technical difficulties are largely behind us. We start the long return towards the Domhütte. By now the day has been going for almost ten hours and the legs are beginning to notice it.

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Fortunately, the hut provides an excellent cure for tiredness: a Käseschnitte. I must say Selina and her team make every effort to welcome and support everyone passing through or staying at the hut.

After two days at the Domhütte, I leave very happy. We were wonderfully looked after, the mountains gave us a spectacular day, and working with two clients who moved so efficiently made the whole ascent an absolute pleasure.

For Matteo and Samuel, it is finally time to relax. For me, not quite yet. The following day is reserved for my family and immediately afterwards another three days of guiding are waiting for me. So after the Käseschnitte I shoulder my backpack once again and start running down the long trail towards the valley. My knees are less enthusiastic than I am. Eventually I reach my bicycle. From there, a quick ride to the railway station. And home. At least for a day.

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