backcountry journal
June 2006
This was a fun day of touring with more freedom and simple discovery than intense riding on hard terrain. There are lots of pictures and some video clips on the next page.
Before the 06/07 season starts I thought I had better write up the last tour that Mio and I did in the 05/06 season It was in the first week of June and knowing that a few alpine passes opened for the summer on the first of June we headed to Switzerland for a few days camping, exploring and back country touring. Our agenda was wide open and the chances were good as there was still plenty of higher altitude snow. In fact, it had been snowing above 2000m in the days leading up to the trip.
From Milan we made our way to the Gotthard Tunnel, an easy 1.5 hour trip we had made so many times in the past months. This tunnel is part of the main passage through Switzerland from Milan, via Lugano and onto Zurich and gives very easy access to Andermatt. We were not headed for the tunnel, rather we turned left just before it and drove up the pretty Val Bedretto to Nufenen Pass, which had been closed all winter and was scheduled to open in early June. As we approached the Gotthard tunnel we noted that it was closed that day for construction. When we arrived at the start of the Nufenen Pass we found that the boom gate was still lowered and locked. The pass was shut and our fall back plan to use the tunnel was of no use. Even the Gotthard Pass was shut! From that position our only chance was to back track a great distance and head for another mountain pass. It would take hours.
Before the 06/07 season starts I thought I had better write up the last tour that Mio and I did in the 05/06 season It was in the first week of June and knowing that a few alpine passes opened for the summer on the first of June we headed to Switzerland for a few days camping, exploring and back country touring. Our agenda was wide open and the chances were good as there was still plenty of higher altitude snow. In fact, it had been snowing above 2000m in the days leading up to the trip.
From Milan we made our way to the Gotthard Tunnel, an easy 1.5 hour trip we had made so many times in the past months. This tunnel is part of the main passage through Switzerland from Milan, via Lugano and onto Zurich and gives very easy access to Andermatt. We were not headed for the tunnel, rather we turned left just before it and drove up the pretty Val Bedretto to Nufenen Pass, which had been closed all winter and was scheduled to open in early June. As we approached the Gotthard tunnel we noted that it was closed that day for construction. When we arrived at the start of the Nufenen Pass we found that the boom gate was still lowered and locked. The pass was shut and our fall back plan to use the tunnel was of no use. Even the Gotthard Pass was shut! From that position our only chance was to back track a great distance and head for another mountain pass. It would take hours.
Heading up Val Bedretto in the Italian side of Switzerland. We wanted to get up higher in the distance. The gate was shut. Pretty spring time.
We stood around the boom gate depressed whilst commenting on the realities of 'so close yet so far' and looking at the snow higher up. After considering our options we started to drive away, heading for another pass that was going to require 3 hours of additional driving just to reach our goal. As we drove away I saw a 4wd driving down the pass road from behind the locked gate. In my rear view mirror I noticed that the driver had a fluro orange safety vest on. Hang on, why would a farmer wear that? Hmmm, I stopped the car. The 4wd driver unlocked the gate drove through and locked it again behind him. We made eye contact and he came over to the car and advised us that we were winners: the gate would open in 2 hours! There was a pub that had not yet opened so we went for a walk along a nice mountain creek, came back, had a beer and were the second car up the pass after the gate opened. It was no big deal, but split second chance like that is a fun part of adventure.
We didn't see any immediately appealing back country terrain along the Nufenen Pass and the map so we headed over to the next valley from where we had access to Furka Pass and Grimsel Pass. Neither were open, but the gate was up so we broke the rules and went for it. The high valley at the junction of these two passes is home to the Rhône Glacier, which is the start of the mighty Rhône River. The roads were all shut and council workers were still clearing snow off the road. There had been fresh snow and everything was notice and white, like winter. I had just returned from a 3 week surfing trip in Portugal and suddenly was back in the snow, directly from the beach. The council workers gave us strange looks and we knew we were not supposed to be up there. In the end, as we were preparing to go for a quick assault on an easy couloir next to the road, a council worker in a snow bulldozer drove past and told us to leave. Swiss people are pretty serious and he said the word 'Police', so we left. But our exploration was not wasted as it was up there that we discoverer a fantastic and couloir that I returned to ride 3 days later.
We didn't see any immediately appealing back country terrain along the Nufenen Pass and the map so we headed over to the next valley from where we had access to Furka Pass and Grimsel Pass. Neither were open, but the gate was up so we broke the rules and went for it. The high valley at the junction of these two passes is home to the Rhône Glacier, which is the start of the mighty Rhône River. The roads were all shut and council workers were still clearing snow off the road. There had been fresh snow and everything was notice and white, like winter. I had just returned from a 3 week surfing trip in Portugal and suddenly was back in the snow, directly from the beach. The council workers gave us strange looks and we knew we were not supposed to be up there. In the end, as we were preparing to go for a quick assault on an easy couloir next to the road, a council worker in a snow bulldozer drove past and told us to leave. Swiss people are pretty serious and he said the word 'Police', so we left. But our exploration was not wasted as it was up there that we discoverer a fantastic and couloir that I returned to ride 3 days later.
Looking up to the snout of the Rhône Glacier and Furka Pass.
As we drove away Mio caught a quick glimpse of some promising terrain in the distance. The couloir was good, but we were still to find some good terrain for an extended backcountry day trip. I stopped the car and we found what we were looking at on the map. It would be a long effort to get up there from the lower snowless spring valley, but it looked worth while. Everything was going our way. That evening we camped in a campsite near the nice Swiss village called Oberwald and planned the next day's tour. It snowed that night and when we woke, the weather was not good. So we decided to do the sensible thing and not go snowboarding.
As I concentrated on the twisting road Mio noticed this gentle snowy valley in the distance. It is a gift to have a girlfriend who has an imaginative eye for adventure. It took some effort to reach the base of the upper peak from well down in the valley, which out of shot in the bottom right of the picture. Notice the fantastic terrain in the upper right.
We stopped the car and checked the topo map and agreed on our next day touring objective.
But bad weather doesn't stop you from hiking, so we simply left our boards in the car and hiked our way casually up the route we had planned just to take a look and see what was in the upper reaches of the hidden valley. So in the fresh snow we took the dog and spent 4 hours walking up and back, boiling a few cups of tea on the way. The visibility up higher was ok, but with volatile weather we were happy to have sat the day out rather than go riding higher up.
On the easy hike, still below the tree line. A hollow with mountain water being feed by another hollow log.
The next day the weather had improved and we returned to the scene ready to go. The valley car park was at 1300m whilst the final destination was a point at 2600m. So we had a big hike of 1300m vertical covering about 5km in distance travelled. Going at Mio's leisurely(!) pace it took us about 5 hours, way too long but with late spring evenings, we were in no rush. Along the way we enjoyed a really nice valley, totally devoid of people, not even a ski track. We were totally alone and very happy. There is a large moraine about two thirds of the way up the valley and we scaled that to get a view of the last section of the hike, which was on the remains of an old glacier. It had taken a good deal of time to reach the snowline, but once on the snow we were greeted with pretty decent conditions: fresh spring snow on a frozen base. We chose a hike route and descent line which mostly kept us off any avalanche terrain, which wasn't very hard to do as the valley floor was quite gently sloped. However up either side there were some fantastic steep glaciated lines just begging me to go. Next year we will return in spring make a base camp in the snowed valley for a few days whilst making shorter trips up the valley sides.
When we returned the next day the new snow in the lower valley had melted. This is approaching the snowline. The valley bends around to the right.
Crossing the stream.
