A bavarian north face – a little/big gem for ice climbing
The Rubihorn in Allgäu is a real classic among those who like it cold, exposed, and sunless: At least its north face. Various climbs crisis cross the approximately 400-meter-high wall, which towers over Oberstdorf. Many locals just want to do it once – just so see what it is all about. And they often need to wait for years, because on the one hand the conditions have to be just right and on the other hand you need the right gear and partners. Numerous mountain rescue operations really do highlight, that the Rubihorn north face is no joke.
Well, I was lucky and managed to get a slot in the Alpine Camp with Camp/Cassin. That saved me the wait, and the hunt for a motivated, safe partner. An initial day of teaching us the basics/ refamiliarising us with the finesses of ice climbing, and a second day for climbing a classic north face. Could such audacity pay off, oh yes it could!
The participants of the Alpine Camp with Camp/Cassin experienced two wonderful days on steep ice | Photo: Erika Dürr
Day 1 – Hunting for ice
Admittedly, it is a really dry winter. Hardly any ice, not even real snow in the Allgäu. Nevertheless, the local mountain guide and camp athlete Luis Stitzinger found some for us anyway, and even the walk-in was just a short jaunt. After handing over the new gear – a pair of brand new X-Dream ice machines and an X-Gyro-Leash for each participant – we went up to the Vilsalpsee on foot. A short introduction to the ice climbing technique and off we went! The mountain guides had their hands full trying to equip enough lines with top ropes, that’s how motivated the participants were.
With a beautiful blue sky and the completely icy Vilsalpsee in the background, our arms started to pump out, while our psych grew from placement to placement. “Don’t get completely worn out, tomorrow is the big day”, laughed Christian Bickel, the Camp sales manager for Germany. When he was not hanging off the ice himself, he was a happy man indeed: Awesome weather, a crag for us alone, and enthusiastic participants – who were more than appreciative of the fantastic gear on offer.
As an old Petzl Nomic fan, I had to admit that these ice tools were not only comfortable for climbing steep ascents but also – and this is probably the biggest difference to the Nomic – on flatter more moderate terrain. Thanks to the pronounced spur at the bottom, the Cassin X-Dream ice tools are also suitable for more classic lines, which were extensively tested a few hours later.
Day 2 – Rubihorn north face!
Reichenbach: half-past seven, two degrees plus. The view inevitably fell on the mighty wall directly above us. Through there? The thrill was there, as well as another mountain guide for reinforcement. With spring in the valley, we went up towards Gaisalpe and further over the snowy scree field to the start of the first pitch. Not only the view down into the completely green Illertal valley was confusing, but also when looking up into the vertical realm: Not a single roped team was on their way – how much luck can you have on a Sunday in the middle of February?
High above the Green valley | Photo: Erika Dürr
While one of the mountain guides got going with his participant straight from the get-go, we took a little more time. We weren’t in a hurry, it was early, the weather was stable and the main goal of the day was set into stone/ice/snow: have as much fun as possible. Do not stress! However, stress did raise its ugly head once in a while, because dry tooling was unfamiliar to most, and can be unsettling for the inexperienced. Nevertheless, we all did a great job at the end of the day, dispatching the small cruxes as they popped up along the route. Also, we were introduced to a tantalizing Allgäuian interpretation of “ice climbing”: Wacking your ice tools into grass cushions and frozen turf. Confidence-inspiring. Yes, that is also part of the winter climbing experience in Allgäu!
Pitch after pitch we started to gain height, the view down became more and more spectacular, the joy of just being here rising exponentially. After some quite tricky pitches, the summit snowfield slowly came into view: Usually a large white area, this time interspersed with pines and rocks. Yes, we simply had incredibly little snow this year. But the unusually warm temperatures put the top part of the face into prime conditions and plodding up it was a real pleasure.
With the help of the X-Dream ice tools, which are also ideal for trudging uphill, the route leads over steep slopes right to the summit | Photo: Erika Dürr
Then the view suddenly opened up across to the other mountains close by, the beautiful Hochvogel, also known as the Allgäuer Matterhorn, the Trettach, and the Hohe Ifen with its steep rock faces. What a view. And what an atmosphere among the participants! Pure joy, real pride. Rightly so, because we all climbed this classic in the best style possible. Lucky us and what a weekend!