A different kind of ice climbing: night ascent of the "Monsterline" icefall
It's Friday afternoon, the phone is ringing. It's Albert Neuner, my climbing partner for selected mountain tours. "Hi Benni, are we going ice climbing tomorrow?" Me, "Sorry, no can do. I have an ice climbing course in Pitztal." Albert thinks for a moment and says, "Then we'll just go ice climbing today after work!" "Okay, and where to?" "Pitztal, then we'll see."
There are 45 ice climbing routes of all levels of difficulty in the Pitztal!
We set off from Telfs at 4.15 p.m. and take a leisurely drive into the Pitztal. We're in no particular hurry, because it's going to get dark anyway. My suggestion to climb the Pitztal "Stuibenfall" did not meet with Albert's approval. His comment: "It's only 5 metres long!" My next suggestion, to try the difficult mega-classic in ice climbing - "Monsterline " - was better. I could see from Albert's shining eyes that it was appropriate.
At around 5.45 p.m., we set off for the start of the ice climbing route. As usual, Albert dashed up at a pace that I couldn't keep up with despite my young age. Be that as it may, he still has to wait at the top, I thought, and trudged on quickly. We quickly adjusted the necessary equipment and headed up the first steep section at a reasonable pace. A Tibloc after 60m prevented an unnecessary belay and with a 120m pitch Albert headed towards the main fall. He was already walking in the easier terrain, meanwhile I struggled to get the first pitch behind me as quickly as possible. At 10 m, despite the late hour, I was in the middle of a shower and the ice formations in combination with splashing water had a mystical quality in the light of the lamp.
For the next 200 meters, we climbed up the steep, partly ice-covered gully until the main fall finally reared up vertically above our heads. The menacing cones above us looked even wilder in the light and the absolute darkness in this unique environment added a special spice to the whole experience.
The previous day's bouldering training in the Telfer climbing hall made the following pitch seem pretty pumpy and I was glad to move into the comfortable belay in a niche under huge icicles after 35 m. Now it was Albert's turn to tackle the crux pitch again. The rope went steadily upwards and Albert thought it was no longer easy. In the labyrinth of icicles - with only a small cone of light from the headlamp - orientation was already quite difficult and the steepness required the full range of technique and strength of the ice climber. However, the crown in this length was a 3m traverse in an icy cold shower. The ice was so softened by the "warmer water" that in some places the whole shoe or the entire ice tool disappeared in the rotten ice. Despite the fact that Albert was moving fast, it got quite cold and uncomfortable at the belay, but my down vest did a good job.
I sometimes switched off my headlamp at the belay station to save battery power, but I didn't really feel comfortable staring into the absolute darkness, probably because I knew where I was. Finally Albert gave the signal to follow and I climbed the very steep pitch with a shower traverse as quickly as possible. The spray water froze relatively quickly on my jacket and increased my overall weight a little.
Thank goodness, the last pitch to the exit was then only a formality and I made a stand in the mountain pine belt. The tension eased a little, but there was still a dangerous descent ahead of us. Abseiling over the horrible cones in the dark didn't seem to be the best option.
First we had a wild battle through a snow-covered field of mountain pines to the left to a gully. Once again, full attention was required, as there were always treacherous ice and rock slabs hidden beneath the powder snow.
After another hour, we were safely back at the start of the ice climbing tour and in another 15 minutes we reached our car. By now it was 10.30 p.m. and we were starting to feel a little peckish. Our adventure ended with a delicious pizza and two beers at Gasthof Wiesle next to the Kitzgarten gorge. Unfortunately, the after(k)photos are of mediocre quality, but the real adventures are in the head and in the heart.
