Bella Tolla (North Face) and Schwarzhorn
18th February 2008
It’s not snowed for a while now and it’s been peak holiday time so all the off-piste is totally tracked out, but it’s been cold and if you’re prepared to put some climbing in then there’s still some great snow to be found. I rode the lifts to the Bella Tolla and then climbed the south east side of the Bella Tolla, I started on skins but the hard icy snow soon needed ski crampons and even then I was struggling to make progress so I racked the skis and scrambled up to the ridge at the top. From there I’m rewarded with a view into the valley, it’s not untracked but it’s certainly not tracked out and the snow’s obviously pretty good.
From the top it’s extremely icy for a few metres and I’m pretty grateful that I’d edged my skis yesterday, in fact I’d got a perfect edge on them and it gave me the confidence I needed to drop on the North Face of the Bella Tolla. The ice quickly gives way to some loose snow but it’s a lot steeper than I’d expected and I have to make a series of tricky jump turns and kick turns to get into a couloir and off the exposed face itself.
Above left, looking back up the first pitch and above right looking back at the whole face.
Another view (above left) of the route, the lower section is easily angled and the snow is pretty good. Above right, after climbing onto the Schwarzhorn ridge traversing to the summit.
From the top of the Schwarzhorn looking into the Chandolin ski area.
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February 27th, 2008 at Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:03:26 +0100
Great photos! What’s the snowpack like over there, in regards to avalanche conditions?
February 27th, 2008 at Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:08:29 +0100
It’s changing right now, it’s been very, very stable for a while now but at the expense of a lack of fresh snow. Increased temp’s and some rain at lower levels have caused some wet avalanches or full depth snow slides in places. Overall, risk levels remain relatively low though.