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Mount
Castore
A
4221 meters high mountain, my first, long waited “4000”: in a few
words, another world. An experience which pleasantly surprised me, as
well as converting me to real glacier alpinism. The
Castore stands over Ayas with it’s long ridge just visible between
Resy’s Palon and Mont Rouge, even if it’s visible from Pratone and
many other places. It’s over all its unmistakable peak, pyramid –
shaped, which attracts us. The
Castore is the highest and southern of two twins, a beautiful pyramid
conquered for the first time in 1861 by a Chamonix guide, Michel Croz,
who accompanied William Mathews and F. Jacomb.
It’s
an elegant mountain, which offers a hard southern mountainside, a North
Wall hard as well, and over all the beautiful and more used South East
Ridge.
As
possible risks, there can be avalanches over Felik Pass and on the
steeper parts; moreover, the ridge before the top is really narrow and
thin, difficult to be done in case of strong wind.
How do you arrive there?
Here
you have the chronicle of my ascent by the normal way of South – East
Ridge, done by Varasc.it on 14 – 15 July 2004.
I
left Bettaforca at 14.14 PM of july 14th, I reached Quintino
Sella Refuge at 17.25 PM: for further informations, please visit its
page of this website.
I
slept in the refuge, waking up with the second call, the 5 AM one, and
we started one hour later. Our rope was the following: one Ayas’
guide, Mr. Marco Spataro, two other alpinists and me. The day seemed
good, in spite of a strong wind which, coming down from the ridge over
us, hit everything taking away snow and clothes as hats and gloves in
the atmosphere, upsetting other ropes.
The
first part was, in spite of wind, really pleasant: a long walk with
rackets and crampons on the wide Felik Glacier, behind the refuge. The
panorama was already spectacular, the white of ice, the wind which hit
our face hard: in a few words, it was all fantastic. I wouldn’t swap
those moment for anything in the world.
When
we reached the Pass, the situation got serious: wind’s strongest gusts
easily moved heavy men of several steps; how’d we do on the ridge,
when the space is narrower?
In
front of us, we could only see people falling along the slope which took
to the Pass. Many ropes were still, and some others were already coming
back. Our guide slackened his pace, talking a little a little further,
then he told us that the only thing to do is to try to go left towards
Perazzi Peak (3906 meters), where we might have shelter from wind; we
would wait a while because, if the situation would not change, Castore
was absolutely out of our range. When
we arrived under the Perazzi we discovered we did a stumble. Wind was
even stronger and gave us a lot of problems. Sky was blue, withouth a
cloud, but wind was blowing at 90 km/h and I found hard to stand still
in open field, in spite of my 80 kilos of weight, and all the equipment
which wasn’t light at all.
We
decided to come back to Felik, which seemed more sheltered. We crossed
again Felik’s Glacier and we come back on the track, which was well
marked than before: many ropes were already coming back, and greetings
in French and German were spoken and took away from wind’s force.
Under
the Pass, in facts, wind was less stronger: stading still was easier,
but it was impossible to took out a camera or any other thing. We had
some difficulties to speak one to each other but finally we decided to
reach the ridge to see how was the weather there; our guide supposed
that wind probably got higher.
We
started to climb using ice axes. Snow was quite hard and we didn’t
sink in it and creepers allowed us to go up without problems. Wind hit
me only from the shoulders, forcing me to walk bent. The track was well
marked with the holes left by the other’s axes. When
we have climbed the steepy slope, we started to go leftwards, on the
ridge. In front of us there was the sun, clouds thick and fast which went
up at our feet and, forward, the immense Swiss glaciers. Our side,
the Italian one, which looked so imposing, was just the last part. Peaks
and ice were everywhere around me.
On
the ridge, unfortunately, wid was strong enough to lift snows vortexes
which hit my face. We hade to pay attention because space was less than
what we have found down; in spite of wind I couldn’t allow myself too
much side movings. And, what more, we had to respect the distance
between us. We
arrved soon to the wide and beautiful white Felik Pass’sadle, 4061
meters of altitude. My baptism, my first 4000! The guide’s
announcement roused me, in spite of wind. My first 4000!
An
emotion difficult to describe, but surely unforgettable.
We
reached then the snowy peak of Felikjoch Kuppe, a less important top of
4093 meters. Still winds, clouds from Switzerland, and problemns along
the rope. Anyway, there always was a kind of little parapet which was
used to put in the axes, really useful.
So,
we reached Felik Peak or Felikhorn (4147 meters) where the ridge started
to get narrow and narrow, in continous ups and downs. Then we arrived to
the important South East Peak, where the panorama was simply magnificent:
perfectly visible and deceitfully near there was our aim, Castore’s
top.
There
was just a last problem. The guide called a break and warned us,
laughing: from then on it was important not to fall, or “they’re
going to pick us up with a teaspoon”. He saw our faces, and he didn’t
miss to confort us saying to remind to fall on the Italian side, “so
our parents won’t spend too much to come and recognize us”.
Conforted
by similar prospectives, so, I paid great attention to what expected me.
What I was seeing wasn’t very pleasant: no more roundish ridge, no
more well marked track with parapets. The ridge was really thin, and I
asked myself if ther’d be space for just one boot (!); it was going
rleft, up, down, then up again and then... the peak. Which didn’t look
as near as before.
We
got in that dangerous part. I thanked Lord because I’ve never been
overcomed by dizziness, but I knew that, in spite of my training and
twenty years of mountain climbing, I’ve never seen something similar.
Italian
and Swiss side seemed to match in becoming the steeper one. Under us,
the Swiss side went down on snowy slopes, while looking towards Italy
you could see from Lake Blue to Emilius, from the Bianco to
Valtournanche and Ayas.
What’s
more, wind started to blow as hard as before, and I found hard to
breathe. I used great care: I’ve never been so high, and I was sure it
wasn’t me who might ruin the day.
Some
steps, and I was on the top. I sat down almost exhausted looking towards
Italy, admiring the panorama: a incredible scenario, a cold and a little
bit unconfortable sitting room, but with a 4226 meters high show. Even
the jets flying to France looked nearer.
The
guide shaked hands with us, and took for me some pictures. Castore’s
top is like what we see from valley floor, a little pyramid. We were
sitting half a meter down from the real top. We admired Polluce,
Rollin’s Hump, what was behind the Roccia Nera, or Schwarztor; some
meters under us there were three other climbers, the only with us. Three
minutes later we left, before of trying too much: as for me, we had
enough good luck, and we didn’t want to wait the morning wind to come.
The
rope was overturned: the guide was last, while I was second. I was
satisfied when we reached on the wider track under South East Peak.
Things got good until Felik’s Pass, where we could see the little
Sella. The scout, who was using the axe on the creepers to set them free
from the snow, accidentally hit is left leg with the right creeper, and
unnoticed accident by the two last until we arrived. Felik’s
steep slope was the last obstacle; as usual, fallings were easier
descending than ascending. Anyway, following guide’s advices, I could
come back to Felik’s Glacier, now desterted.
We
arrived to Sella, we paid the bill, ate something and refreshed us a
little, before to leave for Bettaforca.
It
was a great adventure.
The
guide showed us briefly the disaster happened just a few days before (Wednesday
7th July 2004) to those French climbers who, coming from
Lambronecca, tried to climb Castore to go back to Sella.
The
six decided to pfrofit by an deceitful clearing happened late, leaving
the refuge at 17.00. The day had been cloudy, with showers which
characterised also the following days, forcing the helicopters down.
When
they reached Castore they’ve been hit by the storm, and it was dark;
one of survivors told that they’ve been up at 1 AM! The rope’s
scout, when he saw Sella’s light, decided to take a slope fa from the
right one; in a few words, they came down before of finishing the ridge.
The slope did the rest: the rope fell for hundreds of meters, causing
the death of 39 years old Marc Monier (Briançon’s guide), 54 years
old Michelle Bourmeyster, Jean Bourmeyster, aged 66, and Joelle Lefevvre.
Incredibly Hugues Moreau, from Strasbourg, aged 45, and 57 years old
Annick Coatleven, survived.
Mr.
Moreau accused then the guide, behaviour which didn’t encounter my
appreciation: surely the guide misunderstood weather conditions, but
someone made pressures to convince him in trying, as I heard in Sella.
Anyway,
Mr. Moreau told that he spent the whole night trying to reach the refuge,
walking on hard slopes in a storm. Suddenly they fell down between the
ropes for 300 meters; his fellows would have died iinstantaneously. Mr.
Moreau, badly injuried at one leg, managed to rescue a rucksack and made
about ten meters; the day next, finally, he saw an helicopter. In
spite of this tragedy, Castore isn’t a monster: I did it and it was a
fantastic experience. Like Mrs. Dina Chasseur of Frantzè told me...
“...
Mountain! You’re so beautiful, but tremendous!”
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