Piramide Vincent

Peaks: Piramide Vincent (4215m/13829ft)
Routes: North-West Flank (F)
Area: Monte Rosa, Pennine Alps, Italy
An acclimatisation outing on one of the the most straightforward of the bigger Alpine peaks. It worked very well in that respect, as our time was very limited (four days in the Alps!) and we had plans to go well above 4500m tomorrow. This very rapid ascent to 4000m+ was always going to be physically challenging, as Huw and I had flown into Milan just yesterday evening, then woken up first thing to get the trio of cable cars from our camp in Alagna up to the top station at Punta Indren. But despite the rapid ascent to altitude we didn't feel too bad as we plodded across the lower Ghiacciaio di Indren from Punta Indren and took the upper branch of the marked route to the short upper glacier. This gave a fine scramble up a steep but broken moraine/wall, for which we removed crampons. Some enjoyable easy rock walls leds to short icy sections then a longer series of ladders, cable and rocky walls to gain the small Garstelet glacier between the Gnifetti and Mantova huts. We roped up, then took it fairly easy for the glacier plod above Gnifetti to the steeper slopes below the seracs which lead up towards the Lysjoch. The weather was superb in terms of clarity, but a vicious wind was clearly going to compromise our comfort slightly. It was great to be back in the high Alps, however - my first trip above 4000m since 1998! As we approached the broad col west of Vincent, views opened out. The Lyskamm was particularly notable, as was the more distant Mont Blanc and Gran Paradiso, reminding me of our ascent back in 1995. The wind made life tricky for the final climb up Vincent, as it whipped across the gap, covering the tracks and cutting through our clothes. Fortunately, we had plenty of extra layers, and the final push through a tiny cornice to the summit went quite well. A bank of cloud was boiling up the Piedmontese side of the ridge lending superb definition to the notable sharp summit of Corno Nero. We didn't waste much time on the summit, and plunged back down to the col, taking it easier for the descent down to Rifugio Mantova as the clouds began to gather above. An expensive plate of excellent gnocchi, alongside an even more expensive beer, made a fine lunch. This was my tactic, sleeping as low as was feasible (still 3500m though) and, alongside a modest intake of ibuprofen, it made for a reasonably comfortable night in this pleasantly updated, though pricey, hut. Good views from the terrace down to Valsesia, Aosta and Gran Paradiso, and up to the Lyskamm and Piramide Vincent, which looks surprisingly impressive from below.