Cabane de Bertol to Schonbielhutte and Tete Blanche

Fortunately the storm did blow out over night, with a little lightning and thunder, so we were able to get up at 4:15 a.m. We were on the glacier by 5:45, and John explained that he would like the rope to be kept quite tight since there was a significant risk of someone falling into a crevasse. The first couple of hours of the day were on fairly level ground and as we continued the sun began to rise over the Dent Blanche. Cloud was floating around some of the summits as we progressed, but this rose slightly with the sun. We continued round under the Dents de Bertol and headed up steeper ground towards the Tete Blanche.

As a group we had been a little slower than on previous days, and we were unsure whether John would be prepared to take us up the Tete Blanche, since he was clearly keen to get off the glacier as soon as possible. We were however fortunate and headed off up the snow slope towards the summit which reached at approximately 8:30 a.m. - almost 3 hours after leaving the hut. From the top we were able to look towards Italy. The summits of the Matterhorn and the Dent d'Herens were in cloud for most of the time. After our photos from the Tete Blanche we started to make our way back down the snow slopes on to the glacier.

We continued on to the Col d'Herens and began the descent of the Stockjigletscher, heading towards a rock feature called Stockji. The snow here was quite soft and so we removed our crampons to make the walking easier. There were a number of impressive crevasses which we were able to photograph. There were views across to the Matterhorn, and she occasionally showed her summit. We could also see the Mischabel peaks such as Dom and Taschhorn. As if to emphasise the danger of crevasses, John partially disappeared into one.

After a short break at Stockji we headed down some steep ground, where John showed us some new techniques for using a trekking pole to assist balance. We were also lowered down one rock step before eventually reaching the glacial moraine. The moraine leading up to the Schonbielhutte is quite poorly marked and is unpleasant to walk on, particularly at the end of such an excellent route. However we were eventually able to negotiate it, and reached the hut in time for a well deserved beer, accompanied by across to the Matterhorn.