26-27.04.2025 Bishorn ascent (winter)

Here we go — the first official expedition of the IAFL team!
And not just any expedition: we decided to return to where it all began for Tim and me. Six months ago—in hindsight, it was less of a well-planned decision and more of a "sure, why not die in the mountains with strangers" moment—I agreed to joining four guys I barely knew for a 4000-meter adventure in the Alps. I had only met Fabio and Tim during a trail running weekend with the club, and Camilo and Jozef were complete strangers. Yet, off we went. We did not summit that weekend due to intense weather conditions (strong winds and freezing cold). Nevertheless we went up to around 3800m, and more importantly, it marked the beginning of an incredible, unexpected friendship. Probably one of the best weekends of 2024.

Now, six months later, we're back. Same mountain, new twist: this time, we're armed with skis! The team: Nathalie, Fabio, Alex, Tim, and me. Thanks to a slightly discouraging weather forecast for Sunday, we actually managed to get spots at the Tracuit hut for Saturday night (sometimes bad news is good news). Saturday looked promising; Sunday... less so. We even debated the possibility to do a night push Friday evening, but in the end chose a Saturday morning ascent to Tracuit. Worst case, we'd skip the summit on Sunday if the visibility didn't cooperate.

Saturday — Sunburns to Tracuit (3256m)
Saturday morning: sun out, spirits high. We could start skinning straight from Zinal, only needing to remove skis a few times due to patches of melted snow — nothing too dramatic. Six glorious hours later, and with some fairly artistic sunburns, we reached the hut at 3256m. Honestly, the view from Tracuit should be illegal — it’s that gorgeous. I truly think it’s one of the most breathtaking panoramas in the Alps. You see the very imposing Dent Blanche, the sculptural Zinalrothorn, the Ober Gabelhorn, Pigne de la Lé (where I went with Ulysse and Léa two years ago), and of course, the mighty Weisshorn looming above. I always try to recognize one more peak each time. Here, every summit stands proudly apart, etched into the sky. Unreal.

Hut life hits different
There is something deeply grounding about mountain hut life. At altitude, city noise disappears. It seems that all "sea-level problems" are irrelevant. Especially at Tracuit, lying behind the window, as sunlight warms your skin and that grand panorama sprawls in front of you — and you think la vie, la vraie. Everything follows a quiet, simple rhythm. You eat early, sleep early, wake up early. And for a brief moment, that’s the whole of your world. There’s comfort in that simplicity. The hut food, as always, exceeded expectations: a three-course dinner with warm soup, a creamy risotto and fresh salad, and finally, a chocolate mousse for dessert.
The evening slipped into shared laughter and games. We played a five-round version of Time’s Up — starting with spoken clues, then one word, miming, frozen poses, and finally only sounds and finger gestures. Let’s just say that Alex’s interpretation of “diarrhea” will not be forgotten — nor should it be described. Though, I couldn't help but glance outside now and then. A few clouds were gathering, and I quietly hoped tomorrow wouldn’t let us down.

Sunday morning — Operation 4000m
Despite feeling like I barely slept a minute, I somehow woke up full of energy. We got up a few minutes before 6am, ate breakfast, and started the ascent around 6:40am. This is it, the first 4000er in the Alps for Tim, Nat, and me (and yes, I am emphasizing in the Alps, Tim!) We were not the only ones with this plan today—I'm very bad at estimating numbers, but maybe 40 others? It felt like a mountaineering highway. We split into two groups: Alex and I in one; Fabio, Nathalie, and Tim in the other. In the end, we were moving at the same pace, but if roping up became necessary, we would be already organized. For now, the weather was on our side — fingers crossed it would stay that way. The Bishorn always looks deceptively close from the hut, like you could reach the summit in an hour. But I trusted the cold logic of my watch altimeter more than my hopeful eyes. The strategy: move slowly, stop little. Alex's advice the night before echoed in my head. After about an hour and 300m of ascent, we took a short snack break. It was already clear that altitude was doing its work; my legs felt heavier. Another hour, another 300m — still steady. Only 300 more to the summit, although those last meters felt stretched compared to the previous ones. Each meter of elevation was paid for in sweat, heavy legs, and internal monologues like “am I cold, or just being dramatic?”

Summit fewer — Bishorn (4151m)
And then, suddenly — we were there! 9:30am, summit, blue sky, and a 360° panorama to leave you speechless. Bishorn delivered. The north ridge towards the Weisshorn looks both magnificent and terrifying. We took a few summit pictures, and began the descent.

The Quads Strike Back — Skiing to Tracuit
The way down was a whole new challenge. The snow? Glorious. My quads? Screaming. Every turn lit them up. Jozef's voice was on loop in my head: "Oh my quads!" Meanwhile, Fabio, Tim, and Alex were gliding down like pros, making the most of every turn. I was seriously impressed! By 10:15am, we were back at Tracuit, where we took a 30-minute break before the final descent to Zinal.

Cue: The Fall — Descent to Zinal
And then, the fall. I hit the ground in the classic "I’m fine — wait, why is there blood on the snow?" move. Luckily, it was just a scratch on my face, nothing serious. Thank you Nathalie and Fabio for rescuing my clumsy self and helping me get back on skis. From there, the snow started disappearing fast. It was wild to see how much had melted in just 24 hours. Eventually, we were skiing over rocks more than snow, so we strapped our skis to our backs and hiked the (long) trail down. As we passed skiers still climbing up, Alex called out, “Don’t worry, there’s snow near the summit!” — with all the optimism of a seasoned mountain guide.

Back to Zinal — Sun, Chocolate, and Goodbyes
Finally we reached Zinal. We enjoyed a well-deserved "chocolat chaud maison" at the local boulangerie. Nathalie and I enjoyed some more minutes laying down in the sun waiting for the bus, while Fabio, Tim and Alex drove back with the car to Lausanne!

P.S.
Dad, mum — if you're reading this... I may have left out a tiny detail when telling you about my weekend. By Monday, my knee was sending signals that something wasn’t quite right. Diagnosis: sprained knee. Could’ve been worse — no torn ACL. Just a new story to add to the adventure. After all: "C’est la vie!".

Cams