Punta Grober 2014 - solo attempt

Introduction

In July 2013 I traversed all the Monte Rosa summits apart from Nordend, with rgg aka Rob and Al, a welsh hitchhiker we picked up on one of the glaciers - see Alps International Expedition 2013. My favourite photo from that trip shows Rob high up on the Dufourspitze, Italian Normal Route climbing above the vast abyss of the east face of the massif... and far below, poking out of the clouds is the little summit of Punta Grober 3497m.

Rob high on Dufourspitze above Monte Rosa east face - and Punta Grober

This year whilst holidaying with my wife Leila in Italy, I had an opportunity to make a solo attempt to climb that little summit - from where we were staying at an 'Agritourismo' in Alagna Valsesia.

I didn't quite reach the top.

However, I had a memorable 2 days trying: there was the beautiful walk up the upper Alagna valley up 'Route 7' - initially with Leila - but then on my own up to where I camped in the snow at 2900m, 400m above the Barba Ferrero Hut (not yet open for the season). And then early next morning I continued my journey, reaching the Colle Delle Locce at 3300m  an hour or so after dawn. Having scrambled along the virgin snow of the crest of the ridge up to a high point at 3400m, I decided that the final rocks to the summit of Punta Grober were outside my comfort zone for soloing...

However I did achieve other objectives: I wanted to take a photo of that memorable Dufourspitze view in 'reverse' so to speak. I also wanted to take photos of the range of three thousanders across the Macugnaga valley - which I had also climbed with rgg on the same Alps 2013 trip. Rob himself had 'commissioned' the photos - since he wants to do Mountain pages for a couple of them - Gran Fillarhorn and Torre di Castelfranco...

Despite missing out on the top of Punta Grober the following photos are testament to the fact that I did achieve my other objectives...

The Dufourspitze view - in reverse, so to speak...