In Fred Zinneman’s 1984 film "5 days one Summer", Sean Connery plays the part of a pre-war climber in the Alps. Driven by a burning desire to conquer peaks (and, it must be said, to pursue his affair with his niece) he pushes onwards and upwards, as it were, regardless of the dangers. We are treated to some superb climbing footage and some toe curling tension before it all goes fairly wrong – for someone at least.
The Tajos de la Virgen ridge
This summer we spent 5 days in the Sierra Nevada, with two days being devoted to a traverse of the range from North to South. This was a guided trek using Spanish Highs as our guides. The route had been chosen to give a balance between physical challenge and overall mountain experience. Part of this experience involved roughing it overnight in a deserted high altitude hospital, with the expectation of some attention from local foxes overnight and the distinct possibility of a glimpse of the Atlas Mountains of North Africa.
The timing of the trip was mid June. We knew we would be trekking over compacted snow and came equipped with crampons and axes, but with the weather set fair we expected a warm trek with no particular problems. It did seem a little strange packing for Malaga airport with bags full of winter gear.
The 2010/11 winter season had brought heavy snows to the Sierra Nevada, including a few late dumps in April and May. As we drove from our base in the lovely town of Lanjaron it became apparent that there was a good deal more snow on the upper reaches than we had expected.
Ice axe braking practice
Starting from Hoya de la Mora (2500m) above the ski resort we set off mid morning at a modest pace, expecting a strenuous but uncomplicated 7 hour trek. There was still some snow around even at this level of 7000 ft but it was not until we had risen by another 1000 ft that we were permanently on snow.
As always the chat was pleasant and light hearted, and the presence of two dogs made the morning all the more entertaining. The intention was that by lunchtime Khumbu the Husky would return with Kiersten, leaving Max as our overnight fox deterrent.
Lunch was followed by some training in ice axe braking techniques, and we gamely pushed on in the warm sun -now all wearing crampons. As we began the long traverse of the North Face under Veleta we could see the slope steepening and becoming convex as it gained ground towards Refugio Elorrieta.
The odd slip and stumble was inevitable for those of us who don’t don crampons every day, and the ice axe technique training gave us the confidence that if we did slip we could arrest ourselves quickly and prevent too much damage being done. However, the footing became more unsure as the slope steepened, and the sight of a distant ski tourer in apparent difficulty nearer the crest started to raise the silent possibility in our minds that things were going to get even more difficult for our group.
The group crossing snows below the ridge
This proved to be the case just a short while later when one of our troop disappeared up to his waist as the snow gave way suddenly. It didn’t blunt his sense of humour, but it caused others to lose a little of their self confidence on the narrow path we were treading. Moments such as these are crucial, because important decisions need to be taken. My personal view is that these decisions are best taken by those with mountain experience and local knowledge. Although many experiences such as this are aimed at taking you out of your comfort zone, the greater part always has to be about personal safety.
Having read the conditions, and no doubt assessed the behaviour of all those in the group, our guide decided that we should not risk the unstable ground ahead, particularly in the heat of the afternoon sun, as it represented too great an avalanche risk. Avalanche risk? In the Sierra Nevada in June? Are you kidding? Well no actually, and this was a conversation we didn’t need to have. We gamely retreated and retraced the route we had taken for the previous three and a half hours.
The marvellous Tajos de la Virgen ridge
There would be no overnight stay under the stars, and no tussle with the local foxes. However, there was some useful training in crampon technique, and the experience gained of how a set of adverse conditions should be assessed, and self preservation maintained. That evening there was also plenty of good conversation among all of us, and a good deal of cold beer, tapas and good wine.
However, we heard only today of two falls very close to the point where we turned around. One of these was serious. It seems our decision was vindicated, although I needed no reassurance of this.
The “no fear” society of today needs to learn that retreat is not necessarily defeat. After all, the mountain will still be there tomorrow – make sure you are too.
We travelled to the Sierra Nevada to meet Spanish Highs. Our party was Mervyn Ham (54), Joe Ham (23), and Nicholas Travers-Wakeford (24). We were pleased to be guided on the mountain by Richard Hartley, and accompanied by Kiersten Rowland, her dogs Max and Khumbu, and Pepe Badaje – surely the happiest man on the mountain.
Max, fox deterrent!