A mountain joining the immensity of the heavens,Obergabelhorn rises to an altitude of over 4000 metres in the Valais Alps. In the heart of a remote wilderness, this gigantic fork proclaims its grandeur to the blazing rhythm of the Zinal ridges. But beyond its presence and verticality, do we really know it? Portrait of a summit legend, theObergabelhorn, imperial crown diamond from Zinal.
Portrait of theObergabelhorn | Rough diamond at summit from the Imperial Crown of Zinal
Our odyssey begins in the heart of the Valais. Exploring the remote lands of val d’Anniviers, our footsteps lead us into the Alps beyond Zinal. Ascending the rivers of eternal ice, we suddenly see it. A snow pyramid with a regal air,Obergabelhorn rises to an altitude of 4063 metres. Dazzling and magisterial, its history is linked to that of Bishorn, Weisshorn, Zinalrothorn and Dent Blanche. Together they form the Imperial Crown of Zinal, the impregnable fortress of the Valais Alps.
A legendary colossus,Obergabelhorn owes its fame to the magnificence of its north face. Vertiginous and entirely icy, the folds of its dress seem to invite us to discover a world of a thousand and one beauties. A smooth wall with an average gradient of 55°, it offers the most adventurous climbers a 450-meter vertical drop. Climbing this wall is a real challenge.
Carried by its power beyond the world,Obergabelhorn unfurls its grandiose edges. Like the roots of a fantastic creature, it feeds off the earth to conquer the sky. To the south-east, the Gabelhorngrat links it to its brothers, the Mittler Gabelhorn and the Unter Gabelhorn. To the west, theArbengrat leads to Mont Durand, while to the north, the arête du Coeur plunges into the confluence of the Zinal andObergabelhorn glaciers. But the mountain owes its strength to its north-east ridge, which links it to the Grand Gendarme and the Wellenkuppe. The last bastions of our citadel, these secondary peaks protect the mountain from any incursion.
ClimbObergabelhorn | summit in the Valais Alps
Nature is self-preserving, but man is audacious. Overcoming the obstacles she places in his way, he has but one desire: to reach her summit. He then tamed this imposing peak, giving it the nameObergabelhorn, which could be translated as " summit upper forked". Higher than its equally horned brethren, the mountain seems to brandish its spikes through the mist, reaching for the sky and dominating the world.
Then came the time of conquest and wild adventure. Man set out to conquer the Alps and their most impressive peaks summits. The golden age of mountaineering was upon us, and one by one, the high mountains had to welcome intrepid men into their realm. And competition is fierce on the giant's flanks. Peter Taugwalder and Francis Douglas multiply their attempts to conquer the Zinal fork. First from the south-east, then from the north-east, they tried their luck. But the mountain resisted and gave them nothing. They dream of victory, but fate sometimes plays tricks on our will.
On July 6, 1865, Adolphus Warburton Moore, Horace Walker and Jakob Anderegg made the first ascent ofObergabelhorn via its east face and northeast ridge. Neck and neck, they triumphed and made history. And when, the following day, Peter Taugwalder, Francis Douglas and Joseph Vianin attempted a third ascent of summit, they were unaware that they were no longer the pioneers of this crossing. Courageous and hopeful, they attacked the climb via the Coeur ridge until they spotted footprints on the mountain's east face. Despairing of their misfortune, they continue their celestial journey all the same. And their joy was immense when they finally found that no visible footprints had been left on summit. But appearances are deceptive, and nature is tenacious. Two roped parties were too many, and the mountain was in revolt. And just as the team was admiring the splendor of the landscape unfolding before their eyes, an avalanche swept down, taking Francis Douglas and Peter Taugwalder with it. They owe their salvation to Joseph Vianin, who has remained at a distance beneath the rocky summit. The rope that bound them together did not break, and the two climbers held on tightly. Fate, however, took its toll on Francis Douglas, who died a week later on his first ascent of the famous Matterhorn.
Obergabelhorn in the spotlight | Mythical mountain in the heart of the Swiss Alps
New routes continued to open up at summit Obergabelhorn . TheArbengrat was crossed in August 1874 by Henry Seymour Hoare, Eustace Hulton, Johann von Bergen, Peter Rubi and Joseph Moser. Then came the Gabelhorngrat, climbed on September 3, 1877 by Johann Jaun, Peter Rubi, Edward Davidson and James Walker Hartley. On August1, 1890, Christian Klucker and Ludwig Norman-Neruda inaugurated the normal route to summit de l'Obergabelhorn. Following its northeast ridge, they crossed the Wellenkuppe and overcame its Grand Gendarme, the main obstacle on this fabulous route. But in defying its sprawling ridges day and night, one almost forgets the creature's lustrous plastron. A wall of invincible ice, a diamond in the rough from the Imperial Crown of Zinal, the north face ofObergabelhorn gloats at the summit of the Alps. Until that memorable day when Hans Kiener and Rudolf Schwarzgruber achieved the unthinkable. On July 30, 1930, they conquered this titanic and superb wall.
But man is as much a conqueror as he is an artist, constantly striving for new feats. Are the roads toObergabelhorn now open? No matter! He puts aside his crampons and puts on his skis, and takes the crazy gamble of one day succeeding in descending the vertical, icy North Face on steep skis. The first extreme skiers to take up the challenge, Martin Burtscher and Kurt Jeschke achieved a historic feat in 1977. Then,Obergabelhorn shone in the eyes of the world thanks to Jérémie Heitz's tour de force. In 2016, the documentary film La Liste highlighted the incredible routes he managed to descend along some of the steepest faces in the Alps. In 2020, its sparkling north face inspired steep skier Vivian Bruchez to title his documentary film Le diamant des Alpes. Thrust into the spotlight, the mountain became a prodigious heroine forever.
A pyramid of rock with an armour of ice,Obergabelhorn shines in the Alps just as it leaves its mark on people's memories. As the centrepiece of a priceless heritage, man, having conquered it, now has a duty to preserve its history. A fiery, unchanging beauty brandishing its spikes at summit in the Valais. Eternal Diamond of the Imperial Crown Zinal.
