Dufourspitze - 4634 mt - Via Cresta Rey da Indren (AO) 4K

Monte Rosa's highest peak, climbed via its most elegant route: the Rey Ridge. We tackled it in two days, staying at the Capanna Gnifetti Refuge. We departed with one of the last cable cars to Indren. Once there, we crossed what remained of the glacier, ascended the equipped trail, and with a final short traverse, reached the refuge (very crowded due to the use of the Capanna Margherita) in just over an hour. An excellent dinner, a dreamy sunset, and off to rest for a few hours before the 2:00 am alarm clock. At 3:00 am, we were already outside the refuge on the crevassed glacier, heading towards the Colle del Lys. We climbed very carefully and, once we reached the col, turned left, passing through gigantic chasms and large seracs beneath the walls of the Zumstein. After losing about 200 meters in altitude, we climbed back up towards the start of the Rey. Another long traverse to the left, crossing the last bergschrund, and we're ready to attack. The ridge offers consistent grade III difficulties with a few nice grade IV sections and never lets up for about 400 meters of elevation gain. The rock is generally good, though caution is required in some places if other teams are climbing. The climbing time is between 2 and 4 hours (we did the entire route in a protected simul without doing any pitches). The view from the summit on a clear day is breathtaking, and the cross is brand new. What a thrill to be on the roof of Monte Rosa! The descent is still very long, so after a few photos, we set off along the ridge of the normal route towards Zumstein. The ridge, while not featuring any difficult climbing sections, is decidedly more exposed and delicate than the ascent. Some sections are thrilling, with truly severe exposure. Once we reach the slabs before the Pope's Pass, we decide to proceed in a fast simul-climb, down-climbing (without rappelling—there are, however, rest stops for those who don't feel like down-climbing). From the Pass, the ascent begins on hard snow, always very airy and exposed. Once we reach the rocky section (the most challenging section), we laboriously climb a few exposed sections of grade III+, then continue along a razor-sharp snow ridge to the summit of Punta Zumstein. Finally, the difficulties are over, and we take a short break and a few compliments. We then descend from the Zumstein and retrace our steps along the highway that leads to Capanna Margherita. Everything is fine up to the Vincent Pass, but below that, you have to pay close attention to the glacier conditions, and it's best to cross the bridges very quickly. From the Gnifetti Pass, we then follow an easy trail to Indren and the ski lifts. What a trip, what a day!!! Special thanks to our climbing partners Alex and Davide, with whom we were always in perfect harmony. Mountaineering difficulty: D- for the ascent of the Cresta Rey (AD for the descent on the normal route towards Zumstein). Required gear: crampons, double ice axe, helmet, harness, 40-meter rope, some quickdraws, some slings, descender, and all the gear needed to secure yourself while climbing the glacier. For the route map, find me on Strava or Garmin (Fabio Mochettaz). Total trip: approximately 16 km round trip and 1,780 meters of elevation gain. Enjoy! Subscribe to the channel, like the video, and comment below if you'd like more info! :)