The old man just does not like us

Feverishly, we observe the weather forecast for the Alpstein throughout the week. On Saturday we decide to just try it: the ascent of the Altmann over the south wall. The Altmann is with 2436m the second highest peak in the Alpstein, and a good acquaintance of mine. I have there hang a sackI want to get me.

To save time, we take the Säntisbahn and go through the halls in big steps. Outside, at the entrance to the Lisengrat receives us a thick soup of hot and humid clouds. Only for a few moments it opens up and we see bizarre rock formations through the fog. The wind is cold and humid, but the way to go well. Well, we notice already at the first climb, that we were more sport climbing this year and have done very little for the general condition. At 16:00 we reach the hut at Rotsteinpass, where we spend a cozy hut evening with games and delicious food. The hosts are glad that anyone is up here, after all, then Sunday was announced thunderstorms. Thunderstorm? Well then ... Let's start at noon.

We decide to get up early, to include the weather, our condition and other factors and to decide whether to venture the less than two hours to board the south face, then another two to three hours of climbing and a three-hour return.

Punctually at seven o'clock for breakfast, other guests grab and storm towards the valley. The farewell from the landlady: "Come down!". Despite the starry night you can not see the wall of the Altmann just a few meters away, the clouds whistle over the ridge, it is cold, wet and uncomfortable. Without talking much, or even to discuss, we take the Lysengrat one more time, back to the cable car.

This time it is no longer a leisurely stroll, we accelerate, the icy gusts tug at us and cover everything with a damp, cold water film. After the thunderstorm this afternoon there will probably be snow at night. I do not really want to go down the ridge in the rain. As popular as the Lisengrat is, so greasy and slippery are the steps hewn into the rock. With the ten o'clock train, we gondola towards the parking lot.

A strange feeling: for the first time we had to make a decision in favor of security. Sure, it was reasonable to leave early, to renounce the tour and not on the although unproblematic, but partly exposed ridge possibly in a storm to come. On the other hand, we might have managed to climb the south face, come over the ridge in the drizzle and sit in the car in the storm. It was a matter of an hour or two.

Take a look at the photos and decide for yourself - was it the right decision? Or should we have tried it?