Manu Gross & Gaëtan Gaudissard - Are we almost there?

Secret spot: Darewalou

Friends Gaëtan Gaudissard and Manu Gross initially set out for a few scouting missions. They ended up returning from a self-named region, Darewalou, with new mythical faces filling their minds and Olympic-level soreness filling their legs.

What was supposed to be a short excursion turned into an almost serious alpine tour. A look back in images and words (almost serious) by Manu on this five-day journey through Darewalou: plenty of vertical gain, questionable overall hygiene, but an undeniably good vibe.

Gaëtan. Early ascent vibes in the couloir.

Day 1: Gleckstein Hut
A steady climb up to the hut, packs too heavy, motivation a bit too light. First mission: convince others everything is under control. Second mission: find the family of that poor male ibex and explain that dad won’t be coming home. A five-star night in the hut, all alone, with freeze-dried meals worthy of fine dining.

Manu exploring the Darewalou Natural History Museum.

Day 2: Wetterhorn & Mittelhorn
Freezing wake-up, lukewarm coffee, mixed morale. Heading to the Wetterhorn, then straight on to the Mittelhorn because one summit clearly wasn’t enough. Stunning ridges, proper high-mountain atmosphere, legs already filing an official complaint. A stylish descent down two south faces. That’s it: we’re in it now. Back to the hut, then a quick exit to avoid questions from the ibex family about their leader.

Are we almost there?

Day 3: Traverse to Blüemlisalp Hut
A long climb to the Blüemlisalp Hut. Vast panorama, total silence interrupted every twenty minutes by Gaëtan asking, “Are we almost there?”
Manu’s answer, unchanged all day: “Yeah, yeah.”
It wasn’t.

The quads don't like ice cream in the morning

Day 4: Big day: North face of Blüemlisalp + NW couloir of Wildi Frau
Now it’s getting serious. Early start, perfect conditions, and into the north face of the Blüemlisalp to carve a new line. Firm snow, steep slopes, full focus. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, linking it up with the northwest couloir of Wildi Frau. At that point, the quads officially filed for strike. But what a day: wild, aesthetic, committed.

- "Manu, regarde la vue."

Day 5: West face of the Wildhorn, single push
Final act. General fatigue, dark circles, but motivation intact. Heading for the west face of the Wildhorn, the kind of face that reminds you why you love suffering on skis. Climb on pure willpower, ski down with a smile. Big turns, great snow, and that rare feeling of finishing a trip completely drained… but somehow bigger.

Gaëtan charging after a tough ascent, shaking out the legs.

Back home, the verdict is simple: five days, iconic peaks, beautiful lines, plenty of laughs and two friends already ready to do it all over again up there, in a new Darewalou.

The hidden land of Darewalou.