Mont Blanc Ultra Trail 2008 - to finish is to win!

Lots of people told me not to do it again, but I ignored them and ran the Mont Blanc Ultra Trail last weekend. It proved to be a success, but what a tough event!!

This race goes around the Mont Blanc massif, taking the trail of the famous Tour du Mont Blanc long distance hike. Generally walked in about 10 days, runners in the event have 46 hours to complete it. 166kms and 9400m of up and the same down - not to be underestimated!!

We left Chamonix at 6.30pm Friday evening and ran through two nights and one day. The weather was very hot which was good for the nights but hard for the days.

Many people abandoned (largely due to the heat I imagine).

I battled on and arrived back in Chamonix at 9.09am.

I suffered badly from blisters in the last 8 hours but was thrilled to succceed in this my second and last time on this race.

The winner was a young Spaniard who blitzed the course in just over 20 hours!! Lizzy Hawker from the UK was the first woman in something over 25 hours.

Many famous names dropped out - who knows why - but to all the folks who reached the finish line, Well Done!!

What a good summer!!

It's been a great summer for Trekking in the Alps. I had wonderful groups and we were rewarded with almost perfect weather.

The treks have gone really well ranging from the Tour of the Jungfrau Region, which is always so spectacular and certainly did not disappoint this time, to the Gran Paradiso where we successfully climbed Italy's highest mountain to the Tour of the Matterhorn with a fabulous ascent of the Breithorn.

Then there was the remote Tour of Mont Ruan where we battled rain for a couple of days but had sunshine for the rest and a fast climb up the Dents du Midi.

Not to mention our annual trekking and wine tasting week which came up with the goods on both counts. We based in Italy's Aosta valley and after some days hiking there we made our way over the glaciated Theodule Glacier to reach Zermatt for a couple of fine days at the end of the trip.

So now I am off to Corsica with a group of regulars which should be excellent.

It's time to think about next winter so check out the Snowshoeing calendar on my website: http://www.trekkinginthealps.com/calendar.htm

Snowshoeing Programme 2009

Okay so it's full-on summer here at the moment - hot and sunny, flowers at their glorious best, and everyone's revving up to their hiking holidays.

But it's time to think about the winter and snowshoeing!

Remember what fun it is?

Remember those blue sky early morning starts, the only sound your breathing and the crunch of the snow under your snowshoes?

And those summit moments when all the hard work is forgotten?

And then this!

So here's what's happening winter 2009:

SNOWSHOE PROGRAMME TREKKING IN THE ALPS 2009

NB on the version of this calendar sent to people on my mailing list I marked the wrong week as Easter week. It is now correct below - Easter is 11 April and our Easter week will meet 4 April and finish the following weekend.

NO hidden costs.
Small groups guaranteed.
Expert guiding
All levels catered for including experienced snowshoers.
High summits and hikes
New destinations every year.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Prices include:
guided snowshoeing,
accommodation (bed, breakfast and dinner)
transport during the holiday,
rental of ALL gear: snowshoes, poles, avalanche transceivers, probes and shovels.
Not included:
Travel to meeting place
Hill food
Drinks
Insurance - eg Snowcard £22

Prices are in € and £. The £ price has been reached on an exchange rate of £1 = 1.25€. In the event that this declines to less that 1.20€ I reserve the right to ask for payment on the € price.
Otherwise you can decide whether to pay in £ or € when you book - if the rate improves it will be advantageous to some people to choose the € price.

Holidays are graded 1 to 3, 1 being the easiest grade up to 3 which means a strenuous grade. However, it must be understood that these grades are only guidelines as the snow conditions dictate more than anything what we do.

6 day holidays £796 995€
Mont Blanc Region
Meet Vallorcine near Chamonix
17 January grade 1
31 January grade 2

6 day holidays £840 1050€
Aosta Valley Italy
Meet Aosta
7 February grade 2

EASTER WEEK: 4 April grade 3

Valais Switzerland
Meet Martigny
21 February grade 2/3

Aravis massif France
Meet St Gervais
28 February grade 2

Dauphiné Alps France
Meet Briançon
14 March grade 2/3

Gran Paradiso Italy
Meet Aosta
28 March grade 3

4 day long weekends
Mont Blanc Region £556 695€
Meet Vallorcine near Chamonix
8 January grade 1
14 January grade 2
27 January grade 3
18 February grade 1

Aravis massif France £599 750€
Meet St Gervais
3 March grade 2

It's summer in the Alps

The Alps have now enjoyed more than two weeks of hot sunny weather and conditions perfect for walking.

Until recently there was a lot of late snow cover but that is melting fast and the hillsides are getting back to normal for this time of year.

I have lots of alpine treks going this summer but just two still have spaces, the Gran Paradiso(meet 26 July) in Italy and the Tour of Mont Ruan (meet 9 August) near to Mont Blanc. Details of both these treks can be found on my website http://www.trekkinginthealps.com/ or by sending me an email on info@trekkinginthealps.com

For those of you interested in trail running, the Chamonix Marathon last Sunday had a record number or entrants and for the first time was held the day after the half marathon Chamonix Cross. This was much better as the two races otherwise coincide and this leads to crowds on the trail. Upcoming races include the Italian Gran Valdigne Trail near Courmayeur mid July, the Davos 78kms race end of July and of course the Mont Blanc Ultra Trail end of August which somewhat occupies my thoughts at the moment!

Here's what it looks like trekking here at the moment:

If you can't make it to the Alps all is not lost because we have the Corsica Northern Summits week meeting 7 September and there are still places available. So why not some late summer trekking on this beautiful island?

Watch this space for the 2009 Snowshoe schedule which will be posted by the end of this week.

SUMMER PROGRAMME - DATES AND AVAILABILTY

The summer programme is filling up but below are the current treks that are confirmed but which still have places available. All costs are on my website on this link http://www.trekkinginthealps.com/calendar.htm and I am asking for payment in Euros because of the slide of the £ against this currency. However, I can be paid in cash so you do not need to make an expensive bank transfer.

If you want to come on one of these treks then please go ahead and book your flights and your time off work. If you need to ask any questions then please use the following email address:

trekkinginthealps@swissmail.org and your questions will be answered as quickly as possible. You can also ask for detailed factfiles on all the trips below. If you decide to book please let us know on the above email address.

So here are the treks:

Gran Paradiso trek and summit meet 26 July in Aosta. Fly to Turin, or Milan or Geneva, Turin being the best option. We meet at 7pm in Aosta and from Turin or Milan I can organise a transfer to Aosta which takes 1hr15 and 3 hrs respectively. If you fly to Geneva you need to take a train to Martigny and be there for 4.30pm. You do not need prior experience in glacier walking to do the summit. There are 3 places free on this trek.

Tour of the Matterhorn meet 2 August in Zermatt. Fly to Geneva or Zurich and train onwards (about 3hrs). We meet 7pm in Zermatt. This trek includes 2 glacier crossing and the ascent of a glaciated 4000m peak, but no prior experience in glacier walking is required. There is 1 place free on this trek.

Tour of Mont Ruan meet 9 August in Finhaut Switzerland. Fly to Geneva and train onwards via Lausanne and Martigny (about 3hrs) to Finhaut. We meet 7pm in Finhaut. This is a great trek, very remote, including sevceral trekking summits. There are 4 places free for this trek.

Corsica Northen Summits meet 7 Sept in Calvi. Fly to Calvi or if necessary Bastia. For direct flights from Britain contact claire@directcorsica.com mentioning Hilary Sharp Trekking in the Alps. A fab week exploring Corsica's trekking peaks, away from the crowded main trails. There are 5 places free for this trek.

NB: there is NO single supplement payable on any of these treks so do not hesitate to come alone.

Spring Sunshine in Mallorca

Having enjoyed an excellent winter season in the Alps it was time to rediscover walking on trails. What better place to do this in the spring than Mallorca with its rugged mountain range, the Sierra Tramuntana.

We had 6 days of hiking and every day was hot and sunny. The final night saw the passage of a storm but the sun was back next morning.

Mallorca offers fantastic walking of all levels from strolls through olive and almond groves to summit scrambles to multi-day mountain treks, not to mention beautiful coastal walks discovering remote sandy coves and rocky headlands.

Staying in 3 different bases enabled us to really get to know the northern part of the island, which is where the most spectacular hiking is to be done. We had a memorable night at the Lluc Monastery, situated in the midst of the highest peaks, and therefore a great starting point for the trails.

Some of the braver members took a dip in the sea although for most of us the water was far too cold even though its azure blue depths looked really inviting from the surrounding mountains.

Mallorca is definitely Mediterrannean walking at its best and will have a place in my programme for spring 2009.

Amazing end to the snowshoeing season!

There is snow in abundance and the winter conditions are as good as they get, but all good things come to an end. I have just finished my final snowshoeing trip for winter 08 and it's not without a twinge of regret that I am hanging up my snowshoes for now - although the great snow cover could well tempt me to get them out again in the next week or so.

It's been an amazing winter season that started way back in November with wonderful cold snow that formed a perfect base for the following months. We have had some fabulous days out, from forest walks in heavy snowfall to summit ascents on those dreamed of sparkling blue sky days.

Lots of regulars have returned to snowshoe with me, but there have also been a fair number of walkers who were new to snowshoeing who came to see what it's all about. Everyone seems to have had a blast and hopefully we'll do it all again next year!

Now maybe a few days of rest (and catching up with admin!) are in order.