Last trek of the season!

I started this summer trekking season in the snow - old névé snow left over from winter, weeks ago it seems. And fittingly we finished in the snow - this time fresh snow which fell to about 1600m earlier this week.



I had a reasonably "roughie toughie" group this last time which helped as some of the passes had to be crossed in cold and demanding conditions. However, we didn't miss too many views and had 2 perfectly sunny days in Italy, so we saw those steep and spectacular Italian faces of Monte Bianco.



The good thing about bad weather is that when it clears the mountains have a fresh coat of white and are usually very clear, with no heat haze to spoil the shots. This was certainly true this time and our final day from Switzerland back into France, which began in blizzard conditions, finished in bright sunshine. We fought our way over the Col de Balme, faces stinging in the icy snow and wind, but as we descended to the Chamonix Valley we were rewarded with the most fabulous breaks in the cloud, revealing the high peaks in all their beauty.

Now we're back to sunny weather, forecast for the next few days. Time for me to recover and reflect on what has been not only a great summer season for Trekking in the Alps but an amazing year - full groups, lots of weeks and some great people.

Next up is the winter season. Between now and then I'll keep you posted with the changing seasons here in the Alps and later in Provence.

 



The Dolomites in perfect conditions

I last went to the Dolomites two years ago and was really impressed by the spectacular scenery. Going back this year I was equally bowled over by how stunning it all is - you don't have to walk far to be amongst magnificent rocky towers with wide ranging views of the seemingly endless peaks and plateaux that make up this eastern part of the Alps. 



When you think of the Dolomites you imagine the soaring towers of pink limestone, with those famous via ferrata routes snaking precariously up their steep faces, but you may not imagine that there are also beautiful green meadows, long gentle rivers and fabulous crystal clear mountain lakes.



 

The flowers were also abundant even at this late stage in the season. We came across wild ponies grazing the high meadows, marmots whistled at our arrival alongside the rushing streams, and chamois and ibex peered down at us from their rocky perches.

 

OK, so I am waxing a bit lyrical, but it really was a very good trip and I will definitely be programming this for next year. Come join me!

Photo: Tyrone Allard

 



Tour of the Matterhorn in perfect conditions

 This has been a fabulous summer all over Europe and the Alps haven't missed put on the sunny weather. Last week it cooled a touch and this suited us fine for the Tour of the Matterhorn which takes a mix of normal trails and glaciated passes. Crisp cool mornings meant the snowy sections were nice and hard, followed by warm sunshine later in the day for the meadows and picnics.

The Matterhorn looks so different from varying angles and at different times of day, I could never tire of it. We sat opposite it on the first day spying out climbers with our binos. Later in the week the Spanish phenomenon Kilian Jornet crushed the ascent record by running up and down the peak in 2h52 mins from Cervinia.

None of that nonsense for us, but we had a great time walking around it. My team were all very fit and once again international - this time, as well as the UK, we had Lithuania and Denmark represented.

 

Although the valley flowers are now waning, the high alpines are in full bloom.

 

As for the wildlife, marmots were a bit thin on the ground but the ibex more than made up for it at our high hut 2900m above the valley.

 

We finished the trek with an ascent of the Breithorn peak above Zermatt. At 4164m this peak is quite the climb and we were extremely lucky to have calm and warm conditions. I thought it was stunning as did the folks on the rope with me. The other team seemed to be less excited by the whole affair, one of them describing it as if it was a walk in the park!

Take a look and decide for yourselves :)

 



 



Down time in the Alps

 

It's been a lovely sunny week in the Alps and I've been out and about enjoying it. No group this week, time to recharge my batteries.

Chamonix is as busy as I've ever seen it - the 15th August is an important Catholic festival day, charmingly called "Maria Himmelfärht" in German. This week sees many events and celebrations in the Alps.

As of this weekend the exodus should begin. The French set great store by the Rentrée (going back to school or work) and all the children have to have new satchels and exercise books so the end of August is a time for Shopping.

Below are some photos taken this week. Off to Zermatt this weekend to meet a new group for the Tour of the Matterhorn - the forecast is excellent - hooray!!



Lots of sunny weather, great hikes, marmots and flowers.....then fog and rain!

Since my last post I had a few days off to go climbing and now I have just finished with a large and generally very friendly International group - people had come from Wales, New Zealand, the UK and the Yukon in Canada. They had signed up for my Chamonix Mountain Adventures week, so I set about giving them just that.  

Although there have been forecasts for storms pretty much every day for the last 3 weeks, the weather has been amazing - hot and sunny with only the odd rainy episode overnight. 

  We had a fabulous first 3 days in glorious hot sunshine. Summits were climbed, as were ladders, and we even managed to have a warm swim in a high mountain lake - this was really special.

Unfortunately the last two days were rainy and misty, despite a promising forecast for the Friday. But we had a fun overnight in a mountain hut where everyone enjoyed traditional cuisine in very convivial surroundings. The final day certainly gave us an adventure as we took a bold route through the limestone foothills, amongst rocky scenery, most of which we could only guess at as thick fog refused to clear. But we had a brief encounter with ibex and we made it down Death Gully!!  Everyone seems to have had a great time, even if my own nerves are slightly frayed!!