John arrived in Grindelwald planning on climbing the Jungfrau and the Eiger. I met him at his Hotel (Eiger) the night before our trip was to begin. Our first day led us up another narrow Swiss road to Hintersberg. After a 45 minutes approach we arrived at the base of the cliff. The plan was to get some acclimatization and have some fun rock climbing. I had checked the area out the day before and was pleasantly surprised to find …
SMG Alps 2011 Post #11 Martigny
With yet another grim forecast, tired legs, and only a couple of days left in our trip we decided to get to lower elevation and the possibility of some rock climbing. We drove from Sass Grund to Martigny. Martigny is a French speaking part of Switzerland and riddled with culture and history. From Roman ruins to a museum dedicated to St. Bernhard dogs, the city is diverse to say the least. After checking into the hotel we drove to some …
SMG Alps 2011 Post#10 (Nadelgrat)
Yet another 3am start found us winding our way up the moraine in the dark following the reflector trail. We got on the glacier and wound above the huge icefall to the couloir leading to the first col of the day. Another beautiful sunrise greeted us we saw the objectives ahead of us. The couloir offered some ice, snow and rock climbing on our way to the summit of Dirruhorn (4035m). We climbed back down the ridge to the col …
SMG Alps 2011 Post #9 ("Rest Day")
Our “rest” day found us heading to the via ferrata (iron road) in Pontresina. After some amazing exposure and fun climbing we took a rest break on the bench at the half waypoint. More fun led us to the top and the restaurant for some treats. We stuffed ourselves and then rode the lift back to town. The next day we drove from Pontresina to Greindelwald only to find that they had just received 50cm of new snow. The …
SMG Alps 2011 Post #8 (Piz Palu)
After our adventure on Roseg we woke up to 20cm of new snow at the hut. We were planning on climbing the Biancograt but decided to head down the valley back to Pontresina. It was a beautiful hike and the trail put us right in town. We spent some time repacking and then caught the train to the Diavollezza. We rode the cable car up to the hotel and checked in. After a great dinner we turned in early. …
SMG Alps 2011 Post #7 (Piz Roseg)
After a restful night at the Tchierva hut we got a 3am start in the hopes of getting to the summit of Piz Roseg. The route included a lot of glacier travel, some rock ridge climbing, and then more glaciers to two different summits. The morning was cloudy and there was the threat of afternoon weather. We were able to make quick work of the first part of the climb and had some fun breaking trail through new snow on …
SMG Alps 2011 Post # 6 (Morteratsch)
From the Boval hut we got an early start for the climb of Piz Morteratsch. The climb included some hiking, rock climbing with new snow on the rock, and some steep glacier climbing. We were able to scoot past a mountaineering class that was doing the climb with some guides. After the rock section we broke trail through new snow, setting the track for everyone behind us. We were fist to summit and had a great climb. The views were …
Palisade Traverse in the Eastern Sierra
It’s official, the Palisade Traverse is my favorite High Sierra offering! What a grand adventure: Wilderness approach, snow, ice, lightweight camping, amazing rock climbing, difficult summit pinnacles, high altitude, and an accumulation of demands to the body. Like many trips conducted with expertise in the ever-changing mountain environment, this particular traverse can be attacked with a number of strategies. Snow coverage, team fitness, rock-climbing prowess and weather forecast all combine to determine the appropriate tactics. Having done the traverse a …
SMG Alps 2011 Post #5
We set out on our first day and climbed Piz Trovat by way of the same Via Ferrata that I did the other day. We came back down and crossed the glacier to the Boval Hut. We’ve been dealing with bad weather but are making the best of it. We are off to try Piz Palu tomorrow. I’ll do a more detailed run through on Friday. The Via Ferrata on Piz Trovat with Mich, Bastien, and Tony. Crossing the glacier …
SMG Alps 2011 Post #4
I did a quick trip to Zurich this morning to pick up Tony and Mich. We had a pleasant drive back and stopped in Saint Moritz to take some pictures. We met our other guide Bastien around 4pm and did a group discussion about the trip details and gear. We are planning to head to the hills tomorrow but we will have to see what the weather is doing. Looks like more rain, but we will see. Saint Moritz
SMG Alps 2011 Post #3
I woke up to cloudy skis this morning but no rain. It was a busy day of checking out different locations and climbing a couple of Via Ferratas. I also dove into Saint Moritz to purchase REGA Helicopter Rescue insurance for Tony and Mich. Tomorrow I will head back to Zurich to pick up Tony and Mich and get the trip started. All in all another great day in Pontresina. Stay tuned. View of Piz Palu from the Diavolezza (She …
Start of SMG Alps 2011 Post #2
The day started off rainy and looked to be very wet. I spent the morning getting organized and putting together information for Tony and Mich. I heard some great news from US Airways. they found my bag and would deliver it tomorrow. Around 11 I decided to go out and see what I could find. My travels took me to a wet but fun trail through the clouds. At the top I found a restaurant that served an excellent cafe …