A few years ago I visited Cala Goloritzé with the intention of climbing the very exciting looking Guglia di Goloritzé or Aguglia as it is commonly known. One look at the narrow obelisk, and my climbing partner got cold feet… that was 15 years ago. So, instead of climbing I spent a few undisturbed hours …
Orgosolo – politics of the 20th century in murals
It’s our first day in Sardinia. We check into our hotel early afternoon. There’s just enough time left in the day to drive to Orgosolo and take a walk through the political history of the world depicted in building-tall ‘murales‘ (murals). Everything from the Spanish Civil War with scenes reminiscent of Picasso’s painting of the …
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Fresh Early snow… around Foppa (1440m)
Last week there was unexpected early snow in the Alps. ‘Switzerland, Austria and Germany Surprised With Early Snowfall‘ read the news report… And not just a few flakes either. Some areas reported snowfalls of 25 cm (that’s 10 inches for some) – apparently a new record for this time of the year. Well, as you …
Camona da Medel (Medelserhütte) – 2524 m
Our visit to Medelserhütte is definitely not the first and last. Its proximity to the alluvial site ‘Plaun la Greina’ means it’s a natural stop over for a multi day hike taking in the Pass Greina and Plaun la Greina. But not this time. This time the aim of our walk was mainly a case …
Via ferrata Graustock to the top of Graustock (2662 m)
Barbara and I visited the Jochpass area a few months ago intending to climb the Graustock Klettersteig (via ferrata Graustock). Alas, the peak was covered under a blanket of fog, and we went for a great walk down the valley instead! Despite the bank of cloud that was boiling up along the eastern flank of …
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Into the fascinating world of the Oberaletsch Glacier
Our visit to the Oberaletsch Glacier (also Upper Aletsch Glacier), the smaller sibling of the Alps’ biggest glacier, the Aletschgletscher (aka ‘Grosse Aletschgletscher’ – Greater Aletsch Glacier), I can only describe as: Fascinating! Amazing! Wow! I’ve always had a fascination with glaciers. These beautiful living masses of ice. And a lot of respect for the …
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In a fog … from Göscheneralp to Bergseehütte (2370m)
We didn’t think we’d end up in a fog. But we did. The weatherman, or woman, not sure which one it was, predicted some rain in the afternoon. Barbara and I thought we’d be done with the via ferrata by then, and a bit of rain on the way home won’t do us any harm. …
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Namenlose Kante on Bockmattli
Tuesday evening I get a message from Bert: “… are you up for a bit of an adventure? …” At 6.30 am the next morning station we set off to Bockmattli. To climb the route on the Namenlose Kante… and ps! ” … are you up for a bit of an adventure?” was probably a …
Plans change on mountains… often
You arrive at your planned destination. Ready for a day of high altitude hiking. The cable car is not running. So your plans change. Which happens quite often when you’re playing in the mountains. And mostly when you least expect it. Yesterday’s forecast for sunshine turns out to be wrong, thanks to a fast moving …
Fründenhütte via Fründenschnur – the Oeschinensee ‘below’…
I said to Barbara that I wanted to be near a lake. And that’s how Oeschinensee got onto our radar… When we found out that Fründenhütte had space. ‘Situated directly above the lake’ according to the tourism website… errm yes, but 1000 m higher… The normal ascent path being closed we were forced to approach …
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