Our very first snowshoeing outing, about two years ago, was to Dreibündenstein. Brave little soldiers that we are, we went all the way from Brambrüesch to Feldis on that first snowshoe outing. Last Sunday, a lot more experienced, and less likely to trip over our own feet, we repeated this route. And nearly got blown …
Climb Kilimanjaro – Africa’s highest peak
Kilimanjaro. Africa’s highest mountain. The roof of Africa. Surrounded by African plains, the 5,895-meter-high Mount Kilimanjaro consists of three volcanic cones: Shira, Mawenzi and Kibo. To get to the summit of Kilimanjaro, you have to climb to the top of Uhuru peak, which is situated on the crater rim of Kibo, the highest of the …
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Pischahorn – success on our second attempt
The previous time Barbara and I came to climb Pischahorn we were thwarted by thick unstable snow. On our second attempt to climb Pischahorn we followed the same route as the ski-touring parties do, and after a couple of hours of working steadily upwards we stood on top of the summit of this somewhat unassuming …
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Snow, snow, and more snow…
It snowed for nearly two days… There was snow everywhere. Snow covered the trees and the lawn, and we even had some on the balcony. Snow covered the streets and the sidewalks disappeared. Uetliberg, our local mountain, turned into a winter wonderland. Saturday morning. We decided to play it by ear today. Which meant, that …
Argan oil – Morocco’s magic elixir
Argania spinosa, the tree from which we harvest the fruit that yields ‘liquid gold’, or, as we commonly know it: argan oil. A magic elixir that is reported to have cholesterol-lowering, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, and a whole list of other medicinal benefits. As a cosmetic oil it has anti-ageing properties and helps to clear acne, psoriasis, …
Castles made of sand
And so castles made of sand fall in the sea, eventually Jimi Hendrix – Castles made of sand, 1967 After about forty-five minutes’ walking in a southerly direction along the beach from Essaouira, you’ll see the ruins of an old building on your right. Known today as the ‘Petit Fort Portugaise’, or little Portuguese Fort, …
Jbel Toubkal (4167m) – North Africa’s highest peak
Jbel Toubkal. The highest peak in Morocco. And the highest peak in North Africa. Four thousand, one hundred and sixty-seven metres high. It is also the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains – a group of mountains consisting of the High Atlas (Toubkal is part of this group), the Middle, Anti, Tell and Saharan Atlases, …
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From Platberg to Kilimanjaro – via Africa’s highest peaks
During the past few months, I’ve been working super hard at finishing my book “From Platberg to Kilimanjaro”. And publishing it! Neglecting the blog. This doesn’t mean we’ve neglected our weekend outings. Apart from the odd day when we had to do other things, we’ve been nearly as busy as usual. Even as winter sets …
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Climbing at Brüggler – in perfect Autumn sunshine
Last Sunday was a perfect autumn day. On Monday, it felt like winter! By Saturday the weather conditions had improved a bit, and looked favourable for climbing at Brüggler or Grimsel. Which is it going to be? In the end the weather decided for us. So, Saturday morning in thick mist we set off from …
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Rigidalstock’s two superb via ferratas
It’s Saturday afternoon. The mist is swirling around us. Clearing occasionally to provide a tantalizing glimpse of Rigidalstock above. We’re here to climb Rigidalstock’s two superb via ferratas: Rigidalstockwand (K4) and Rigidalstockgrat (K3). We hope that the weather lady was right and tomorrow is going to be a brilliant day. To keep ourselves busy for …