We’re back in Switzerland. Sardinia not yet forgotten. The Segnesböden area seems to have the best possibility of sunshine for today. Even if it is covered in snow… The days are getting shorter. So, we set off early-ish. Trying to maximize the sunlight. First stop off the bus is Ella – the charming little café …
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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Alone at Carschinasee (2182 m). Almost…
It’s Monday morning. The day after we climbed to the summit of Sulzfluh. We’re planning an easy day. A gentle walk to Carschinasee, after a stop for coffee at the Carschinahütte, and then steeply downhill to the car, 600 metres below us… Breakfast. After handing over our ticket to prove that we have paid for …