The weather outlook for the Saturday wasn’t all that good. So we pored over the weather map looking for the brightest spot. My eye falls on Krönten and the Kröntenhütte in the Urner Alps and after some discussion we agree we’d be spending the Friday evening in Kröntenhütte, with a view to climbing Krönten on …
The Elusive Butterfly
On our return from Fridolins hut, Barbara and I stopped to brew a cup of coffee and eat our sandwiches. While we were brewing up this gorgeous little creature came and perched on top of the balancing rock ‘sculpture’ next to us. For the next few weeks this little creature became the elusive butterfly. I …
Short cuts cause Erosion!
One of my pet peeves is people taking short cuts when there is a perfectly good path to be followed. The distance saved is seldom more than a few metres. The time, given that the short cut is often steeper and less stable terrain, may be even longer than the original path… the end result …
Monte Tamaro to Monte Lema
Let me start by saying that this title is misleading! This hike neither starts at Monte Tamaro nor finishes at Monte Lema. But that’s what it’s called in the ticino.ch website where we got the idea from sometime last year, so we’ll call it the same… We catch a lift in gondolas from Rivera-Bironico to …
Gerschnialp
After our marathon hike from Vättis to Sardonahütte and return the previous two days we decided a simple day out will be more than enough. We headed off to Engelberg and made our way through a forest and then onto open pastures to Gerschnialp. After a relaxed couple of drinks we set off back home. …
Sardonahütte – unexpected adventure
One of the few SAC huts to have re-opened post lockdown. Sardonahütte is also the starting point for ascending Piz Sardona, a peak that we’ve eyed for some time. Conditions aren’t nearly ready for a summit attempt, but it’s a perfect opportunity to scout out the terrain and look at the path to the top… …
To the foot of Tödi
It’s Ascension day weekend and Barbara and I are on our way to spend a night in Fridolinshütte (2111m). Located at the foot of Tödi, one of the iconic peaks of the Alps, Fridolinshütte is one of the first SAC huts to have reopened (albeit with all kinds of rules to ensure the necessary ‘social …
Via ferrata Diavolo
While looking up the name of the pass that lay below the via ferrata we did today, we discovered that the via ferrata happens to be ‘Temporarily closed’… oops! Sort of explains why many sections had the cable dismantled and we had to free climb these. Despite the ‘inconvenience’ of a lack of protection we …
Brüggler – sport climbing
Being of a generation that grew up on trad climbing, I felt a pang of guilt when Bert suggested we visit Brüggler for a day of multi-pitch sport climbing. The very thought of not placing your own protection feels a bit like… cheating! But the guilt feeling faded fast and I started looking forward to …
Trübsee – again
It’s the day after my first trip to Trübsee and Barbara and I have decided to go back to Engelberg. Today however we’re going on a route that will loop clockwise past the lake before picking up the path I followed down the day before. The trail starts at Engelberg station and once again, thanks …