Last week of August and it’s time to pack up our mountaineering gear for alpinism in Europe until next summer. Gary was working with legendary mountain guide Steve Jones and a group of students teaching them the essential alpine climbing skills. Earlier he’s been on a week of adventures with Jim who’s based in Zurich, starting with a multi pitch rock climb, then heading up to the cabane de Dix. They enjoyed the ascents of La Luette and Mont Blanc de Cheilon. They moved on to the Almagellen hut and finished the trip with the traverse of the Weissmies.
Mont Blanc de Cheilon
European Alps, goats with bells
In the Swiss Alsp, sheep have bells too
Are you ready too?
Join us again for back courty ski touring
Drying your ski touring gear in the afternoon sun, mulled wine watching the sun go down......
Join the Alpinism & Ski team once again for the September /October NZ ski touring season. Gary and Iris have bought new skis, skins, the latest fritschi eagle binding with their cool new ski crampon system and even new poles! Last they had new gear was 10 years ago so what a treat. G3 Spitfire skis for Gaz and BD Velvet skis for Iris. Wide under the foot, maximum fun.. Give your self a treat too and grab your gear and go back country. As almost always happens, the storms are coming through now and set up the snow pack brilliantly for the Sept/October time. Maximum snow, strong snow bridges, more stable snow pack, warm afternoons, spring corn on the sunny aspects, winter snow on the shade…….hmmmmm, yehaa…..
The photos from the Tour du Grand Combin on this link of the Marmotte and here some fauna and flora shots:
a young marmot in the Swiss Alps
marmot venturing out of its cave
Swiss Alps alpine flora and fauna
Lis Martagon or Turquish lily, an alpine queen
Edelweiss, a famous flower
Gentian Purpurea
Iris just spent 6 days with Leysin friends Yves and Laila hiking around the magnificient mountain areas consisting of several Combin peaks, the highest over 4300 m. Saw stunning alpine flora and fauna, traversed a glacier, tasted food and wine in the Swiss and Italian huts and just loved this week long alpinism adventure in true European summer weather. A very rainy front is on the way through but Gary is still planing to climb the Bishorn tomorrow.
2 hours into the hut walk and its time for a strudle and coke - now thats civilized
Climbing in a singlet on the 4000m summit ridge - a little unusual. 2 days later, fresh snow
With the weather turning, the team sneak in an 8 pitch rock climb in the valley
Peter and Karin from Australia as part of a holiday in Europe came to Switzerland for a week of climbing with Gary. Starting off at the beginning of the week on some 3500m peaks to get acclimatized, they then headed to the Saas valley and traversed the 4000m Weissmies. A check of the weather forecast on the internet – a front coming in, so an eight pitch rock climb was completed just before the rain started on Thursday. Friday had heavy rain in the morning, so the team checked out the Castle at Aigle (built in the 1600’s) and then whizzed up a Via Ferratta that traverses a spectacular gorge and rock face in nearby Champéry. Friday night the team met up with Iris for a great meal out at the top of Leysin, at the restaurant Prafandaz.
As usual, one of the great things about Alpinism in Switzerland is the abundance of things to do and alternate objectives when the weather is less than perfect.
July weather continues to be wonderful with conditions in the mountains excellent as well. Gary just headed off with Australian couple Karin and Peter, their aim this week to climb some 4000 m peak or several. Phil Melchior from Wanaka went on mountaineering adventures again in the Swiss Alps the week before and kindly supplies this photo collection of his alpine climbing week with Gary Dickson: picasa album
Phil Melchior from Wanaka enjoying Alpinism in Europe, excellent weather and climbing conditions
Just fixed the dates for our first mountaineering instruction courses for coming summer season:
Intro to Alpinism: 2-7 Nov. 2010, 6 day beginners course
Total Alpinism: 13-19 Nov. 2010, 7 day intermediate-advanced
September ski touring trip: special price tag for the scheduled tour from 19-24th September, 4 spaces available on this trip run by Gary Dickson in person. October prices are adapted to New Zealand’s GST increase
Alpine fauna and flora, part of alpinism adventures and this time of the year in the Swiss Alps is bliss for addicts of these beautiful little wonders of mother nature. Just the other day above Leysin, on the way to the Via Ferrata, we saw black salamanders and marmottes and Iris was lucky enough to see a viper high above Chamonix last week, while on a botanical study tour with Karen. Here some pictures of alpine flowers in full bloom… more coming
Alpine plant, a magnificant buttercup like flower called Troll
Vanilla Orchid, alpine flora and fauna
Beautiful colors, delicate forms in wild environment
Aiguille de Midi, Mont Blanc Tacul, Maudit and Mt Blanc 4808 m
Thursday 1st July 2010 Summit day for the Alpinism team Bill Day, Matt Slatter and Gary Dickson. The weather has been stunning for the whole week. The guys have been acclimatising and training their mountaineering skills during the first half of it climbing several peaks in the Swiss Alps from Orny and Trient huts while Karen and Iris enjoyed the Chamonix walks and studying the alpine plants. The ladies accompanied the climbers up to the Aiguille the Midi at 3842 m altitude to see them off on their mission for the big one. Thursday evening the news were that the team had a successful ascent and here some pictures from the week.
start of the climb, Aiguille de Midi 3842 m
Descending from Aiguille de Midi, on the way to the Cosmiques hut
on the way to Mont Blanc, beautiful scenery
Glacier Guiding Instruction
Icelandic mountain guides, instruction and assessment
Glaciers in Iceland: still there and white
News from Iceland: not too much rain and glacier guiding training and assessment went well. The Swiss Alps have seen plenty of snow and rain – Iris escaped to sunshine in Greece – and the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere is on Monday 21st, also the official start to summer. Looking forward to our climbing and mountaineering here the next couple of months, however, ski touring in New Zealand in September is on our mind too. Gary will be running the scheduled trip from 20-25th September and we are looking for 4 keen participants. Get in touch if this is for you.
