Van, MOT with wheel bearing (which was defos rumbling in Switzerland in Jan) and roll-bar ball-joints advisories to fix in less than a week (with Jenny launching her book and me working in the Lakes all week), then 50 mile ultra on Saturday (Afoot in 2 Dales).
She is quite a big deal, she has many leatherbound books and her apartment smells of rich mahoganyHull Rotterdam mini-cruise (though Pride of Rotterdam is nicer boat)
17th July – fully sick in the middle of the night, felt cold, skin hurt, headache, stomach ache) – fatigue persisted till Friday so wasn’t sure if gluten or bug.
Coffee stop and dangled tootsies St Gottard Pass
19th July – arrive Alagna after stop over in Camping Sursee.
20th – Acclimatisation trek up to Mantova hut 3,498m.
Humming-bird moth on moss campionLong proboscis feeding on nectar Via Point Indren (derelict station on ridge in clag)Crossing Ghiacciaio d’Indren glacierCrisp packet at altitudeDescent
21st – easy day from Pianalunga over col to Rifugio Crespi Calderini on 205a & 210 for lamb polenta & wine.
Refugio Crespi Calderini at Alpe Bors
22nd – via ferrata di Cimalegna
The ‘Tibetan’ bridgeTurned out more exciting than expected Louis in Biblical mode
23rd – sport climbing – Palestra di Fund Scotte – Se Rende 5a, Fedor 5b, Squirting 6a
Alpine Snapdragon
25th – uplift + walk-in to Rifugio Gnifetti 3,647m
Rifugio on rock skyline top left
26th – breakfast at 0400 before ascent to Cabane Margherita 4,554m (highest building in Europe). We did not enjoy the ascent as the wind was cruel and at – 11°C (-21°C windchill) there was no thinking of stopping or faffing, so out the hut at 05:20 and non-stop plod up the glacier in the freezing clag, 4km and 950m of climbing in 3½ hrs.
Final approach to Cabane (later that day after it cleared)
27th – we both had altitude headaches but i developed AMS and couldn’t face tea (couldn’t really function either so slept loads till bedtime then had a long night of no sleep). Drank orange juice at breakfast as that was all i could face then threw that up and felt a lot better.
This German lass, in our room, got AMS too and took a ride downThey put down on that small flattening on the snow ridge..right outside the Cabane so these pics are not zoomed
Anyway now I had recovered, we set off down (deciding too windy and we weren’t acclimatised enough for the Dufourspitze (and i had no food left in me).
The contrast was of continual interestFelt much better so took in some 4,000ers on the way down – first one being Punta Parrot Punta Parrot summit 4,434mDescending Ludwigshöhe 4,343mCrevasses beneath Corno NeroDescending from Bivacco Giordano on the Balmenhorn 4,167mThe south face of Lyksamm and the route through the crevasses we took yesterdayDunno what this was i just liked the shapes
We also climbed Piramide Vincent 4,215m before descending fully.
OverviewBack in Camping Alagna, the Kiravan Railsail is a win so will ebay the Fiamma
28th – walked up part of the Tour de Monte Rosa (TMR) to Rifugio Zar Senni 1664m for polenta & coffee.
TF is that?Messing with macro
Jenny booked us into a ☆☆☆☆ hotel so we hung out in the spa after merende (afternoon snacks aka tea).
29th – moist so walked up to Rifugio Barba Ferrero 2247m for polenta and GF beer
Banana for scale
30th another attempt at Dufourspitze so telecabine & walked in to Rifugio Gnifetti 3647m
Chilling on the helipad before tea
31st – up at 03:30, out at 04;30 suited & booted
Sunrise touching Liskamm (L) & Matterhorn (R)Ginger descent of ZumsteinspitzeAssessed from summit of Zumsteinspitze 4563m, to be too cold/windy/much fresh snow/gnar, sacked off Dufour and returned
2nd Aug – moved round to Aosta Valley yesterday just short of Champoluc. Today free bus to Champoluc then walked up to St Jacques for expensive lunch outside hotel served by 2 crabby old women then drank wine in another hotel garden, ate aperitifs and watched some old dudes playing average jazz.
View of Breithorn, Punta Polluce and Punta Castore from campsiteHumming-bird moth collecting nectar
3rd – interrupted backpack from Ostafa gondola – Laghi di Pinta – Lac Perrin – Col Palasina – Lac de la Bataille.
Laghi di PintaMatterhorn & BreithormSaw quite a lot of Stella Alpina (only saw one last year)Ditched kit then walked round to Rifugio Arp for meats, cheese, wine, panacotta, coffee (run out of Camping Gaz and eking out our small gas and can’t buy either within 25km)Met woman on a bike here (see Rifugio Arp framed by bridge lol) who asked are you sleeping out? Yes i said. Cool she said. Then Jenny saw that she was stalking us from a distance, so after pitching the tent struck it sharpish and continued back over the Col Palasina (wild-camping illegal in Italy and we thought she was probably from the farm that graze cattle even this high – so unlikely she actually meant cool)Further views of Monte Cervina as we searched for a stealth camp Settled for this shelf among the chamois hoofing about outside
4th – walked out from backpack/stealth camp. Cancelled booking for Rifugio Quintino Sella on account of the wind and temperatures voiding any summit plans. Would return to Champoluc as free bus, cheap uplift (inc return), access to Breithorn Lyskamm ridge, good camping at Sole e Neve but bring nuff gas.
Working on my Italian…going well
5th – quit Champoluc, hit some sport en route Valtournenche (1st objective get gaz or gas)
Lapine Agile L1 5a, Lettry Brothers L1 5a, Variente 5, Via del Gesso 5c dnf apparently 6b according to local beta
Managed to get gaz in Ferremento Gugglio in Cervinia €29 for 970 so back in business
Pitched up on the tarmac in Camping Monte Cervino
6th – High winds and low temps up high so opted for gondola and chairlift to Santuario Clavalite.
Followed route 3 to Rifugio for no lunch (too busy with bookings) so ate our selection of cold meats and cheeses and had a giant snooze among the boulders and alpines for an hour. Previous excursions up the glacier and peaks on the right visible from this vantage.Got back to Santuario and somehow didn’t notice the chair grind to a halt so had to bezz downhill like fellrunners/idiots to catch the next chair and complete the chain to the valley – phew
7th Aug – enough of the tarmac pitch and bit sort of crowded feel of Camping Cervinia (even though it wasgood of them to squeeze us in) so bailed over the St Bernard to Le Buet – leaving our eyes as payment for a shit coffee and some kack tart at the top of the pass (not my idea). Enjoyed the massive Becky and Stace graff though (didn’t get a pic unfort)
7th parked up at Camping Les Montets then hit Vallorcine crag – Slab Direct 5b (4 pitches 5b, 3c, 5a, 4b)
8th Aug – Les Cheserys sport climbing (5c, 5b, 5a; 5b, 5b, 5a, 5c, 4b)
All of Voie Bleue and pitch 1 of the others
9th Aug – Voie Escande de Galbert D 5a
Rapped off after the last 5a move in order to catch the chair + telecabine – route goes from left of gulley (bottom right) straight up (apart from the bit where i got lost and wandered onto a 6a and had to ab back and get it together)
10th Aug – easy bimble up to Chalets Loriaz ~700m ascent
..ermGarden ideas i likeChalets LoriazNear the campsite
11th Aug – traverse of the Perrons AD 4a
High above Lac d’Emosson (altitude, we weren’t actually high, that would be irresponsible)Jenny belay, 2 teams aheadAnother abseilJenny in the brêche, a team behindLouis basking…having reached temperature lays in wait for unsuspecting bars of white chocolateLooking back along the traverse which takes the crest of that ridgeWider shot of sameThe descent after lunch on Pointe del’Ifala 2,654m (Mt Blanc backdrop) Revived our tootsies in hereThe walk-out as spectac as the routeLong shot of the ridge above the dam
13th 14th 15th 16th – backpack Tour du Mont Ruan – start/finish Lac d’Emosson anticlock – distance 65km, ascent 5,640m
View from the first of 3 col climbs – Col de Finestral (650m ascent)Col d’Emaney (606m ascent) luckily brief shower happened at top as trekking uphill in waterproof would be nasty – as it happened took it off 5 mins later anyway Cutting across the inflow of Lac SalanfeView back from Col de Susanfe (573m ascent)Camping out the back of Cabane Susanfe after wine/beer & crisps after ~20km & 1,829m ascentDay 2 and the only climb – ladders leading to Col des OttansView down SusanfeTête des Ottans 2,548mRefuge de la Vogealle in the bottomRefuge de la Vogealle – polenta et saucisses mmmm..Camping le Pelly in the Sixt valley after a day of contrasts, rugged alpine uphills, pleasant traverse then the busy valley floor ~15km & 628m ascentDay 3 and the massive limestone slabs on approach to Refuge de Grenairon – where i had Farcement (which i must make at home – potatoes slow cooked for 2hrs with dried fruit)La CathédraleCirque des FontsCamping Plan du Buet 2,530m… after ~15km & 1,910m ascentDay 4 – sunrise illuminating Rochers des FizAguille Vert, les Drus & the Mt Blanc massif from Cheval Blanc approach.. and again from Cheval Blanc summit 2,830mThe final descent to upper lac d’Emosson – the last day only ~300m ascent and 6km
17th – Les Cheserys – 9 pitches – 5a, 5c, 5b, 6a, 6a; 5b, 5c, 6a, 5b though we felt Désert de Samba was 4a, 5c, 6a, 6a
18th – mooch up to Refuge Albert 1er 2,702m from Autannes 2,181m (telepherique & chair from Le Tour)
Approach to hutMoraine path to refugeAiguille du Tour (Table de Roc ridge – zoom for the table which is a huge fallen gendarme on the ridge (which i climbed 20 odd years ago))Refuge Albert Première for lunchGlacier du Tour seracs above Le TourWalk from campsite to hotel for tea
louis hume 
Sorry you felt poorly at the start. Glacier looks amazing. Hope you’re both having fun x
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Hey thanks for stopping by, think ok now, will test fully tomorrow & Wed
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