By Helen Moore
July saw the Alps in stupends glorious weather, snowy peaks bathed in sunshine, still deep deep snow remaining from the long and hard winter, and a beautiful adundance of meadow / upland glen flowers......
The first week in Chamonix, with 2 3,500mtr snow and rock peaks for aclimatizing: 'petit aiguilles vert' & 'table couloir on aiguelle du tour' (AD-), with a fab rock ridge and a 15 mtrs knife edge snow ridge! from the albert premier hut, and a 4.30am breakfast!
We then moved to Saas Grund (switzerland) for the last 2 weeks: The 'Allalinhorn' & the 'Weissmiess'(PD ?) both 4,000 mtr snow peaks. And then to rock routes: the classic 14 pitch rock route 'Alpendurst'(4c) (lovely rock and superb situation) on the Jegihorn, then a mad dash for the last lift down!; the (5a+) 'Sudkante' on the Jegihorn; a day of cragging; A walk up to Saas Allmagelar hut for the 'Dri Horlini ridge' (AD) the following day, excellent climbing / scrambling, though the day was long & my partner wasnt so sure of the exposure, so we abbed off the route just before the third horlini......taking us 6-7 abbs to get down, with one climb back up to retrieve caught rope! Then back to a packed hut where everyone had been watching our antics!
so all in all, apart from the occational afternoon / evening thunder storm and the two complete wash out days....(well timed rest days for me), we had superbe weather. So I'm now completely sold on Alps trips 🙂 (though need to take out a second mortgage for any to switzerland!)
I do have some great edited edited edited pics......! though need some help in shrinking them down(old laptop!)to fit onto the LMC website.
Cheers