Trekking in the Alps News from the Alps and beyond

Snowshoeing Programme 2009

2008-07-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

Okay so it's full-on summer here at the moment - hot and sunny, flowers at their glorious best, and everyone's revving up to their hiking holidays.

But it's time to think about the winter and snowshoeing!

Remember what fun it is?

Remember those blue sky early morning starts, the only sound your breathing and the crunch of the snow under your snowshoes?

And those summit moments when all the hard work is forgotten?

And then this!

So here's what's happening winter 2009:

SNOWSHOE PROGRAMME TREKKING IN THE ALPS 2009

NB on the version of this calendar sent to people on my mailing list I marked the wrong week as Easter week. It is now correct below - Easter is 11 April and our Easter week will meet 4 April and finish the following weekend.

NO hidden costs.
Small groups guaranteed.
Expert guiding
All levels catered for including experienced snowshoers.
High summits and hikes
New destinations every year.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Prices include:
guided snowshoeing,
accommodation (bed, breakfast and dinner)
transport during the holiday,
rental of ALL gear: snowshoes, poles, avalanche transceivers, probes and shovels.
Not included:
Travel to meeting place
Hill food
Drinks
Insurance - eg Snowcard £22

Prices are in € and £. The £ price has been reached on an exchange rate of £1 = 1.25€. In the event that this declines to less that 1.20€ I reserve the right to ask for payment on the € price.
Otherwise you can decide whether to pay in £ or € when you book - if the rate improves it will be advantageous to some people to choose the € price.

Holidays are graded 1 to 3, 1 being the easiest grade up to 3 which means a strenuous grade. However, it must be understood that these grades are only guidelines as the snow conditions dictate more than anything what we do.

6 day holidays £796 995€
Mont Blanc Region
Meet Vallorcine near Chamonix
17 January grade 1
31 January grade 2

6 day holidays £840 1050€
Aosta Valley Italy
Meet Aosta
7 February grade 2

EASTER WEEK: 4 April grade 3

Valais Switzerland
Meet Martigny
21 February grade 2/3

Aravis massif France
Meet St Gervais
28 February grade 2

Dauphiné Alps France
Meet Briançon
14 March grade 2/3

Gran Paradiso Italy
Meet Aosta
28 March grade 3

4 day long weekends
Mont Blanc Region £556 695€
Meet Vallorcine near Chamonix
8 January grade 1
14 January grade 2
27 January grade 3
18 February grade 1

Aravis massif France £599 750€
Meet St Gervais
3 March grade 2

It's summer in the Alps

2008-07-02T07:55:00.000-07:00

The Alps have now enjoyed more than two weeks of hot sunny weather and conditions perfect for walking.

Until recently there was a lot of late snow cover but that is melting fast and the hillsides are getting back to normal for this time of year.

I have lots of alpine treks going this summer but just two still have spaces, the Gran Paradiso(meet 26 July) in Italy and the Tour of Mont Ruan (meet 9 August) near to Mont Blanc. Details of both these treks can be found on my website http://www.trekkinginthealps.com/ or by sending me an email on info@trekkinginthealps.com

For those of you interested in trail running, the Chamonix Marathon last Sunday had a record number or entrants and for the first time was held the day after the half marathon Chamonix Cross. This was much better as the two races otherwise coincide and this leads to crowds on the trail. Upcoming races include the Italian Gran Valdigne Trail near Courmayeur mid July, the Davos 78kms race end of July and of course the Mont Blanc Ultra Trail end of August which somewhat occupies my thoughts at the moment!

Here's what it looks like trekking here at the moment:

If you can't make it to the Alps all is not lost because we have the Corsica Northern Summits week meeting 7 September and there are still places available. So why not some late summer trekking on this beautiful island?

Watch this space for the 2009 Snowshoe schedule which will be posted by the end of this week.

SUMMER PROGRAMME - DATES AND AVAILABILTY

2008-05-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

The summer programme is filling up but below are the current treks that are confirmed but which still have places available. All costs are on my website on this link http://www.trekkinginthealps.com/calendar.htm and I am asking for payment in Euros because of the slide of the £ against this currency. However, I can be paid in cash so you do not need to make an expensive bank transfer.

If you want to come on one of these treks then please go ahead and book your flights and your time off work. If you need to ask any questions then please use the following email address:

trekkinginthealps@swissmail.org and your questions will be answered as quickly as possible. You can also ask for detailed factfiles on all the trips below. If you decide to book please let us know on the above email address.

So here are the treks:

Gran Paradiso trek and summit meet 26 July in Aosta. Fly to Turin, or Milan or Geneva, Turin being the best option. We meet at 7pm in Aosta and from Turin or Milan I can organise a transfer to Aosta which takes 1hr15 and 3 hrs respectively. If you fly to Geneva you need to take a train to Martigny and be there for 4.30pm. You do not need prior experience in glacier walking to do the summit. There are 3 places free on this trek.

Tour of the Matterhorn meet 2 August in Zermatt. Fly to Geneva or Zurich and train onwards (about 3hrs). We meet 7pm in Zermatt. This trek includes 2 glacier crossing and the ascent of a glaciated 4000m peak, but no prior experience in glacier walking is required. There is 1 place free on this trek.

Tour of Mont Ruan meet 9 August in Finhaut Switzerland. Fly to Geneva and train onwards via Lausanne and Martigny (about 3hrs) to Finhaut. We meet 7pm in Finhaut. This is a great trek, very remote, including sevceral trekking summits. There are 4 places free for this trek.

Corsica Northen Summits meet 7 Sept in Calvi. Fly to Calvi or if necessary Bastia. For direct flights from Britain contact claire@directcorsica.com mentioning Hilary Sharp Trekking in the Alps. A fab week exploring Corsica's trekking peaks, away from the crowded main trails. There are 5 places free for this trek.

NB: there is NO single supplement payable on any of these treks so do not hesitate to come alone.

Spring Sunshine in Mallorca

2008-05-01T06:21:00.000-07:00

Having enjoyed an excellent winter season in the Alps it was time to rediscover walking on trails. What better place to do this in the spring than Mallorca with its rugged mountain range, the Sierra Tramuntana.

We had 6 days of hiking and every day was hot and sunny. The final night saw the passage of a storm but the sun was back next morning.

Mallorca offers fantastic walking of all levels from strolls through olive and almond groves to summit scrambles to multi-day mountain treks, not to mention beautiful coastal walks discovering remote sandy coves and rocky headlands.

Staying in 3 different bases enabled us to really get to know the northern part of the island, which is where the most spectacular hiking is to be done. We had a memorable night at the Lluc Monastery, situated in the midst of the highest peaks, and therefore a great starting point for the trails.

Some of the braver members took a dip in the sea although for most of us the water was far too cold even though its azure blue depths looked really inviting from the surrounding mountains.

Mallorca is definitely Mediterrannean walking at its best and will have a place in my programme for spring 2009.

Amazing end to the snowshoeing season!

2008-04-09T03:55:00.000-07:00

There is snow in abundance and the winter conditions are as good as they get, but all good things come to an end. I have just finished my final snowshoeing trip for winter 08 and it's not without a twinge of regret that I am hanging up my snowshoes for now - although the great snow cover could well tempt me to get them out again in the next week or so.

It's been an amazing winter season that started way back in November with wonderful cold snow that formed a perfect base for the following months. We have had some fabulous days out, from forest walks in heavy snowfall to summit ascents on those dreamed of sparkling blue sky days.

Lots of regulars have returned to snowshoe with me, but there have also been a fair number of walkers who were new to snowshoeing who came to see what it's all about. Everyone seems to have had a blast and hopefully we'll do it all again next year!

Now maybe a few days of rest (and catching up with admin!) are in order.

Mixed weather gives amazing conditions for Easter

2008-03-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

Okay so the weather forecast was hardly very promising over Easter but in fact the periods of bad weather were interspersed with sunshine and we were able to have a great week of snowshoeing, culminating with an ascent of Mont Rogneux 3084m in perfect fresh snow conditions.

On Friday we left the Caband Brunet as the sun came up in a cloudless sky, the air was crisp and cold and the snow was deep and light.

From the summit we had a full 360° panorama, which stretched from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn and everything in between. The run back down was a dream, with vast swathes of untouched powder leaving us spoilt for choice - plenty of room for snowshoers and ski tourers alike, leaving loads left for the weekenders.

This is what it's all about in the mountains - those perfect blue sky days - made all the more perfect because they cannot be ordered up and sometimes we have to put up with cloud and precipitation to get these fantastic winter wonderland conditions. But it sure is worth it!!

Let's hope the next week is equally good.

From spring to winter in the Alps!

2008-03-21T10:37:00.001-07:00

Until yesterday we thought spring had arrived early in the Alps. The sun was shining, the crocus were poking out in the lower meadows, whilst the mountains remained well snow-covered - life was good!!

Today, the first day of spring, life remains good but considerably snowier - winter has returned with a vengeance. Heavy snowfall all day today today is forecast to continue overnight and intermittently all weekend. Easter 2008 is to be a snowy one.
The road from Vallorcine to Chamonix is closed for avalanche risk and there is a muffled silence as everyone huddles indoors waiting for the storm to pass through.

Nevertheless we had a great day out today in the forest where the snow-laden trees and wind drifts reminded us more of deep dark December days than late March.

Once this latest snow has settled we can be sure to have excellent late season conditions. So all those people who since January have been wondering if the snow will last out - have faith, this is one of the best winter seasons we've known. We just need to take care now for a few days as the avalanche risk is going to be very high.

Gret wildlife viewings whilst snowshoeing

2008-03-01T05:41:00.000-08:00

The Gran Paradiso area is renowned for its wildlife, largely because it is a designated National Park and hence no hunting is allowed at any time.

Known especially for its large population of ibex, the Gran Paradiso is also a paradise for chamois, hares, foxes, deer and, as we saw last week, the rare lammergeier vulture. Recognisable by its huge wing span (2.8m) and its orange underbelly (the result of contact with iron oxide in water and mud), the lammergeier, or bearded vulture is still relatively rare in the Alps, despite an on-going programme of reintroduction. So we were very excited to get this sighting during a snowshoe walk near the Cogne Valley. (Photo: Alistair Wylie).

The usual suspects were also present - lots of chamois in the forests and ibex on the sunnier denuded south-facing slopes. Seeing the wildlife in the winter is a real privilege and whilst last week the snow conditions meant they were having a fairly easy time of it, that's probably about to change now with forecasts of heavy snow for the next few days, so we will be careful to watch any animals with binoculars from a distance so we don't scare them into running away in deep snow and hence using up all their precious energy.

AMAZING CONDITIONS FOR FEBRUARY!

2008-03-01T04:37:00.000-08:00

February has been a superb month of sunshine, but cold temperatures at night kept the snow conditions excellent. We have been snowshoeing in the French, Swiss and Italian Alps and have been continually surprised by the amount of untracked powder snow, even several weeks after the last snowfall.

These conditions have made the snowpack very stable and so we have been able to snowshoe summits up to 3000m with little worry at all.

The Aosta Snowshoe week went particularly well, with a full group and wide age range, but everyone being very fit and keen to get high up into the mountains. By the end of the week everyone was running down the slopes of powder. This group was quickly followed by a private booking, again in the Aosta Valley. This region offers excellent possibilities for snowshoeing, but any visit there should also include the opportunity to sample the region's specialities - notably the superb red wine, cheese and ham. We made sure we gave our full attention to this aspect of the trip too.

March seems set not to herald spring but the return of winter: two days of rain have not been kind to the snowpack at lower altitudes, but the forecast is for lower temperatures from next week and we expect considerable snowfall at all altitudes. So it's out with the woollies again and we can look forward to several more weeks of fun in the snow.

Snowshoeing off to a great start in 2008!

2008-01-26T08:30:00.000-08:00

The snowshoeing and skiing season are off to a superb start this month with good snow cover everywhere and lots of sunny weather. We had a good open week from 5th January: although this week started with rain at 1500m (almost unknown here in January) this soon turned to snow and after a day of cloud we were treated to better weather for the rest of the week, with fresh snow to run down every day. Everyone in the group was new to snowshoeing but even on the first day with hardly any views the general consensus was that snowshoeing was a great activity - in fact the actual quote from our Irish member was that "Snowshoeing is the dog's b***ocks!!". So that more or less settled it for the week and conditions just got better and better.

Last week I had a private group snowshoeing in Switzerland around the Val d'Anniviers Val d'Hérens region and we found some excellent new (to me anyway) walks on snowshoes. Conditions could not have been better - fresh snow, sunshine and virtually no-one around, so no human tracks - however there was an abundance of wildlife activity.

We managed to reach a 3000m summit on the last day but the red morning sky correctly forecast the following day's snowfall, adding another top-up to what at the moment is perfect snow cover for this time of the winter. Let's hope it lasts!

Loads of snow and clean air to go with it!

2007-12-19T06:24:00.000-08:00

Great news!! There is loads of snow in the Alps, the conditions are as good as they get - and much better than usual at this time of year. Think cold light powder, natural Christmas trees decorated with snow and icicles, really cold frosty temperatures and snow crystals covering the valley slopes and growing bigger every night.

The skiing and snowshoeing have already been superb and hopefully this is just the start of an exceptional winter season.

The other really good news is that from 2008 France joins many other European countries in making all public places no-smoking zones. So our local hotel in Vallorcine has already taken this on board and smoking is only allowed outside. This is great news for those lunchtime visits for an expresso or the après snowshoeing beer or vin chaud.

See you in 2008 to make some tracks!!

More snowfall in the Alps

2007-12-03T02:49:00.000-08:00

After a couple of weeks of calm and sunny weather the snow has returned again with a vengeance today. The snowfall we had two weeks ago had melted at lower altitudes but above 1500m there was already a reasonable base. Snowshoeing has been good, even if skiing was a bit dodgy due to the rocks lurking just below the surface of the snow.

But now it looks like we're in for 30 - 50 cms of fresh snow at 1500m altitude. Right now it is full-on winter conditions.

All this bodes well for the coming season. Snowshoeing should be excellent. Places remain available for many Trekking in the Alps holidays this winter. I also have some free days to guide privately.

Heli-skiing also promises to be spectacular from January until May.

To find out more about what's available this winter give us a call or send a mail to info@trekkinginthealps.com

Winter has arrived in the Alps!

2007-11-10T07:43:00.000-08:00

It has been a superb autumn in the Alps with many days of sunshine, interspersed with the odd cold spell. The high glaciated mountains are in good shape after all the summer snow, but it barely precipitated during October. We were lucky to have fantastic sunny days with crisp mornings giving way to balmy afternoons. The alpine valleys were not always so fortunate - as often happens during high pressure weather here the cold air sinks down into the valleys and stays there, often for much of the day. This gives a sea of cloud that is really attractive when viewed from above.... not so great when you're in it.
Now everything has changed and it has been snowing lightly for two days, with more forecast. Temperatures are really low and there are strong winds - winter has arrived!
Time to think about those holidays in the snow.
There are still places available on many of my snowshoeing holidays and at the moment you can still get cheap flights for many dates. An alternative would be to take the train, and it seems there are some really good deals to be had from Britain to the Alps - Geneva, Turin, Chamonix. With the base it's putting down now we could well have good snowshoeing and skiing conditions before Christmas!

Latest availability for Snowshoeing plus summer programme

2007-09-06T04:05:00.000-07:00

The winter is already starting to book and a couple of weeks are full. Here is the full list of availabilty for snowshoeing right now. Cheap flights to the Alps are now available so book early to get the best deals.Next winter I'll be doing the usual 6 and 4 day trips. 6 days is a week, whilst the 4 days trips go over a weekend so you can get a trip over here but only have to take two days off work. New this winter are the different bases for holidays: ranging from Vallorcine near Chamonix, to Aosta in Italy, Martigny in Switzerland to St Gervais in the Aravis range and finally a week in Briançon, down in the French Dauphiné Alps.The basic calendar with prices is shown below. For more info on these trips visit http://www.trekkinginthealps.com/ where PDF downloads are available along with gradings for trips.Prices include all guiding, accommodation, travel once here and rental of all gear - snowshoes, poles, and avalanche gear - transceivers, shovels and probes. If you want to know more just email me on info@trekkinginthealps.com .
Below is also my Summer Programme 2008
Mont Blanc Region France - meet in Vallorcine near Chamonix. 6 day holidays, price: £675 995€.
Meet 5 January, 8 March.

Mont Blanc Region Half Term Week based in Finhaut Switzerland. 6 day holiday, price £675 995€.
Meet 10 February.

Aosta Valley Italy - meet in Aosta. 6 day holidays, price: £705 1050€
Meet 16 February

Valais Switzerland - meet Martigny. 6 day holidays, price £705 1050€
Easter Week 22 March.

Aravis massif France - meet St Gervais. 6 day holiday, price £705 1050€
Meet 8 March.

Dauphiné Alps France - meet Briançon. 6 day holiday, price £705 1050€
Meet 1 March.

4 day long weekends in the Mont Blanc Region France
Meet Vallorcine near Chamonix. Price: £525 780€
Meet 23 January, 6 February and 12 April

Summer programme

Tour of Mont Blanc

meet 14/06/08 7 days €985 £660

Aosta Italian Summits

meet 14/06/08, & 9/08/08 6 days €1010 £685

Corsica Northern Summits

meet 22/06/08 6 days €1050 £705

Chamonix Summits

meet 29/06/08 6 days €1010 £685

Tour of Mont Ruan

meet 12/07/08 6 days €995 £670

Tour of the Jungfrau Region

meet 19/07/08 6 days €995 £670

Gran Paradiso Alta Via plus summit

meet 26/07/08 €1100 £735

Tour of the Matterhorn

6 days meet 9/08/08 €1100 £735

Glacier trekking week

(itinerary to be decided): meet 12/07/07 €1250 £905

NB: the Summits trips are non-glaciated trekking summits accessible to all hill-walkers with no technical expertise, and do not involve ropes, crampons or ice-axe.

Summer trekking

2007-09-06T03:49:00.001-07:00

It's been a great summer for Trekking in the Alps even if the sun has not been shining every day. Although hiking in the rain and snow is not quite what we have planned, it can be quite an adventure, notably on the Tour of Mont Blanc when we had two days of snow. A big plus about bad weather is that when the sun returns the views are generally quite stunning: fresh snow coats the mountains and everything is very clear and glistening. This was certainly the case in the latter part of the TMB when we had unbeatable scenery.

The Austrian Otztal week was as much a quest for fine wine as a trekking holiday. And we certainly had fun doing both. The hiking was good, although again the sun was a little shy. A highlight of the trip was managing to make our way up to the Austro-Italian border to the exact spot where the 5000 year old ice-man "Otzi" was found some years ago. As for the wine, I can now vouch for the fact that Austrian does have some great wines. There are also lots of lederhosen around and dancing and yodelling.

The autumn has begun here with morning frosts and beautiful clear days. The trees are already beginning to turn orange and days are that little bit shorter. This is a great time for trekking and my Highlights of the Tour of Mont Blanc starts tomorrow. Perhaps we are due for an Indian Summer - certainly we must make the most of these mellow days before the winter arrives as it surely will. Bookings for the snowshoeing season are coming in and some weeks are already full. Check www.trekkinginthealps.com for availabilty and be sure to keep an eye on the latest blog postings.

Davos 78.5kms Swiss Alpine Marathon

2007-08-09T04:19:00.000-07:00

The 28 July I took part in the Davos Swiss Alpine Marathon. This is 78.5kms but there are also several other races including two marathons and a half marathon.
The race was extremely well organised from start to finish, with spectators and volunteers doing a great job. We were lucky to have sunny weather, at least for the main part of our race. A storm came in during the early afternoon and got me at the high point of the race, but the organisers were out in force with dustbin bags for those who had no rain gear.
This is one of the best races I have done because the terrain is rolling for much of the way so you can expect to run a large part of the race, and also because the trails are wide and so there are very few traffic jams. When you finally hit single track on the steep climb to the Kesch Hut you are 50kms into the race so the crowds have spread out.
Definitely a highlight of my summer and a welcome treat even though it had to be slotted in between treks - this is after all high season. Highly recommended to those of you looking for a good long run in the mountains.

Successful new treks and plans for 2008!

2007-08-09T03:58:00.000-07:00

Trekking in the Alps has organised several new treks these last weeks which have been a great success. The Tour of the Jungfrau Region was a 6 day trek which enjoyed superb hot and sunny weather mid July. This trek takes an intriguing route around the Oberland region, with superb views of the Giants of this massif - the Eiger, Mönsch and Jungfrau among others. The trek is not easy - lots of steep ascents and descents - but the scenery is more than rewarding. After a couple of days in the well-known Kleine Scheidegg area the route heads off to the wider Lauterbrunnen valley and explores the far side of this, including a fine day traversing the Schilthorn summit and also taking us into some fabulous remote and unspoilt valleys. A real classic that we will be repeating next year.

Another big success was the Gran Paradiso Alta Via plus summit week. The Gran Paradiso 4061m is Italy's highest summit and we managed to climb this (just) as a storm enveloped us last week. The rest of the week was fine and sunny and so we were able to do the whole trek as planned including 5 passes of 3000+m. An international group proved to be great fun socially and this was definitely a highlight of the summer for us. Again this will feature on the 2008 calendar.

Finally due to popular demand the Tour of Mont Ruan is already confirmed for 2008. This is a little-known trek in the remote limestone massif on the edge of Mont Blanc. We did this trek in 2003 and the group are still talking about it. I have just had an article published about it in the August issue of TGO magazine. If you're interested in hiking away from the crowds on a demanding trek including several trekking summits - this one is for you.

We are in the midst of several wet and cold days - hopefully the sun will soon be back for the final treks of this season.

Snow, snow and more snow July in the Alps!

2007-07-12T11:58:00.001-07:00

The Chamonix Zermatt Walker's route looked more like a winter trip in Scotland than a summer hike in the Alps! We had very unseasonal weather from the start although there was a fantastic respite mid-way through for our day over to Arolla when we had wall to wall blue skies and superb freshly coated white peaks.

The high passes were generally snowy and became more so as the week went on. We all agreed snow was much better than rain but a few more views would have been welcome and it would have been nice to shed the waterproofs more often.

Nevertheless it was a real adventure and a great sense of achievement to stroll into Zermatt yesterday (in sunshine finally) with the Matterhorn soaring above, flanked by clouds on its East face.

The final day was beautifully sunny and we were able to see all the Zermatt peaks.

There is now a considerable amount of snow in the high mountains giving a high risk of avalanche and some cornice build-up. Conditions below 3000m should improve quickly but for the moment there is some snow and ice and the existing nevés have not melted at all for some time.

Corsican sun versus rain everywhere else!

2007-07-02T04:09:00.000-07:00

As the rain poured down in northern Europe and the Alps, Corsica lived up to its reputation as the "Ile de beauté". Temperatures were hot, but tempered by a strong wind which we felt on the ridges but which elsewhere was very comfortable. The sea was 23°C I was told, and felt wonderful. Even the rivers were not too cold for a dip.

We spent a day or two on the GR20, staying in one of the huts on this route. As usual there were a fair number of people intent on doing this long distance trail as fast as they could. As soon as we left the main trail we were alone and we climbed several summits with no-one else in sight.

A two day trip on a horse-shoe ridge walk with a night in a gite at the beach was a highlight, as was the final night spent deep in the mountains after a long walk, some of it off trail, and with a visit to the famous "mountain with the hole", Capu Tafanatu.

Now back to the alpine treks. The mountains look green and beautiful and the flowers are at their best. The sun is forecast to come out later this week. Chamonix Zermatt, followed by the Tour of the Jungfrau Region should provide some of the most scenic trekking in the Alps.

SNOWSHOEING NEXT WINTER

2007-06-08T02:00:00.000-07:00

It's only early June but already I have to start thinking about the next winter season. Last winter we had such superb snowshoeing that it's really an exciting prospect. We'll go back to many of the classic areas but also investigate lots of new ones.

There will be weeks based in Valais, Switzerland, Aosta Italy and Briançon France, as well as trips from my village of Vallorcine.

There will also be all levels from beginner to advanced. Those who want to take it gently can do so, but even so we'll generally get above the tree-line and, conditions permitting, will do some nice rounded summits. Others who wish to push themselves to have some exciting climbs will find their thing too.
The programme will soon be published on the website. More snowshoeing shots and info can be found on http://www.trekkinginthealps.com/snowshoeing.htm

SUMMER TREKKING PROGRAMME

2007-06-08T01:18:00.000-07:00

The summer is almost here now and in a couple of weeks my treks will start. We have some exciting trips going, first of which is the Corsica Summits 24 June. Whilst the GR20 is the well-known trek over there, and is certainly very spectacular, there are many lesser-known hikes to do on this mountainous island. Trekking peaks abound and these are what we're going to explore, along with some great spots off the trail. The aim is to discover as much as we can about Corsica, the mountains, the culture, the food and wine and the sea.

Next up I'll be en route from Chamonix to Zermatt via the Walker's Haute Route. This exciting journey takes us through beautiful mountain terrain with spectacular glacial scenery. From Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn, we get to see all the high mountains along the way.

Not much of a break for me before I head off on the Tour of the Jungfrau Region. This is a new trek for me this year and will take us on a magical trek through the mountains of the Bernese Oberland, getting very close to the giants of the region - the Eiger, Jungfrau and the Mönch. There are a couple of trekking summits to do along the way and I expect the scenery to be very varied, ranging from pastoral meadows to high alpine slopes.

The rest of July is taken up with private groups, firstly in the Aosta region of Italy then on the Tour of Monte Rosa.

After that we have a new version of my Gran Paradiso Alta Via 4 trip. This year we are including an ascent of the Gran Paradiso summit, 4061m, Italy's highest peak. There's no doubt this will be busy mid summer but it is a fantastic viewpoint. It is probably the only place on the trek where we'll encounter crowds, the rest of the trail generally being very quiet. Known for it's wildlife, the Gran Paradiso usually gives us lots of sightings of ibex and chamois which is a crucial part of this trip.

Later in August we'll be on the classic, and justifiably well-known Tour of Mont Blanc. This is without doubt the most famous alpine trek, and for this reason people often think it must be very crowded. But this is wrong. There are lots of variants and so many different places to stay, so I find it easy to find reasonably quiet trails, even mid season. This year we will be on the trek just before the start of Europe's biggest trail race, the Mont Blanc Ultra Trail. having done this race last year I will relive many memories of my adventure.

Austria is my next to last trek of the season. This is a slightly different trek to my usual Otztal Alps trip as we are going in search of fine wines as well as fine views. Having had a similar research trip last year in Northern Italy, with very satisfactory results, the quest continues. We'll also do some great hiking in this wonderful mountain region, right next to the Austro Italian border.

September features private groups, in and around the Mont Blanc region.

http://www.trekkinginthealps.com/thetreks.htm

Corsica GR20: 3 people die in cold weather

2007-06-01T01:40:00.000-07:00

The recent bad weather in Europe has led to the death from hypothermia of three hikers on the GR20 trek in Corsica. The three people died in independent incidents, two in the north of the island one in the southern part of the trek.

Although the GR20 route is way-marked, these pain marks quickly become difficult to see in bad weather and once off the trail you are on very rough ground. In normal conditions it's difficult to imagine dying of cold on this trek - usually people fear the heat. But the weather can change very quickly and these are very serious mountains where it can be really hard to get down to safer terrain if the weather turns bad. I have experienced snow in Corsica in the middle of July - people had to be rescued by helicopter from the Cirque de la Solitude. And since the trail is so rocky, conditions underfoot quickly become slippery and progress can be very slow.

Just a reminder really to all of us that these mountain treks demand respect, even though they seem to be increasingly popular and more and more feasible with guidebooks describing every step of the route.

Snow at 1300m end of May!!

2007-05-31T12:02:00.000-07:00

We had snow in Vallorcine at 1310m this week and the snowploughs were out!
Conditions in the mountains have been poor for most of this week although a lot of the lower snow quickly melted when the sun came out. But more snow if forecast above 2000m so trekking and climbing above this altitude is not recommended right now.
If it's lower walks you're after then the flowers re well ahead of normal and valley walks are superb.