I had met Richard on a mountaineering course in Chamonix and had said, “we should climb some mountains together”. One says these things, but they seldom happen, so I was delighted to be driving to Saas-Fe to climb the Nadelhorn with Richard and without a guide. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Nearly all my climbing has been … Continue reading Nadelhorn Summit Report, 4,327m, PD II
Climning the Breithorn with my 9 year old daughter
The Weisshorn is the second hardest of all the Swiss 4,000m peaks and only the Lenzspitze “normal route” is harder. Of course, there are lots of harder routes on other mountains – but just getting to the top of the Weisshorn, via the easiest possible route, is a serious endeavour. The grade is AD+ but … Continue reading Summit Report – Weisshorn, 4,506m via the North-North-West Ridge, AD+
I had unfinished business with the Obergabelhorn after high winds and a pressing flight to South Africa frustrated my first attempt to climb the mountain from the Rothorn hut. Foolishly, I had suggested to Bertrand (my guide) that I would like to start attempting more difficult routes as the “normal” routes I now find less … Continue reading Summit Report – Obergabelhorn, 4,063m via the South East ridge AD+
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and it might have been more sensible to attempt a less ambitious mountain than the Dom des Mischabel as my first, un-guided, “grown-up” 4,000m peak. The “Dom” is the third highest mountain in the Alps, the second highest in Switzerland and apparently the highest mountain entirely in Switzerland. It is … Continue reading Summit Report – The Dom des Mischabel (fail)
This Sunday witnessed a mass, chaotic and dangerous retreat from Dent Blanche as the weather made summitting the mountain too challenging for many. Dent Blanche is a proper mountain. When you tell people that you are targeting Dent Blanche, those with some knowledge of mountaineering nod knowingly in recognition that this is a serious endeavour. … Continue reading Dent Blanche (4,357m) Summit Report
Tristan, aged 10, had decided he wanted to climb a 4,000m peak but as I have largely done all the “easy” ones it was decided that we would attempt the Allalinhorn by the East Ridge which is a mixture of glacier, snowy ridges and rock climbing. To prepare, TT had been walking to school for … Continue reading Allalinhorn East Ridge (4,027m) Summit and Parenting Report
Climbing Zinalrothorn allows you to enjoy a loo with the most stunning view in the world but you have to contend with flying loo paper! The hike up to the Rotorn Hut begins in a lush green valley, before eventually opening up onto a moraine field. It was hot and so to avoid having to … Continue reading Zinalrothorn (4,221m) and Obergabelhorn (fail) Summit Report, 25th August 2018
Inspired by my father-in-law Arthur, I have recently set myself the goal of climbing every one of the fifty-one 4,000m peaks in Switzerland before I reach the age of 70. Last week I added eight new summits which means I have now completed 18. This is a brief report on those adventures. Lagginhorn (4,010m) is … Continue reading Summit Report – Lagginhorn, Pollux, Castor and the Breithorn Traverse
I joined my friend Andrew Noble and his guide Olivier Roduit on a three day ski mountaineering trip with the goal of climbing the Breithorn, Nordent and Dufourspitze, the latter being the highest mountain in Switzerland. We took the cable car out of Zermatt as high as we could (this is not considered cheating apparently) … Continue reading Summit Report (and near-death experience) – Dufourspitze (4,634m)
Expeditions 