Week 1: Glacier Haute Route For our first week we did part of the Glacier Haute Route from Arolla to Zermatt (we had previously done the bit from Chamonix in 2005 – details here) Day 1: Arolla to Cabane des Dix (2,928m): We flew out to Geneva, got the train to Sion and then a bus up to Arolla » read more »
This year the two of us went to Chamonix and Valle d’Aosta (Italy) for two weeks high glacier trekking. Week 1: Chamonix The first week we based ourselves in a fantastic little apartment in Chamonix Sud (details below). Day 1: Mer de Glace (2000+m): crazy ladders, glacier skills & crevasse rescue practice day – full details and » read more »
Day 12: We had a leisurely 4.00am breakfast at the Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele and waited for the bulk of the climbers to set off ahead of us (we hoped they would trample the fresh snow of yesterday and make the path easier for us!). The weather was fantastic and we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise and a » read more »
Day 2: We took the first Aiguille du Midi cable car to do the down hill version of the Vallée Blanche Traverse (AdM to Helbronner). The Snow Ridge from the Aiguille du Midi station down to the Vallée Blanche glacier is most impressive and really quite excitingly steep on both sides. Towards the Helbronner end of the traverse are » read more »
Day 1: We took the Montenvers train from Chamonix up to the Mer de Glace for a bit of crevasse rescue practice and gentle acclimatisation in advance of doing anything more serious. The infamous Mer de Glace ladders turned out to be great fun. We used basic “cow tails” to clip on for extra security and » read more »
Author: Phil Newby