What's new in the mountains this week?

Good Snow . Very Good Skiers.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 09:57:00 +0000

Jake and his son Kit joined me for three days of ski mountaineering. The weather and conditions were fabulous. This was Kit's first introduction to touring although he and his father were very good skiers.

Despite their ability, neither of them had skied in Chamonix before, which from my point of view was good because it gave me a "blank canvas" to show case some of the great day tours on offer.

On the first day we headed to Le Tour where we went through the fundamentals of avalanche safety protocol and then headed over to the point Carraye, which offers spectacular views up the Rhone valley. Returning to the resort we had a mixture of good skiing but also some challanging skiing.

On our second day we headed first to La Flegere from where we skied over to Brevent and from the summit of Le Brevent we headed to the col du Brevent and dropped off the back side. Here we hit some first rate skiing.

At the 2000 meter mark we stopped and put our skins on before climbing back up to lac Cornu. Here we stopped for some lunch. Afterwhich we continued to climb to the Col de la Gliere. We then skied down the combe de la Gliere and joined the piste. What was even more fantastic was despite it being Easter we saw no one all day.

solitude.

Our final day we again headed for La Flegere this time for the famous Col Crochue/Col Berard ski tour. It is a marvellous journey, BUT it is always busy or at least the first climb is. Generally after the first col eveyone fans out. This is what happened to us and once again we found our selves on our own.

Jake making his way up to the col Crochue.

Jake & Kit with Col Crochue in the background.

The challange we faced was that it was getting very hot. This meant that the snow was deteriorating and there was an increased risk of wet-slide avalanches, so we had to keep moving and get through all the difficulties efficiently. The tour conviently finshes at the Hotel du Buet which has a bar. An ideal place to wait for the train which whisked us back to La Flegere.

Skiing Contrasts between the US & Europe.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 09:50:00 +0000

It continues to be sunny cold and great snow, with the added adavantage of their being no one around.

Grands Montets looking perfect.

Skiing with Shanon and Antonia’s extended families was a study in contrasts—different abilities, different goals, but a shared enthusiasm for skiing somewhere else other than the US... Between them, there were a lot of children, which meant balancing progression, safety, and enjoyment across a wide range of skill levels.

I spent my time with Colin, [Shanon’s son] and Antonia ,the ones keen to explore Chamonix's off-piste terrain with me. Together we covered the fundamentals of avalanche awareness: terrain selection, snowpack basics, route planning, and decision-making. The focus was on avoiding risk rather than reacting to it—understanding where not to go is more important than knowing how to get out of trouble.

We also discussed the cultural differences between skiing in France and the United States. In France, off-piste skiing is more integrated into the overall ski culture, but it comes with a clear expectation: if you leave the marked runs, you are responsible for your own safety. Mountain guiding is a regulated profession, with standardized training and certification, which creates a consistent baseline of expertise.

In contrast, mountain guiding in the U.S. is not uniformly regulated. While there are excellent guides, the lack of consistent oversight means the level of training and experience can vary more widely. It puts more responsibility on clients to vet who they ski with and to understand the risks involved.

For the rest of the group—those who preferred to stay on piste and focus on improving their skiing—I arranged sessions with my friend , ESF instructor Hugo Goisnard. This proved to be the right call. Hugo managed to raise the group’s technical level quickly while keeping the sessions engaging and safe. Confidence improved across the board, and just as importantly, everyone had fun doing it.

In the end, the trip worked because it matched the right approach to the right people: structured progression on piste for most, and focused safety education in off-piste terrain for those ready to take that step.

Hut to Hut Ski Touring abandoned. But still it could be worse...

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:26:00 +0000

Spring breifly falterered handing conditions back to winter quite decisively. This is just as Charles arrived already to go ski mountaineering for a week.

To start with the weather was good:

We kicked of with the beautiful tour off the back of the Col du Brevent. As we made our way through the trip the weather was deteriorating. In the end we comfortably made it back- but then everything changed.

Winter returned big time

So dramatic was the change in weather , with a huge drop in temperature and lots of fresh snow that we had to change our plan and content our selves with skiing untracked powder in the trees of St Gervais

On learning of our new found plan and hearing how good the skiing conditions were Tabatha, Charles daughter, dropped everything, including the baby and headed out to join us.

Skiing in parts of Megeve which I didnt know existed

Mind you the next day, we were somewhat wrong footed. Expecting fabulous conditions at Combloux we eagerly arrived at the station to find that it had closed for the season- despite the best conditions of the year...

I hastily came up with a paln B. We headed to Rochbrune where we skied through powder making our way to the top of the teleski de Rochfort. At the pre Rosset we dropped off the back of the resort, before putting our skins on and heading to the col La Croix de Pierre. It was our intention to then ski down to Haute Luce and then work our way back through Les Contamines lift system. Yet at the col conditions were not great. Low visibility and an increasing avalanche risk. Instead we headed to the resort of Pras sur Arley. This was not simple - the snow was difficult to ski, we had strong winds and a river to contend with.

minor kit malfunction

Tabatha attempting to get out of the stream

Yet we made it into the resort and even managed to find a great place to eat, yet the menu was not comphrensive due to the fact that the resort was closing in a couple of hours...

Despite the fantastic snow we were finding the resorts closing in front of us. One resort that was still open and in incredible condition was La Thuile in Italy so we went there and enjoyed marvellous untracked powder skiing- in beautiful weather.

On our final day the weather was not clear, but it was still cold and the snow was still so we returned to St Gervais where conditions remained jaw dropingly good.

No one around

Looking down the Epaule towards Le Fayet

Fabulous mid season conditions.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:59:00 +0000

There has been a lot of snow in the Alps. It has thoughtfully consolidated itself into an excellent base, which, combined with largely stable weather and the occasional replenishing snowfall, has produced conditions that are—on balance—rather good. John Young, arrived at exactly the right time.

Monday

We headed to Combloux. It was quiet, the sky was blue, and fresh snow clung photogenically to the trees. In short: perfect. We skied off the back of the resort down to Le Plan. The snow began as impeccable, before evolving—thanks to a change in aspect—into a charming sun crust that encouraged some interpretive skiing. We sensibly skied around to north-facing slopes and were rewarded with a proper run through untracked powder in the trees. Returning to the lift system, we stopped for lunch at Bon Journal, which was efficient in the way one hopes lunch always will be.

Tuesday

Under more beautiful weather, we went to La Flégère, where ski mountaineers were out in force. We exited the gondola, turned left, and immediately achieved the rare luxury of solitude for the rest of the day. From the top of Le Brévent, we traversed the ridge and, just before the Col du Brévent, dropped onto north-facing slopes. While not entirely untracked, there was more than enough space to enjoy ourselves without social interaction.

We eventually encountered a group who had tracked the snow—an ENSA assessment team digging a snow pit for their final exams, presumably enjoying themselves in their own way. We then applied skins and headed up to Lac Cornu for a brief lunch before continuing over into the Combe des Glières and back into the Flégère lift system.

hitting the sweet spot

digging an avalanche pit

Wednesday

A bigger day. We were joined by Andrea, my daughter a fully qualified Chamonix ski instructor, along with our family friend Faerthen, an ex–US avalanche forecaster. One does like to travel with people who know what they’re doing.

The day began in perfect cold, clear conditions. But this did not last. As we climbed behind the Autannnes chairlift, mist poured over the ridge marking the France–Switzerland border. Our plan to picnic was abandoned in favour of not being blown over.

We skied down to Trient, enjoying some fantastic snow, where Jeff kindly collected us and drove us back to Chamonix.

John & Andrea

mist rolling in from Switzerland

skining to boot packing

Atmospheric and fantastic

Thursday

Still with blue skies we headed to Verbier or more specifically Brusson. We wanted a less full on day. The ascent of Six Blanc was perfect.

Six Blanc see from the top lift

About to launch off down the north face

Plus for reasons we couldnt work out, we found trackless powder down the mountains north face. [Normally in place like Verbier if there are no tracks in perfect snow you should ask your self what does everyone else know that you don't?]

Friday

Another standout day. We made the traverse of Mt Joly to Les Contamines via Tete de la Combaz

The ridge between Megeve & Les Contamines

John following the ridge- tricky on skins.

looking towards Sallanches

This is a truely fantastic ski tour with jaw dropping views on a 360 vista. Whats more when we arrived above Les Contamines we were treated to a 1500meter vertical descent on sublime spring snow.

Saturday .

The skiing had been so good at Les Contamines that it made sense to return directly there. Yet the weather wasn't as perfect as it had been. There were patches of cloud which occluded the sun. We particularly needed the sun to transform the snow to spring snow. Eventually we got the conditions and managed to replicate the skiing of the previous day. A great way to finish six first rate skiing adventures.

Skiing was perfection until it ran out

A comphrenesive set of the weeks photos can be found here https://www.flickr.com/photos/114992191@N02/albums/72177720332631121/

Father & Son Intro to Ski Mountaineering

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:53:00 +0000

Cal and his son James joined me for a couple of days in order for them to prepare for a multiday ski tour later in the season.

This was to be James introduction to ski touring On our first day we headed to Le Tour. Things didnt get off to a good start because the key lift broke down in front of us. Mind you we were more fortunate than the people who needed to be rescued from the swinging chairs...

We had a good session on the use of avalanche transceivers and rescuse protocol. After which we went on a mini tour heading up to the Carraye and the impressive views up the Rhone valley .

The next day it snowed heavily. We postponed a day, which was good because when we reconvened the weather and the fresh snow were excellent. We headed for Combloux and climbed the Petite Croix Baulet. It was a Sunday and it was busy on the summit. Yet everyone else seemed to ski back the way they had come. We didnt do that, instead we skied down towards Giettaz.

descent to Giettaz

Touring in the Val d'Anniviers

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 09:56:00 +0000

Solitude

So Catherine Lewis and I visited the Hotel Weisshorn again. This time Catherine brought her husband Richard along too. We arrived at the hotel having warmed up by skiing around the resort of St Luc. After a good lunch at the Cabane Bella Tola we skied some horrible snow, before donning our skins and climbing up to the Weisshorn Hotel.

There was only one problem. I had become quite ill. I couldn't eat dinner and at breakfast the next morning I was far from okay. We decided that Catherine and Richard should ski back into the resort of St Luc and ski around on the piste. I would go back to bed and spend the day there.

This seemed to work because when we reconvened for dinner I had recovered my appetite and the next day normal service could be resumed.

We had a marvellous day. After a good breakfast of boiled eggs [10 minutes soft boiled at 2337m] we headed out in the direction of the Pointe de Tourtemagne. There was no one about. Plus it had snowed overnight. Not much but just enough to spruce the snow up.

The descent of the west face was spectacular and steep. Yet the snow was good and safe and we enjoyed many perfect turns all the way back to the car- some 1500meters of vertical drop.

Pointe de Toutemagne showing the west face descent route.

First Visit to a high mountain refuge of the season

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 10:57:00 +0000

Greg & Bill having a picnic on the long appraoch road

Fabulous weather and great snow cover meant our trip to the Refugio Benevolo was very good. Bill, Greg and I drove through the Mt Blanc Tunnel and then down the Aosta valley from where we turned up the long side valley to Rhemes Notre-Dame. Here the road stopped abruptly because it hadn't been ploughed any further. We dumped the car and started skinning up the road. We passed through the final village [compeletely closed in the winter] before joining a long beautiful valley where tired, we arrived at the welcoming Refugio Benevolo nearly 4 hours after leaving the car.

The road becomes a path

Despite mid week the refugio was packed. It was a good job that I had made the booking several weeks beforehand. It is a great place, with friendly helpful staff, good food, good beer AND hot showers. The down side is that the rooms are extremely narrow and there are three tier bunks . Ear plugs are essential.

Resident Fox

Benevolo

The next morning we climbed Punta Galicia 3346 m . This is a long way! It is aslo one of those peaks which has many false summits. Despite the refugio being busy we had the whole route to ourselves and the sense of wilderness added to the experience .

Greg on the summit of Punta Galicia

We enjoyed a second night at the refugio and the next morning we embarked on a wonderful U shaped tour that ultimatly brought us directly back to the car. We left the refugio at 8.00hrs and headed to the summit of the Pointe Paletta 3024m. This was a good ascent following an interesting ridge to the top of a narrow summit.

We were able to ski off the top by a steep slope which lead us into an endless valley through ever changing scenary. A brilliant days ski mountaineering.

On arriving back at the car our plan was to find a hotel. Yet it now being the weekend, we failed. So we returned to Chamonix.

On the Sunday we skied off the Col du Brevent before skining back up to lac Cornu and then up and over into the Combe de la Gliere and back into the Flegere lift system.

On our final day we headed for the village of Liddes and completed what I currently consider to be the best one day ski tour there is : The Tour de Bavon with the descent of the Combe de L'A

Stunning view towards lac Leman

Tricky conditions.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 14:31:00 +0000

Conditions in the Alps continue to follow their familiar pattern of being either slightly too snowy or not nearly snowy enough. Mid February much of Switzerland, northern Italy and the Rhône Alps has been sitting at a fairly emphatic 4/5 avalanche hazard, with several days reaching a full and uncompromising 5/5.

Then the sun came out and it got very, very hot. This created various avalanches in the Chamonix area that ended up on the piste:

sorry about the guy stating the obvious.

My view is you should always wear an avalanche transciever if you are skiing on the piste as well as off piste if the risk is high 3 or 4.

The tricky conditions were however ideal for teaching snow craft and avalanche avoidance, which I did with four very keen skiers James Luke Will and Kass.

Add good example of hard wind slab

Plus as a result of some unwanted freeze thaw at about 1800meters we got to ski some henious breakable crust.

It was therefore with some intrepidation that I headed out the next day with Kristoff and his father Staffan. Yet it turned out to be stunning . We set off from La Flegere and headed over to Brevent. We took the cable car to the summit. Despite it still being the French school holidays [zone Paris] and blue sky there were few people around. We skied off down the Charles Boson piste and then cut off it and headed over to the Col du Brevent.

We dropped off onto north facing slopes where we found perfection

We skied down until the altimeter read 2000 meters. Here we put on our skins and climbed up to lac Cornu.

Then across the lake where we stopped for lunch, before making the final climb to the Col de La Glieres.

We then skied back down the Combe de la Gliere, where we joined the Lachenal piste. Stunning day, stunning skiing and we saw no one all tour. As good as it gets.

Skiing Through Chaos

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 14:47:00 +0000

Iconic Land Rover in its element

Dax enjoying himself

It was raining hard in Chamonix. Every ski lift was closing — or had already closed — due to avalanche risk. So we knew we weren’t skiing in the valley. It had to be snowing somewhere; the question was where, and at what altitude.

Mark, Annie, Gavin, Dax and I headed for Combloux. We arrived, got out of the car, and were immediately soaked by torrential rain. It did not, at that moment, feel like a masterstroke.

Yet as we rode the first gondola, the rain turned to sleet, then to big,fat flakes of snow. Eventually it became dry, fluffy snow — the sort you imagine in brochures and rarely encounter in real life. Because we were in the trees, we had visibility, shelter, and a day of skiing untracked bottomless powder. The trick, as ever, was simply being at the right altitude, on the right aspect, with a realistic appreciation of what 24 hours of weather had just done to the snowpack.

On Thursday the weather was just as chaotic — if anything, more so. Even more snow, and once again everything closed in Chamonix. This time we headed to St Gervais. The avalanche risk was 4/5, which concentrates the mind. Low-angle slopes, trees, careful route choices: , all of it necessary for a good day

Friday dawned clear. We headed to Les Contamines and were treated to world-class conditions. Every turn was smooth, cold, and deeply satisfying. Even so, route choice remained a critical necessity. Blue skies do not repeal the laws of physics, nor do they reset a snowpack that has spent the week being rearranged by storms.

Annie in pillows of powder

Choose the routes carefully

Saturday, the snow returned. After careful reading of the weather forecast we decided to head to Courmayeur . The skiing was again exceptionally good. Significantlly colder than Chamonix meant the snow was as good as it gets, and there was a lot of it!

two meters?

We also managed to enjoy a good lunch at the Chaumiere. ,

On the final day, Sunday, we returned to Italy once more, this time heading to La Thuile. By then the rhythm of the week was clear: read the weather, respect the snowpack, choose terrain accordingly, and avoid confusing enthusiasm with judgment.

It’s remarkable how often good skiing follows that formula.

After lunch we skied endless powder fields all the way back to town.

On of the many long descents.

Klosters 26 Skiing In the aftermath of the Evil Elite Conference.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 18:17:00 +0000

Just spent four days skiing in possibly my favourite ski resort. I still maintain that it has the best lift accessed of- piste skiing of any where I have ever been.

Plus we got to stay in one of the most iconic ski hotels. It is not one bit fancy, yet its history is so intertwined with the development of skiing with many of its pioneers having stayed here in its long illustious past. [See previous posts about Klosters for more information]

Hotel Wynegg

Having said that, our first day was indifferent from a weather and conditions perspective, primarily, it had not snowed in ages.

Nevertheless it did snow overnight, not much, but enough. Our second day allowed us to ski some long contiuous runs all the way down to Wolfgang for an always excellent lunch. Afterwhich we took the bus to Davos, where they were still clearing up after the World Economic Forum, the so-called “Evil Elite,” who had evidently departed without stacking their chairs.

Now that I am President of the Association of British Mountain Guides it feels only right that I secure myself a delegate’s pass to the next gathering of the so-called Evil Elite so that I can tell them how it is.

Anyway we then rode the funicular to the Weissflujoch and skied back to Klosters.

Our third day the weather was beautiful. The snow was good. The plan was to ski down the back of Madrisa to St Antonine . Yet the key lift wasn't working. So we relocated, rode the lifts to the summit of the Weissfluh and then skied dreamy snow through the Casannapass then through the immaculate alpages all the way down to my favourite Klosters mountain restaurant at Conterser Schewndi.

Jane showing off her sponsored skis from Faction

Klosters at its best.

Despite the pistes being busy we skied our route without seeing anyone else.

Our final day the weather was indifferent again but we still managed some long off piste descents before finishing with a late lunch once again in Wolfgang.

This time after eating we just jumped on the train back to Klosters.

The thing about Klosters is that an indifferent day skiing in this resort is a wonderful day in most resorts.

Sooooo Cold

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 14:45:00 +0000

View from Crevacol looking towards the col du Gd St Bernard.

Some time ago I promised myself that I would never again complain about being cold while skiing. There are, after all, far too many days now when it is not cold enough. Modern skiers actively hope for cold; without it, we don’t really have a sport at all.
That said, last week was cold. Very cold.

We arrived before the sun, which was clearly in no hurry. Getting kitted up in the car park was bracing in the way that makes you question your life choices. Wrestling with ski boots that had apparently decided to shrink overnight was almost more than we could manage.

Despite this promising start, Crevacol turned out to be a delightful ski station with excellent terrain and huge off-piste potential. The only minor complication was that it was now –22°C and windy, which rather narrowed one’s comfort zone. https://www.crevacol.it

The following day we skied in Verbier, meeting up with Peter, Robert, Margret and Philip. The weather was immaculate—blue skies, not a cloud in sight, as it had been for weeks—yet the pistes were in remarkably good condition. Credit where it’s due: they had been beautifully maintained.

For old times’ sake we stopped for lunch at the Mont Fort Hut. Peter and I reminisced about staying there together during the Haute Route some 30 years ago. The legendary guardian, Daniel, has since retired, but the new owners are doing an excellent job, which was reassuring.

On Wednesday we skied the Savoleyres and La Tzoumaz areas, both in good condition.
Once out of the sun, however, the temperature was—how shall I put it—memorable. But as previously stated, I am not complaining.

On our final day the weather finally shifted. The temperature rose to a positively tropical –2°C and it began to snow. The first snowfall of the year. We chose to ski on the Bruson side of Verbier, which has the advantage of trees and therefore visibility—always a popular feature.

We finished skiing early as the snow became heavy and we were concerned about getting back over the Col de Forclaz to Chamonix. In the end the road was passable, though we did encounter several cars that were well and truly stuck. Being stuck without snow tyres is a double misfortune: first you are stuck, and then you are fined for it.

Once back in Chamonix, the snow really got going. We had two full days of continuous snowfall, which came as a great relief to everyone connected with winter sports—around here, that is more or less everyone.

50 Years of the British Mountain Guides.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 14:40:00 +0000

Last weekend I was fortunate to attend the 50th birthday party of the British Mountain Guides which was held in Fort William Scotland. Below is an attempt to describe just a little of what the organisation has achieved during that time.

Over the past five decades, the BMG has quietly helped shape the course of UK and global mountaineering through steady, thoughtful contributions across every corner of the mountain world.

From the beginning, the BMG has stood for professionalism, safety, and the passing-on of hard-earned knowledge. Its members guide on some of the most technical and serious terrain in the world, but their influence reaches far beyond individual climbs of which there are far too Guides many to name check in this article.

National recognition has occasionally come, with figures like Alan Fyffe, Rob Collister and Pat Littlejohn honoured with MBEs for services to mountaineering. Alan Hinkes OBE is a BMG member and is still the only Britain to have climbed all the worlds fourteen 8000 meter peaks.

These awards are rare acknowledgements of what has often background work: developing safety standards, expanding access, and inspiring generations of climbers.

Many members have also held key positions in organisations that define best practice for the wider outdoor community—Mountaineering Scotland, Mountain Training, Glenmore Lodge, and Plas y Brenin among them. These institutions are central to how outdoor education and mountain safety are taught and practised in the UK. Further a field, some BMG members have served as advisors on outdoor education policy in both the UK and the United States, ensuring that their grounded, experience-led approach helps inform national thinking.

Roger Payne—former BMG President and BMC General Secretary—played key roles in the British Mountaineering Council and global guiding circles.

One of the most enduring contributions came 40 odd years ago with the publication of "Chance in a Million?", a book co-authored by Bob Barton and Blyth Wright at a time when many still considered avalanches in Scotland to be little more than bad luck. The book was instrumental in shifting that perception, and can arguably be seen as the beginning of what would become the Scottish Avalanche Information Service—a vital part of winter mountaineering in the UK today.

Climbing’s public image has also been shaped by BMG members. Much of how televised audiences first experienced climbing in the UK owes a debt to the technical rigging and behind-the-scenes vision of Brian Hall and his rigging company. His team were key to the success of the film version of Touching the Void.

The creative side of mountaineering has long been nurtured within the BMG. Victor Saunders, in addition to a long list of cutting-edge ascents, has become one of the UK's most respected climbing writers. Sandy Allan’s Piolet d’Or-winning climb on Nanga Parbat’s Mazeno Ridge, and the reflective book that followed, added to a long tradition of storytelling that bridges adventure and insight. And while Pat Littlejohn didn’t invent sea cliff climbing, his influence on its development—particularly in the southwest—is hard to overstate.

In the technical realm, BMG members have often been at the leading edge. Alan Fyffe's decision to take the then-novel Terrordactyl ice tools to the North Face of the Droites was considered revolutionary at the time, and opened doors for another leap in standards in British alpinism. In more recent years, Will Sim has blended paragliding and mountaineering in the Greater Ranges—a modern expression of the same spirit of innovation.

Mountain medicine is another area where the BMG has made a mark. Owen Samuels mountain first aid course is widely regarded as a gold standard, adopted not only in the BMG but by other countries seeking to improve safety in remote terrain. Most notably the Ecole Nationale d’Ski and Alpinism ENSA in Chamonix France.

These are only a few examples in a long and growing list. As previously stated, not every contribution can be named, and many were never intended to be. That, perhaps, is what defines the BMG’s role over the last 50 years: not a single achievement, but a consistent presence that has helped shape mountaineering into something safer, broader, and more deeply rooted in community.

As the organisation looks to the future, There are new challenges environmental pressures, and evolving access rights and of course the biggest challenge of them all climate change. It is certain that the BMG is going to be a the epi- centre of how mountaineering adapts to this.

DMM limited edition Carabiner

Prized limited edition embossed Carabiner

Ski Touring with a reluctant friend in October

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 14:19:00 +0000

There aren't many cable cars open in October in the Chamonix Valley, yet at school half term the Flegere gondola is open for walkers. This coincided with some beautiful autum weather. Milo and I used the lift to go on various walks together. I even took my mountain bike and after he had had a good swim in the lake[created to supply the snow cannons] we would then zoom down the piste back home. He would run down because he can't ride a bike.

Aiguille Verte&Dru before the storm

Inevitably the weather broke and we indured a week of miserable weather where it rained hard. Towards the end of the week the temperature dropped and it snowed above 1800meters for several days. It even snowed in the garden.

We were both getting "cabin fever" and although the weather was still far from ideal we headed back up the Flegere gondola. Unsurprisingly we were alone when we arrived and were amazed to be met with 50cm of snow. We went for a short walk, but it was impossible to venture too far without skis.

So the next day we returned, this time with a hybrid ski/snow shoe. This is a Norwegian invention which looks like a short ski with half its sole covererd in a permeant skin which is glued to the base. The binding is like a snowboard binding and will take a hiking boot. In deep flat unconsolidated snow they are quite efficient. In anything else, they provide lots of comedy moments and are not recommended.

There had been a considerable top up of snow since the previous day, but the visibility was slightly better.

Milo shot out of the cable car station and headed for the lake. I followed on the hybrid skis and as soon as I hit the piste , I immediately experienced their limitations and went head first into a snow drift. Eventually I caught him up at the lake where he went for a swim.

Please can I go for a swim?

Milo and his favourite place

The third day the weather was fabulous. We again turned up at the Flgere lift station, but this time the car park was full, we just found the last spot. I had jettisoned the hybrid skis and had a real pair this time. Milo was excited too. He lept out of the car and bolted for the gondola, slalomed around all the parents and kids with sledges and some how got on the lift without me.

Once reunited I firstly voiced my discontent in no uncertain terms. Clearly this had zero effect because he headed off down to the lake for what he thought was another swim. Yet this time on a proper pair of skis I could keep up with him, attached his lead and headed off on our planned ski tour.

We ascended in the direction of Lac Blanc and suddenly we were virtually all alone.

Looking towards the Aiguille du Chardonet

We climbed for about an hour, but Milo was finding it hard work in the deep unconsolidated snow so we stopped for a drink and decided we had climbed high enough, yet he still found time to admire the view.

Milo admires the view

Aiguille Verte&Dru

The descent was marvellous. The snow in the shade made for wonderfull skiing. Yet for my ski -less friend it seemed like hard work.

On our return to the lift station we took a detour so Milo could enjoy a refreshing dip in his favourite lake.

So far this is an impressive start to the season. Let's see how it develops...

October rock climbing: From the gym to the real deal.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 14:41:00 +0000

Emma Henderson joined me for some multi-pitch alpine rock climbing, and our timing couldn’t have been better. We were blessed with a spell of stunning weather — the kind where, as long as you stayed in the sunshine, it was warm enough to climb in T-shirts. The trees were plastered with autumn colour, and the crisp air made for perfect climbing conditions.

This was Emma’s first real introduction to multi-pitch rock climbing, and she was keen to make the transition from the bouldering gym to the outdoors. Chamonix and the surrounding area is as good as a backdrop as any...

Emma's 1st Rappel

Emma took all this in her stride so the following day we returned to Switzerland and climbed on the excellent cliff Les Trappistes above the road between Martigny and Sembrancher. Again all these routes can be found in the "Entroment Escalades guide book." I would highly recommend getting a copy because it show cases some world class rock climbs.

Emma on the 5th pitch of Pantagreul

The line of Pantagreul

On our third day, we stayed closer to home and climbed the sunny slabs at Les Chesery, high above Argentière. We tackled the comparatively easy Voie Jaune, a fantastic route for learning about rope management and efficiency. It features an involved three-stage rappel to descend from the top — a perfect introduction to the art of multiple rappels. The views were jaw-dropping, enhanced by the turning autumn leaves . It’s the kind of setting that reminds you why you might want to climb somewhere other than indoors..?

Chamonix Aiguilles seen from Les Cheserys

1st pitch of Voie Jaune

A very big and well camouflaged Ibex

On our fourth day we climbed the modern classic Cocoa Girls which overlooks the franco swiss border in Chatelard. This was Emma's favourite climb of the week .

Emma on 4th pitch of Cocoa Girls

Mt Blanc framed between the ridge

Finally I would highly recommend the following guide book https://www.mountain-guide.ch/fr/Topo/

The Houses of Parliament Sir Chris Bonington Honorarium Lunch

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 14:10:00 +0000

Big Ben

It would be a mild understatement to say that this is not a Mountain Guides typical stamping ground, yet thanks to my friend John Young invitation this is where I found my self a couple of weeks ago.

UK Parliamnent

John and I were guests of The Outward Bound Trust who were hosting the Sir Chris Bonington Honorarium Lunch. It was in recognition of Bonington's life time support for the Trust's work and his uniquie ability to help them raise funds.

Having myself started my own journey in the world of outdoor education by working for Loch Eil Outward Bound back in the mid 1980's, it was wonderful to be a guest at this special event.

Members dining room

There were eighty guests, including Trustees, Donors, representatives from the British Mountaineering Council, plus two other British Mountain Guides, Iain Peters a former director of Plas -Y-Brennin[England&Wales national outdoor training centre] and Alan Hines OBE- the only Britain to have climbed the worlds fourteen 8000 meter peaks.

Lunch was held in the Houses of Parliament members dinning room. It was preceded by a Champagne reception followed by lunch.

Between the courses there were speeches where Bonington was presented with awards for his work for Outward Bound. He responded with heart felt thanks. Plus he commented on the fact that when he was climbing, there was no telephones on Everest where as now it is possible to call home from the summit.

He said he was greatful to have done all his climbing before the advent of this technology. He did not outwardly criticise the modern developments, just greatful that they had not yet been invented when he was climbing. This could be interpreted as if you still want a real adventure, then leave your phone behind. I wonder how many of us would actually do this!?

Chris Bonington accepting his awards

For me, it was a life event, something I could never imagined experiencing it was truely spectacular with lots of sensory overload. Then it was back on the plane and back to the mountains.

Heading back to Chamonix

Swiss Alpine Road Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Sun, 14 Sep 2025 14:44:00 +0000

For this particular trip it was a case of packing the car with every concievable bit of equipment to cover ascents of big remote 4000er,'s to road side cragging shorts and T shirts.

Charles Sherwood collected me from my house and we headed to the Furka Pass at the head of the source of the Rhone river. It is well known for its wonderful granite rock. The last time Charles and I had climbed here together was in 2004.

We headed up to the wigwam shaped Sidelenhutte. It was originally built by the friend of mine who I worked a lot with in my early guiding days:-

Martin Epp, a famous Guide from Andermatt, who pretty much single handedly carried the frame up on his back.

Since then it has been modified and extended out of all recognition. It was busy too because it was a Friday night with a good weather forecast, despite arriving in thick mist.

Our plan for the next morning was the Gross Bielenhorn via the classic south east ridge. We were away before first light, which was perhaps a mistake because we walked into a big boulder field [which despite head torches], was difficult to navigate in the pitch black. Yet we still found our way through more efficiently than the other team which started in the light.

Mind you we were eventually treated to a memorable sunrise.

The boulder field & Sidelenhutte

The climbing was first class and provided for some wonderful settings.

About 2/3rds of the way up the route moved into the shade and we found ourseles climbing in rock boots in ankle deep snow.

Towards the summit the route became more and more vertiginous and although never very difficult, it did provide some rather challanging route finding.

Charles arriving on the tricky summit block

From the summit there is a 25meter rappel followed by a lot of down climbing followed by 3 further 25 meter rappels followed by another descent through various boulder fields. All in all we were 10 hours on the go, by the time we arrived back at the car. So a fine warm up climb.

Naturally we needed to now find ourselves somewhere to sleep and headed for Andermatt. Yet we arrived on a beautiful Saturday afternoon which coincided with a big bike race. Our tried and tested plan of " Oh we will just wing it on the accomodation" fell apart. There was no where to stay apart from the "Andermatt Chedi". So it provided a complete contrast to the previous nights Hut experience .

The next day it rained, more significantly, it snowed in the higher mountains, thus putting pay to the idea of climbing a really high peak. So we used the day to relocate to the Bregalia travelling over various alpine passes. The most memorable being the descent into Italy via the Splugenpass which after passing through the village of Pianazzo embarks on a series of switch backs the like of which I have ever seen. Utterly terrifying.

We arrived at the gondola lift of Pranzairia, which we took us to the dam at lake Albigina and then had an easy 45minutes walk to the marvellous Capanna da L'Albigina Hut, where copious amounts of draft beer were on tap.

The next day we climbed the south ridge of the Piz Balzet

looking towards the dam and our route of approach

Charles following the ridge

Again we saw no one all day. The conditions were perfect and we were quick and efficient with the whole excursion taking about seven hours.

We spent the night at a B&B at the side of the road. The next day it was raining again heavily. We used the day again to re position . We drove through St Moritz, then put the car on the train through the tunnel to Klosters via the Veraina tunnel. Then headed towards Zurich before ending up on the shores of Lake Brienz where we found a lovely hotel right on the lake shore.

Some serious examination of the weather forecast was now needed, because not for the first time it was not being co operative. We decided on heading to the Fribourg region. More specifically the Gastlosen range, which I had got to know a couple of weeks earlier.

By the time we arrived it had stopped raining and we were able to climb a pleasant rock route called Glenfiddich for William.

Charles on " A Glenfiddich for William"

We stayed in the same hotel I had stayed in a couple of weeks beforehand in Jaun. The Waterfall Hotel.

The next day was going to be a long day. Our plan was to try the complete traverse of the Gastlosen range. [ I had failed to climb it on the last trip not least because we ran out of time!]

The approach starts with a brutal slog up a steep wooded path which then morphs into a steep scramble. The actual climbing starts right at the top of the Oberbergpass. At first its not too hard, but it is exposed. Then it gets very hard and very exposed [and polished ] Thankfully its not sustained and eventually you arrive on the top of the Eggturn. From there on, the climbing is steady but it is intimidating especially having spent the last week climbing on granite. The main challange is the route is a long way, with many pillars to climb up and around intermixed with a considerable amount of rappels.

Charles with the Eggturn in the background

Then when you think it is about to finish, there is a far from obvious key passage which is not mention in any guide book, yet is mission critical:

The key passage squeeze.

Yet eventually we made it and it gave a very memorable day on another classic Swiss mountain route.

On the following morning we a woke to heavy rain... We took a look at weather forcast and concluded that if we headed towards Martigny it would be sunny and dry. Which it was. We climbed in the Saliena valley before heading back to Chamonix in the late afternoon.

On our final day, we finished by climbing the impressive Asia on the Grande Floria above La Flegere. We needed to be quick because although the morning forecast- the afternoon was for snow!

Charles on the final pitch Asia Grande Floria

At the height of the season it is still possible to climb fantastic routes in complete solitude

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 12:22:00 +0000

John Young joined me for his annual summer alpine climbing trip. We have a fairly well established template. This is to search out places that John has never been [exetremely difficult] and to find beautiful classic climbs that also provide a high degree of solitude.

Even in Chamonix this is possible and on our first day we eased back into some rock climbing by climbing high above la Flegere on the excellent Eperon Sublime.

Eperon Sublime

John pulling over the final difficulty

On our second day we headed of to the Ticino region off Switzerland, where they speak Italian. This involved us driving over the Nufenen Pass and then down the other side to All Acqua, where we parked the car and walked up to the excellent Cabane Piansecco. Although there were a few other walking parties, John and I were the only climbers.

Therefore for our ascent of Porcine di Cassini Baggio 2860meters we were alone. It was a long rocky ridge which was harder to pronounce its name than it was to climb it. We were able to climb 99% of it by moving together and only stopped when we had to make a couple of rappels off the 2nd and 3rd towers.

The view from the summit towards the mighty Oberland peaks was our reward.

looking towards the Oberland

John descending what was left of the glacier

crampons might have been useful

The real challange only started when we reached the top. We were meant to descend down a simple glacier and pick up the path back to the Hut at the col. However the glacier had practically gone which left us downclimbing through huge unstable boulders which were both tedious and disconcerting.

Some path!

We eventually arrived firstly back at the hut then continued back to the car. Exhaughsted. "Fortunately" it rained the next couple of days which meant we werent obligated to do anything and allowed us to recover.

After which we embarked on part two of our adventure. We drove around to Switzerland and climbed in the beautiful Saleinaz valley on a great little route called Jardine Traverse.

It had the added advantage of it was minutes walk from the car. After we finished the climb we continued around to Villars with the intention of climbing the swiss classic the Miroir d'Argentine. We spent the night in an African themed hotel called the Wafo. It was unniquely decorated complete with Leopard and Zebra skin rugs. The rooms were comfortable, dinner was good, yet breakfast didn't happen because the staff over slept.

The approach to the Miroir d'Argentine is steep and brutal through forest which was more than akin to jungle.

Our route was to be the classic Voie de L'Y. It was easy to find because it had a helpful metal plaque at the bottom. This was the first route of the week where we had actually seen any other climbers. [It being Saturday and high season on one of Switzerlands famous craggs is hardly surprising.]

Mind you, we were quite happy to find other climbers because after the first two pitches there is a break in the route. I really struggled to find the continuation and it was only when I saw other climbers as a head of us that I was able to find a way.

Above the break the route really gets going and it has an excellent climbing on it although it is still tricky to find the right line.

In the middle of the climb, John cut his finger, and when he arrived at the belay, I was alarmed to see that it was spurting blood everywhere. Fortunately we were able to patch up his finger with a combination of plasters and duck tape. He did, however, leave a trail of blood, which must've been disconcerting for the group following us!

On reaching the summit the route is by no means over. The descent involves quite a tricky traverses above some huge drops before meeting the normal path on the way down. Yet it takes a long meandering route back to the valley. There is a faster direct "climbers path" which we choose to take, but it is very steep with lots of no fall no slip zones on shale paths which were impossible to protect. Unimaginable if it was wet.

Finally when we were heading through the beautiful meadows at the bottom we came across a random wedding!

The wedding party

We then drove around to Les Diablerts where we spent the night. We were in serious calorie deficit .

The following morning, Sunday, we headed to Gastlosen in the Fribourg region. We climbed the excellent "Glenfidich for William" [ No idea what the back story is to the name]. The climbing was good but it did seem quite hard for its grade, or we were still tired from the previous days excursions.

John on the third oitch of Glenfiddich

We really lucked out by finding a fabulous road side hotel - The Hotel Wasserfall in Jaun.

The excellent Hotel du Cascade.

The plan the next day was to do the complete traverse of the Gastlosen.

Having parked the car we embarked on yet another steep path/scramble to the Oberbergpass. The climb starts at the col. To our surprsie we were joined by a local Guide who was as suprised as us to see anyone else. It didn't take long for him to climb over and through us and he was long gone. We climbed the several pitches ahead of us, which were far more difficult than we had expected and eventually arrived on the summit of the Eggturn.

Gastlosen

1st couple of pitches on the Eggturn

John taking a "moment"

Summit Eggturn

It had taken us a lot longer than we would have wanted. The guide book suggested we could by-pass a couple of towers by following some yellow paint markers. We found the yellow paint markers but some how got taken way off route and ended up on some very nasty ground. The time was now against us and when we found a convient abandoned rappel rope we used it to escape and headed down. A party had evidently made the same mistake as us and had to leave what appeared to be a brand new rope.

The retreat

After a night of recovery spent on the side of Lake Geneva, we headed back to Martigny where we climbed on the crag Tara Club. We did the excellent AGMBV. This route can be found in the brilliant Entroment Escalades guide book.

Dinner Lake Geneva

Climbing is all about packing and unpacking

John on the final pitch

Lunch at Col des Planches

On our final day the forecast was poor - but we still had time to do the short but sweet Via Ferratta in le Buet , before it started to rain.

Thus ending a memorable ten days varied climbing.

Mont Aiguille - The Oldest Climb in the World

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 08:28:00 +0000

South Face Mont Aiguille

This is such a wonderful and significant mountain that it should be on every aspiring and confirmed mountaineers tick list. Perhaps luckily its not, otherwise it would be mobbed. Instead even in high season there were only a couple of parties.

I was joined by the father and son team of Alan and Conal from Dublin. I had climbed many times with Alan over the last 10 years, but Conal was new to mountaineering.

We met up in Chamonix for some warm up climbing and on our 1st day we climbed the Via Cordia above La Flegere. This is the perfect preparatory climb to do, because it mimics the type of climbing found on Mont Aiguille, plus it has a couple of rappels too.

Conal followed by his Dad.

The next day we had an all inclusive family trip because Michel joined us to climb Les Evettes via Ferratta, again above La Flegere.

On our third day we were able to complete the via Ferratta at Le Buet, before driving down to Mont Aiguille in about three hours, arriving at the hotel for a beer on the sunny terrace.

The next morning after a good breakfast selection , we were away by 8hrs. We took the 4X4 track, [a good 4x4 is highly recommended] which cuts about 30 minutes off the walk. We started the approach to the climb by walking up through a dense broad leaf forest. The shade was a welcome bonus. We made it to the start of the climb in under two hours. There were a couple of parties ahead of us, fortunately they were with Guides and they kept a good pace and we didnt' get slowed down by them.

We made steady progress weaving our way up the impressive rock architecture.

Alan&Conal on the belay of 3rd pitch

Conal on one of the many dramatic traverses

'Seaton variation' used to overtake some slower party's

We passed a couple of non-guided groups, then climbed the exit chimney, which is long and in places quite strenuous, then we pulled out onto the breath-taking plateau. We dumped the climbing gear and then had a leisurely stroll to the summit.

Conal & Alan Irvine on the summit

Now the ascent is relatively simple in terms of rock climbing standards. However the descent is not.

There were a few other teams picnicing on the summit and I was keen to get ahead of them to avoid queues and the inevitable faffing while setting up the rappels. So after some summit photos and a quick drink we headed back to the start of the descent [ which takes a completely different line to the ascent]

The plaque commemorating the 1st ascent in 1492.

The descent starts down a steep, loose gulley which has many false trails. The trick is just to keep going down, which is not always obvious. Then after about half an hour of down-climbing you arrive at the start of three rappels. The first is straight forward. The second is anything but. It sends you into a deep dark chasm. Figuring which way to go [at least the first time] is far from easy. A 60 meter rope is, by a few centimetres just long enough.

Conal starting the committing rappel

There is a third rappel which is short . Then its all over . We rejoinned the path of ascent and were thankful to be swallowed up and shaded by the forest, where the path led us back to the car. We scooped up Michel and then I drove us all back to Chamonix.

Mixed weather meant we had to take it day by day

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 07:08:00 +0000

Strange light on the Bossons glacier

Peter Little and I have been climbing together for over 30 years. In that time we have seen every sort of weather. This year was no different. The weather forecast changed every day which made planning a challenge, nevertheless we made the most of it. This is what we did over six days of climbing together.

On our first day we did a climb which did not even exist when Peter and I first started climbing together.

La Via Cordia , high above the middle station of La Flegere. It is a ideal first day climb which finishes at the top of the L'Index chairlift. Plus because the weather was so unpredictable it is a good choice because there are plenty of escape opportunities. Thankfully, the weather held, and we were able to complete the route albeit in rather thick mist.

Final section of La Via Cordia

On our second day we awoke to rain. It was intermittent rain but still rain. We headed back up this time to try the via ferratta les Evettes.

Final bridge.

On our third day, we again headed up La Flegere and attempt the multi pitch rock climb Athena on the Grand Floria cliff. All was good and the weather was fine until it was not fine. The rain came in and we were forced to escape and scuttle off back to the valley floor. We identified a gap in the weather, by studying the predictive weather radar. This allowed us to sneak in the excellent Via Ferratta in Le Buet and stay dry.

The forth day we climbed the Bel Ouseaux which is a strange name for a mountain. This is high above the Lac du Emossom. We were accompained not by a guide dog but by a Guide's dog, our Golden Retriever Milo.

Peter & Milo just below the summit

looking towards Aiguille Verde

Post walk ice bath

The fifth day it chucked it down. We made a futile attempt to out run the rain by visiting some beautiful crags in remote valleys in Switzerland, yet each time we thought we had a chance to start climbing, it started raining again.

Lunch in Switzerland

On our final day all was good. We drove through the Mt Blanc Tunnel, rode the Skyway cable car and emereged on to the glacier with wonderful views. Mind you it was cold with a biting wind.

Thought I'd seen it all: Man drags rolly suitcase across the glacier

Mont Blanc from the summit of Aiguille Marbree

Everywhere was plastered in a coating of fresh snow which made the scene even more beautiful. It was also surprisingly quiet as we headed over to climb the Aiguille Marbree. This would be our second ascent of the mountain. Peter reliably informing me that our first ascent together was on 1st July 1997!

Never regret getting up early -especially when it comes to alpine climbing.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 12:52:00 +0000

Harvey took a job in London that actually ended up being in Paris. Once he got over the intial shock it turned out to be a good thing. What's more it's only three hours from Paris to Annecy on the TGV. Then an hour to Chamonix.

This meant he could easily get his first taste of what alpine climbing is all about over a long weekend.

Our first day was spent on the Mer de Glace, which—despite its steady retreat—remains one of the finest places to learn essential mountaineering skills like using an ice axe and crampons for the first time. These fundamentals are not optional; without solid instruction from the outset, your mountaineering career could be cut short—or worse, built on shaky ground. Good crampon technique isn’t just useful—it’s mission critical.

On our second day we made the traverse of the Aiguille Crochue in the Aiguille Rouge. This is a wonderful rocky ridge traverse in a spectacular situation.

Harvey on Aiguille du Crochue with Mt Blanc in the background

The weather was beautiful, but it was extremely hot and the walk back, after the climb was brutal. I think I might have even got mild heat stroke.

On our third day we had an early start and we left the Chamonix valley at 5.30hrs so that we could meet our reservation on the Skyway cable car through the tunnel in Courmayeur.

Although such an early start was not really needed, it was because the only reservation I could get was at that time. Mind you once you finally step out onto the pristine glacier in the early morning light, you never ever regret getting up early. We climbed the Aiguille Marbree and then continued along its south ridge.

Harvey on the summit of the Aiguille Marbree.

At the end we were meant to rappel from the ridge and down a gulley onto tthe glacier, yet there were parties of incompetents infront of us being slow and dangerous. The prospect of them kickicking rocks on our heads, made me decide to reverse the ridge and climb down the way we had ascended. This worked well.

Back drop of Dent du Gent

It was then back across the glacier to the lift station. The early start meant we were back just after mid day, which was a good thing because it was already getting uncomfortably hot.

Training the next generation

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 09:32:00 +0000

I spent the last six days working on the highly rewarding Jonathan Conville Mountaineering Trust courses. The details of the courses can be found here .https://www.jcmt.org.uk

The family of Jonathan Conville established the Trust after he died on the Matterhorn in the winter of 1979, aged 27.

The core aim of the trust is to give young people between the ages of 18 to 30 years the foundation skills to start climbing in the alps independantly of professional Mountain Guides.

The courses are 3 days long. They are all based at Les Choselet campsite in Argentiere. [This was the favourite place of Jonathan Conville.]

Me and my fellow Guides were Neil Johnson, Caroline Ogden,Casper McKeever, and Dave Ruskin. We started by checking all the participants gear and then we showed them what we carried in our rucksacks and what they might consider carrying in theirs . Or rather what they might think of not carrying.

After which we went to Chamonix and rode the cable car to the top of Le Brevent where there is still a lot of snow, for some basic training plus lots of good rock ridges to introduce the concept of short roping.

The second day we climbed the south ridge of Les Glieres high above La Flegere, where we saw no one else.

South ridge of Les Glieres

On the final day we drove through the Mt Blanc tunnel and traversed the Aiguille du Toule by its mini north face which was in perfect condition.

North Face of Aiguille du Toule

moving towards the summit of Aiguille du Toule with the mighty Verte in the background.

The Last Corbett Party

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Sat, 17 May 2025 10:15:00 +0000

This was a truely unique and wonderful experience: Along wife my wife Jane and seventy odd other guests we were invited to climb John Young's last Corbett with him. He had already climbed all the Munros with his late wife Elizabeth.

The background to the Corbetts is described by John below:

"The Corbetts are second rank of Scottish mountains in height after the better known Monroes they are the 222 summits with the height of 2500 feet [762 m] or more but lower than 300 [914 m]

Unlike the 282 Munros, who is categorisation as separate mountains over 3000 feet is in entirely judgemental the Corbetts are precisely defined as having a drop of at least 500 feet between the summit and any higher land.

This difference in approach derives from the different origins of the two list of mountains the Munros are named after a Scottish landowner who researched and produced his tables in the latter part of the 19th century with publish materials limited by the rudimentary ordnance survey mapping of the time he surveyed many of the summits personally during long and unsupported expeditions on foot through the highlands his list was first published in the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) in 1891.

It revolutionised contemporary understanding of the extent of Scotland's mountain country with many commentators having previously believed that they were as fewer than 30 mountains topping the 3000 feet. Approximately 8000 people have now climed all the Munro's.

The Corbetts are named after John Roark Corbett who was born in 1876 in Handforth Cheshire after attending both the Manchester Grammar School and then St John's College Cambridge, he first worked in Manchester as a surveyor in a private practice before becoming a district valuer in the Inland Revenue valuation department initially in Manchester and subsequently in Bristol.

Although based in England he became a keen member of the SMC in the years between the two world wars.

Corbett was the first person to climb all the Munros concluding his round in 1930 and worked privately in subsequent years to compile the first list of the peaks that were later named after him. He never published his list during his own life time but sister passed it to the SMC following his death in 1949. The list first appeared in the 1953 edition of Munros tables and has subsequently been maintained and when necessary updated by the SMC. 205 Corbits are on the mainland of the Scottish highlands seven are in the lowlands not far north of the English border, the remaining 10 on the Isles of Arran, Harris, Jura, Mull, Rum and Skye."

Now the remarakble thing is that; more people have climbed Everest than have completed all the Corbetts. It is also likely that the people who have completed the Corbetts have a better understanding about what it is to spend time in wild places than the vast majority of Everest summitters...

The Last Corbett walk.

John had asked us all to be at the car park for a 10.30am start. We arrived early to be delighted to see my great friend and memtor Mountain Guide Alan Kimber was already there having camped the night. Gradually more cars arrived and at the perscribed time everyone set of along the track which traverseres the Loch with the aim of climbing Auchnafree Hill. It is one of the southernmost Corbetts lying in extensive moorlands on the east side of Loch Turret. At 2588ft (789m} it is the 176th highest of the 222 Corbetts.

The expedition had been a long time in the planning, but no amount of planning could guaranteed perfect stellar weather. It was difficult to imagine what better weather could have looked like and the hills and views were breath taking.

At the head of Loch Turret everyone re grouped before making the ascent up the track towards the top.. Everyone stopped at a cairn about a 100 meters before summit so that John could actually reach the summit first. Thus completeing all the 222 Corbetts.

John& Madeleine taking the final few steps.

John on the top.

John then pulled a bottle of Glen Turrets finest malt from his rucksack, which along with a bottle of Bollinger he passed around.

Me & Alan Kimber the UK longest serving Mountain Guide.

After about half an hour we all started back down the track, intermingling and chatting to lots of differnt interesting people. Back at the car park Jane and I made a detour to pick up a bottle of the Glen Turret that John had introducced us to, before heading to the Crieff Hydro for the evenings celebrations.

The evening commencenced with a 7 O'clock with a champagne reception followed by wonderful meal where I made a short speech and my wife and I presented John with a hand made engraved Ice Axe produced by the mythical blacksmith "Bhend of Grindlewald" Switzerland.

The dinner was concluded by a wonderful piper bringing a truely great experince to a finale.

Crazy when a Helicopter is cheaper than the train.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 10:50:00 +0000

Doggles our Pilot.

The Jungfrau railway is the gateway to the mountains of the Oberland. It is also, for its distance, the most expensive railway journey in the world. From Grindlewald to the incorrectly named "Top of Europe" Station is currently a nice round €200 - one way. [ I do concede there are deals which can make it less expensive.]

I had often thought there might be another way of getting to the mountains other than the train. What I discovered is that if there is a party of 4 of you, then it is arguably cheaper and a lot faster to simply hire a helicopter.

This is what we did: Michael Ian and Paul and I left Chamonix at 8.00am. and drove to a field next to an insignificant industrial estate near the town of Gampel in the Valais. At first it wasn't exactly obvious where the field was. At 9.45hrs the helicopter arrived.

some random field...

At 10.00hrs we took off.

11minutes later we landed just below the summit Abni Flue.

Landing point.

Needless to say all this was very exciting and there was a fair amount of sensory overload, plus it was also very windy and bitterly cold.

Due to the wind we decided not to force ourway to the summit, but instead skied down the vast glacier, threading our way through the huge crevasse's all the way to the Konkordiaplatz.

We stopped to eat our sandwiches, which didn't take long because the wind had increased. We skinned up to the bottom of the stair- case below the Konkordia Hutte and slowly [due to the wind] made our way the the Hutte.

The stairs to Konkordia Hutte.

Chilling by the pool.

The Hutte was full to bursting, yet the staff were well organised and both dinner and breakfast were well organised. Still the next morning we were pleased to find our selves all alone on the vast Aletschglacier as we made our way to Feischeralp.

We left the glacier by a nice skin ascent to the tunnel, which entranced into the spectacular Feisch valley . We then skied over to Feischeralp and rode the gondola straight onto the station platform where we took the train back to the Gampel station. Where waiting for us was an Air Glacier pick-up truck which took us back to the car.

Part Two of the Adventure

We then drove around to Les Diablerts where we had some unfinished business from last year, when we had been foiled in our attempt to climb the Aiguille Diablerets due to some violent winds.

With no plan of where we might stay the night - we really lucked out by turning up at an amazing hotel which was just brilliant . The Hotel du Pillon.https://www.hoteldupillon.ch/en

I arrived down stairs for a pre dinner drink to find Paul making the drinks behind the bar. The bar was run on a trust basis! Dinner was excellent where we were all advised to have the Hotel's signature dish - a very elaborate cheese macaroni, washed down with some local vintage red wine.

Hotel du Pillon

View from bedroom window.

After a very comprehensive breakfast [where we were given a demonstration of various boiled egg crackers] we drove up to the Glacier 3000 lift station and headed up through the lift system and then on to the summit of Les Diablerets.

Yet as we got to the top we were enveloped in thick mist. We hung around for a bout 10 minutes and the missed cleared and we were treated to impressive views.

Summit of Les Diablerts

On our fourth and final day we skied in Chamonix. It was almost 10 years since Michael and Ian had completed the Haute Route with me. 32 years since Michael and I had climbed Mt Blanc together! During the Haute Route when we had skied over and onto the Argentiere glacier we had done so in thick mist. [Plus there had also been the Grands Montets cable car.]. This time we had a cloudless day.

So we skinned up from the top of the Herse lift and then skied down onto the Argentiere glacier before making our way down the piste to lunch at the Cremerie d'Argentiere my favourite restaurant in the Chamonix valley.

Michael & Ian

Glacier des Rognans

A Ski Traverse of the Oberland.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 11:30:00 +0000

Extrordinary photo skiing of the Trugberghttps://catherinelewisphotography.co.uk/home/

Despite living in Switzerland and being a keen climber and skier Catherine Lewis had not yet been to the mountains in the Oberland. Last years trip was thwarted by the weather and we ended up going to Italy instead. Hopefully it would be second time lucky - Again she was joined by her friend Kate Ferguson.

We had a plan and followed it. Catherine and Kate drove from Geneva and we met just outside Martigny with the aim of having a warm up ski tour at my new favourate ski resort: Liddes. I had been there exactly a week beforehand and had enjoyed perfect conditions. I couldn't think of a reason not to return.

Yet when we arrived it was shut. Shut for the season despite the conditions still being immaculate.

I was taken off guard and had a mild panic attack- yet fortunately conjured up a plan B. We drove to what use to be the Super Gd St Bernard ski area, but it sadly closed in 2010. [There is a brilliant short video about the place which is defiantly worth wathchingGhost Resorts]

We enjoyed a good ascent to the "col sud de Menouve" on the Swiss /Italian border.

Catherine & Kate getting excited about crossing the border.

What's more the ski back down was really really good.

The old pylons & our ski tracks.

Then we drove to Visp and abandoned the car at the railway station. Afterwhich we took the train to Grindlewald and checked into the Hotel Wolter which is a minutes walk from the train station.

[It was part of the plan because we didn't have any foot wear other than our ski boots.]

Now, we knew the weather forecast for the next day, Wednesday, was going to be indifferent so we had already fine-tuned our plans to take this into account. We made our way upto the Jungfraujoch via coffee in the exquisite Bellevue Hotel at Kliene Schydegg before stopping for an indifffernt lunch at "The Top of Europe" railway station. Two Hundred Swiss Francs for a one way ticket - The most expensive railway in the world which always reminds me of the quote:

"Switzerland: A place that works the senses so thoroughly that you barely notice the efficiency with which it simultaneosly working your wallet."

Especially for the poor people who had made the trip in the zero visibility...

Into the bad weather.

Catherine leaving through the exit door

We made our way slowly to the Monchjoch Hutte along the semi ploughed track and as we did the weather slowly started to clear and we caught the odd glimpse of our destination.

The Monchjoch Hutte.

The next morning it was a different story: The weather was stellar.

view from Monchjoch Hutte.

We left the Hutte at about 8.00hrs and skied down the Ewigschneefäld glacier, where we then made a gradual climb up to the col just below the Trugberg.

Arriving at the col below the Trugberg

This set us up with a truely world class ski all the way down to the Jungfrau glacier then onto the Aletsch glacier.

descent from the Trugberg line of descent in red.

We stopped for a picnic inorder to fortify ourselves before the stair case climb to the Konkordia Hutte.

This year there are 400 steps to negociate. No doubt next year there will be more added.

The 400 steps

Mind you, you can stop half way up the steps to write and send a post card.

Nevertheless once you arrive the Konkordia Hutte is in an undeniably extrordinary position.

View from terrace at sun set looking toward the Hollandia Hutte and direction Blatten

The next morning the weather was still perfect. We had breakfast at 6.00hrs and were away just before 7.00hrs. Our plan was to ski down the rest of the the Aletsch glacier and arrive in Fiescheralp. But before we could do that- there was the matter of negotiating the 400 steps...

Me & Kate at the top of the metal stairs.

At the bottom of them, we collected our skis and headed off down the glacier. Despite the hutte being very busy the previous night we soon found ourselves all alone in this mind boggling wilderness- still the longest glacier in Europe.

The Aletsch glacier.

Near the foot of the glacier we made a left turn and transitioned from skiing to skinning and headed up a beautiful valley towards the tunnel which takes you into the ski resort of Fiesch.

The skin from the glacier to the tunnel takes about 40 minutes.

Light at the end of the tunnel -1 km away.

The tunnel is about one kilometer long, complete with a creepy shrine halfway along it. Once at the far end you find your self in a completely different valley system - a short ski followed by a short walk puts you into the Fiesch lift system. We followed a long traverse, [which because it faces due south we were happy to complete in the morning ] puts you onto the piste and eventually athe the foot of chair lift which we blagged a free ride back up to Feischeralp. From here we took a gondola down to the town of Feisch.

Infact the gondala dumps you in the railway stattion! Half an hours wait for the train, then back to Visp where we picked up the car. A very satifactory trip.

If ski touring can be better than this - Then show me what it looks like...

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Seaton) — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 19:55:00 +0000

Mighty Grand Combin seen from Tour Bavon.

It snowed the day before John Young and I were due to meet for our six days ski touring together. But there after the weather forecast for the next 4 days was perfect.

So on our first day together it was nescessary to let the newly fallen snow settle down and for the avalanche risk to go down before we headed off on any steep terrain. We therefore opted to head to Combloux and climb the Petit Croisse Baulet.

John on the summit with Mt Blanc peaking through the cloud

Once on the summit we had to decide which way to ski down inorder to find the best snow and most interesting descent. We choose to head in the direction of Geittaz. This proved to be a good choice as we found great untracked snow and we had the place to ourselves. Yet there was a price to pay because the snow did run out leaving us with a 20 minute walk through some very gooey mud.

It was good while it lasted

20 miunutes walk

Followed by a tricky river crossing which I should have in hindsight walked across sans ski and only just made it without a comedy moment.

This could end badly

John having watched, on much bemused, elected to walk ...

The drop into the stream is further than it looks!

On the Tuesday we headed to Liddes. This is about an hours drive from Chamonix in the village just before the Gd St Bernard tunnel. The ski tour was absoultly sensational . We had fresh snow and once we left the "lift System" [Liddes has one chair and two drags], we saw no one - yet had perfect blue skies.

We arrived on the summit of the Tour Bavon where we had a picnic before skiing down the vast comb before rejoining the track which eventually lead us back to the car.

The day wouldn't have been complete without stopping at the Fondue Vending machine which is conviently situated on the main road in Liddes. [Best Fondue cheeses I have ever eaten]

On the Wednesday we skied off the back of Le Brevent, despite it being a 100% busier than the two previous days we still found some untracked cold snow which was excellent.

This was a sort of reverse ski tour, because we did most of the skiing first and then skinned back upto Lac Cornu then upto the Col de la Gliere, before skiing down the Combe de la Gliere into the Flegere lift system.

traversing Lac Cornu

On the Thursday we headed for Les Contamines, where, because we had had 3 days of solid sunshine, combined with cold clear nights - we hoped to find some good spring snow. We were not dissapointed and were rewarded with some huge long descents on perfect spring snow.

Me on spring snow with Mt Blanc in the background.

By Friday the weather was begining to turn- with the dreaded Foehn threatening to appear. We decided to stay local and ski off the back of Le Tour. This proved to be very good, with the added bonus that we had the place to ourselves.

John skiing off the summit of the Tete de Balme with the Foehn weather obscuring Mt Blanc.

Saturday the forecast was for poor weather , so again we decided to stay local and find some tree skiing which was relatively high. We headed to Les Grands Montets. Not for the first time this month the weatther forecast was completely wrong -in our favour. The skiing off -piste was poor so we contented our selves by skiing on piste and then heading for lunch at the always excellent Cremerie d'Argentire - probably my favourite place to eat while skiing at Les Grands Montets.

The many many people heading off on the Haute Route