The information that I had about Errigal's Tower Ridge was rather limited. Some fragments that I found on the internet included "best way to climb Errigal", "loose rock", "can be solo'ed" and a vague topo on a blog. Enough to spark my interest. Equipped with a helmet for the loose rock, I set out to explore this route onto County...

The Causeway Coast Way is a 2-3 day hiking trail from Ballycastle to Portstewart along the spectacular Antrim coastline in Nothern Ireland. Bus lines 172 and 402 (journey planner) provide a good service along most of the path, making it possible for me to do the core section of the Causeway Coast Way as a linear day hike. I...

The Raaberg, the easternmost summit of the Mattstock massiv, is only rarely climbed. When it is visited, then usually by either 360 or carpintero, it seems. The Raaberg has an east summit (P. 1723) and a west summit (P. 1779). Only the east summit is named on the map and described in the SAC Clubführer. Strange, because the west...

Day 1 Brione - Scimarmota - Alpe Masnee T4+,1700m ascent, 400m descent,7h30 (In summer conditions over the marked path ca. T3+,250m ascent fewer,2h faster)   SBB chaos part one. Extra trains and carriages going south for the bank holiday weekend? No sign of...

Sankt Antonien is a quiet place right now. Last week's fresh snow has disappeared surprisingly quickly. A fewstubborn ski mountaineers are still venturing into the north slopes of the Geisstschuggen and the Hasenflüeli. The valley of the Aschariner Alp, however, is completely deserted, and gives possibilities for a very quiet...

With the weather forecast predicting dry weather only in north-eastern Switzerland, the Gonzen seemed like a good option. Initially, I had the Leiterliweg ("ladder path") in mind, but checking the SAC Alpinwandern/Gipfelziele guidebook the night before, I discovered the Follaplatten route as a more challenging alternative. We...

I was looking for something to do on the road from Munich back to Zürich and my eye fell on the Aurikelgrat onto the Burgberger Hörnle. This short grade II scramble seemed like a good way to start the 2016 hiking season. The Burgberger Hörnle is a secondary summit of the Grünten, which (as an outlier of the Allgäu Alps)...

The Spitzmeilen is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable summits in its area. Though the surrounding landscape is mostly relatively gentle, the wild Spitzmeilen summit crag sticks out in a forbidding fashion. The ascent is demanding, be it in summer or in winter. We decided to attempt a winter ascent and to make a two-day trip...

After doing the Traversata Alta delle Grigne in December, I knew that I would be back in the Alpi Lecchesi, but I had not expected to be back this soon. I had to endure some weird looks from people who didn't understand that I would head south, just now that the snow has finally arrived in the north. But the sunny weather forecast...

Instead of complaining about the bad snow conditions in the north, I decided to head south again, where it is possible to pretend that it's still September. There has been no precipitation since mid-October and the temperatures are still quite comfortable in t-shirt. In search for a hut that is still open, I stumbled upon the...

A new via ferrata in the Glarus valley? It was a well-kept secret to me until tricky and Alpin Risepublished their reports. Time for an exploration... ---- The "Indianerkopf" rock, on which the via ferrata is built, is clearly visible from Netstal railway station. From the station, we cross the river and head towards the...

While winter has at least made a brief visit to the north of Switzerland, the south still looks like summer. It's mid December, but alpine hiking is still possible in Tessin to altitudes well above 2000m. Our goal had a slightly more modest altitude, but an all-the-more rewarding route to the top: the via della variante onto the...

The Arosa-Lenzerheide area is not supposed to be a quiet place in winter. However, the Tschiertschen ski area was still closed due to lack of snow and Arosa-Lenzerheide was also struggling to get the winter season going. We took advantage of the unusual quiet by doing a snow shoe hike onto the Parpaner Schwarzhorn, and indeed we...

Yet another weekend with great mountain conditions, this is starting to get exhausting! This time, I drove together with David to the Valle di Blenio, where we planned a weekend of mountain fun with an overnight stay in the winter quarters of the Capanna Motterascio. Day 1 Passo Muazz - Sosto - Passo Muazz 2h30, 550m ascent,...

The Fürstensteig and the Drei Schwestern is probably the most famous hike in all of Fürstentum Liechtenstein. The numerous reports that exist on Hikr (e.g. recent ones by Linard03 and SCM) are also used in the field: in the bus to Gaflei I spotted two women with a Hikr printout. Don't forget to reserve this bus, by the way (+423...

I've been meaning to discover more of the Freiburg Alps for quite a while. The exhaustive SAC Alpinwandern/Gipfelziele Freiburg guide book offers many great and often challenging ideas. Ironically, the choice fell on a route that's pretty much entire just across the border in canton Vaud. As seems to be the case with many...

Even just looking at a map, the Schrattenfluh is one of the most eye-catching features in the Emmentaler Alps. With its vertical walls to the north-west and its limestone slopes to the south-east, the Schrattenfluh looks pretty wild from any direction. Up close, the mountain is surprisingly accessible to hikers with several marked...

The first climbing path for tourists from Fidaz via the Pinut onto the Flimserstein was already constructed in the early 20th century. In 2007, the route was completely renovated. The ladder route is now one of the easiest via ferratas in Switzerland; ideal for beginners who want to discover the concept of via ferrata without...

The Sichelchamm is one of the most eye-catching peaks along the Walensee, thanks to the eponymous sickle-shaped west face. It's also one of the only mountains in the Churfirsten-Alvier range that can be ascended directly from the south, though by no means along an easy route! After last weekend's taste of winter, this weekend...

In summer, the Flüela Schwarzhorn has a reputation for being one of the most overcrowded 3000m summits, thanks to the easy ascent from the Flüelapass. However, after the first snow has fallen (and with Swiss people being called to vote in the elections) that picture changes dramatically. I had the whole mountain to myself.The...