"There is no such thing as bad weather, only longer travel distances to reach the good weather." Taking this motto to heart, madu and I drove for six hours to the Cottian Alps, with the objective of climbing the region's highest and most iconic peak: the Monviso / Monte Viso / "Re di Pietra". The mountain has received quite some...

After driving by car to Berghaus Palfries, madu, maenzgi and I set off towards the Chammegg route onto the Gauschla. After following the marked hiking path onto the crest, we walk up along the crest, first on an obvious path, which however gradually disappears as the terrain gets steeper. At ca. 2020m, we have to loop around the...

When driving below on the A3, the Mürtschenstock doesn't look like a mountain that can be scrambled up. Yet while the full ridge traverse is indeed a highly regarded undertaking for climbers, the normal route onto the highest summit (Ruchen) is actually within reach of alpine hikers. The starting point of Talalp can be reached by...

We had planned to drive to Cholschlag Vorsäss and start the hike there. However, unexpectedly, we find the road closed to normal traffic (at P. 917 when coming from Flums and at P. 774 when coming from Mels). I don't know if this is a permanent change, or if the road to Cholschlag is only open in summer? After some driving...

The path from Tenna onto the Piz Fess is marked white-red-white. The markings are rather sparse, and often only there where the path is obvious anyway... Still, in good visibility, it's hard to go wrong.We had not expected many other hikers on the mountain. The ascent of 1250m is considerable and there is a crispy layer of snow...

The Nadelhorn: not a bad goal for my first 4000m peak :). Day 1 Gasenried - Bordierhütte 4h15, 1250m ascent, 50m descent, T4 The ascent from Gasenried to the Bordierhütte("Bordier" pronounced in a French way)is relatively long but pleasantly varied. The path first goes up through the forrest, then through a fascinating...

You had to participate in the weather lottery, if you wanted to do any hiking this weekend. We gambled on the Büelenhorn and we hit the jackpot. A window of good weather allowed us to reach the summit with fabulous views. And yes, our luck turned in the end: a thunderstorm made us bail from the Stulsergrat and got us pretty wet...

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...

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...

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...

With a sprained ankle, the wise decision would be to let it rest and recover all weekend. But with an opportunity to climb the spectacular Schächentaler Windgällen in perfect autumn conditions, I was never going to stay down in the fog in Zürich. So I told my ankle: "you better get well by Saturday, because I'm going up whether...

Day 1: Arolla - Pas de Chèvres - Cabane des Dix(T4, 1050m ascent, 150m descent, 4 hours) The Val d'Hérens is not as peaceful as expected when we travel in by Postauto. There is an overwhelming police presence and we pass through several police checkpoints along the road. Apparently they were on the hunt for two burglars, who...

The Sibe Hängste is a mountain in the Entlebuch-Emmental region, an area that I've come to love for its selection of interesting, "day hike sized" mountains and for the great views on the transition from Mittelland into Berner Oberland. Though there are no official hiking paths on the Sibe Hängste, the traverse of the whole...

Bereits aus dem Fenster unseres B&B-Zimmers konnten wir den Cobbler (den "Schuhmacher") sehen; einer der dramatischsten Gipfel in den Arrochar Alps. Er sollte den Abschluss unserer Schottlandferien bilden. Seine Besteigung lässt sich gut mit dem Munro Ben Narnain verbinden. Nach einem üppigen Scottish Breakfast fahren wir...

CMD steht für Carn Mor Dearg. Ein Munro, der mit dem bekannten Ben Nevis über eben diesen CMD-Grat verbunden ist. Den Ben Nevis über den CMD-Grat zu besteigen ist etwas weiter und anspruchsvoller, aber lohnender als über die Normalroute. Der Wetterbericht verspricht für heute eine "chance of cloud free munros" von 90%. So...

Das Wetter wird heute typisch schottisch sein. Gerade als wir aus dem Mietauto steigen, beginnt es zu regnen. Und es werden uns noch weitere Schauer erwischen, aber die dauern glücklicherweise nie länger als 15-30 Minuten. Vom Parkplatz startet ein Weg ins Tal des Allt Coire a Mhusgain hinein. Langsam und stetig nähern wir...

Der Slioch (zu deutsch Speer) trohnt über dem Loch Maree, das als eines der schönsten Seen Schottlands gilt. Will man ihn besteigen, hat man ein fast 5km langes Flachstück im An- und Rückmarsch vor sich, was die Tour etwas in die Länge zieht. Vom Parkplatz am Ende von Incheril führt eine kurze Treppe weg und durch ein...

Von der Strasse aus sehen beide Gipfel noch winterlich weiss aus. Man erblickt nämlich ihre Nordseite. Trotzdem erreichen wir sie mit nur wenig Schneekontakt, denn die Südseite ist aper. Genau zwischen den beiden Munros steht der Toman Coinnich: ein weiterer Gipfel über 3000ft, welcher aber nicht als Munro zählt. Die Tour...

Den Meall Chuaich muss man sich mit einem eher langen Flachstück am Anfang verdienen. Um dieses auf dem Rückweg zu vermeiden, umrunden wir den Loch Cuaich. Und erhalten so nebst dem Munro Meall Chuaich noch die Gipfel von Druim nan Sac und Creag Ruadh dazu. Parkieren kann man an der A9 in einer der Buchten am Strassenrand,...

Wenig schmeichelhaft ist der Übername "heathery lumps" von Geal-charn und A'Mharconaich (dt. ungefähr "Heidebrocken"). Spektakulär ist eine Besteigung zwar nicht, aber sie dient uns als Einstieg in die schottische Bergwelt. Dank dem 400m hohen Drumochter-Pass bleiben nur etwas mehr als 500Höhenmeter übrig (resp. 730Hm, wenn...