HAUTE ROUTE MONT BLANC TO MATTERHORN    APRIL 2009

The Route

Chamonix

Training day

Jim our guide

Slogging it to Trient

Climb that!

Sunset

Above Champex

Descent to Champex

Mont Fort Hut

Cabane Mont Fort

Birthday drink

Leaving Mont Fort

Find the MF Hut it's there!

Climbing Col de Chaux

On Col de Chaux

Over the top

Towards Rosablanche

Rosablanche and farewell to group

Made it to Zermatt my way!

Zermatt above Stafel to meet the group

My Late Birthday cake in Blatten

The End

Andy's pics

Andy's pics

Col de Passon

Andy's pics

Col de Passon

Andy's pics

Col de Passon

Andy's pics

Pooped!

________________________________________


Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn

“For Himalayan climbers, it's Everest. For alpinists, it's the Matterhorn. And for ski mountaineers, if there's one objective that represents what it's all about, that has a magnetic attraction, the box that just has to be ticked, it's the Haute Route; for  there are few bigger challenges than the Haute Route, the ultimate ski tour, which winds for about 100 miles over 6 or 7 days through the highest, most dramatic peaks in the Alps.  Only about half the skiers who set out complete the course.”

So it just had to be tried. I booked with Ski Club of Great Britain in September 2008 and spent six months organising my equipment and getting fit in the gym.  But there was one thing I later realised: the only real training for high altitude ski touring is high altitude ski touring!

Many thanks to all my sponsors for their great support. Over £1200 was raised for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain. Well done!