mountain guides Archives

Valais Mountaineering – Town & Accommodation

July 9, 2020/in Accommodation /by AndrewLanham

Valais mountaineering is varied with Switzerland offering more than sixty peaks above 4000m in altitude. This is more than any other country in the Alps and there are many hundreds more not much lower. As a sure-footed intermediate alpinist, a good half of the routes to these summits are accessible climbs.

In this week we are based in the Val de Bagnes and are very fortunate to have our valley accommodation at Les Rires Au Chalet.

Val de Bagnes

Glaciers, giant snow-capped mountains, black cows and simple villages define the Val de Bagnes, one of Switzerland’s largest nature reserves. The Val de Bagnes extends over more than 25 kilometres, from Le Châble to the impressive Mauvoisin dam.

Les Rires Au Chalet

As mentioned previously, we are very fortunate to have valley accommodation in the wonderful Les Rires Au Chalet. It is a beautiful comfortable chalet based in the small charming village of Etiez. They pride themselves on a warm and friendly welcome, informal family atmosphere and real attention to details when it comes to things like comfort, convenience and good quality home cooked food.

Mountain Huts

The mountain huts we stay in will depend on conditions and which routes we climb however you can expect to spend at least 3 nights in huts. These can often be the Cabane d’Orny situated at 2831m or Mischabel Hut at an impressive 3,340m.

You can find more information about the trip here: https://alpineenergyguiding.com/valais-mountaineering/

If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch: https://alpineenergyguiding.com/contact/

Lyngen Alps, Ski touring, freeride, off-piste, backcountry, Alpine Energy Guiding, mountaineering & ski adventures, Andrew Lanham Mountain Guide, Chamonix, Aosta Valley, Swiss, lyngen alps

Come Skiing above the Arctic circle this spring!

January 11, 2014/in general blog, lyngen, skiing /by AndrewLanham

Come and join me this April in the Lyngen Alps of Norway! The preliminary date is the week of the 13th to 20th.

The summit plateau of Fugldalsfjellet

Ski Touring above the Arctic circle with the long spring days, tracing lines down beautiful open slopes above the thawing fjords, the vistas are nothing short of spectacular, the open calmness of the place, liberating.

skiing great snow, alone with the clouds and the shadows on the south island

I have a good knowledge of the area and conditions as I spent six weeks skiing in the area in 2011 and have contact with locals who can update me on recent happenings in the conditions. You’ll get picked up from the airport, eat and sleep in the comfort of a lodge and be guided for six days of ski touring.

Skinning up towards Jiehkkevárri, the highest summit on the southern island.

This trip is not extreme skiing, we will aim to do classic tours on beautiful summits where just being in the mountains with these surroundings is a pleasure and risks will kept to reasonable minimum. We will also be looking to ski the best possible snow we can find on each day.

skinning on the spring morning snow above the Sørfjorden

There are literally hundreds of possibilities, we will decide our objectives day by day depending on the mountain conditions and the motivations of the group. The height gain will be between 600 and 1500m per day. We’ll do summits such as Kavringtinden 1289m, Sofiatinden 1222m, Stetinden 920m, Storgalten 1219m, Tafeltinden 1395m, as well as many other possible itineraries.

It will be a maximum group size of 6 people and a minimum of 4. If you would like more details, let me know and I will e-mail you a detailed program with a price list. Hope to see you there!

on our way to Trollvasstinden..

enjoying the ride down to the ocean!

Contact me

Courmayeur, Ski touring, freeride, off-piste, backcountry, Alpine Energy Guiding, mountaineering & ski adventures, Andrew Lanham Mountain Guide, Chamonix, Aosta Valley, Swiss, lyngen alps

Powder days are here again!

January 5, 2014/in chamonix, climbing, skiing /by AndrewLanham

Hearing about dry mountains and thin snow cover from my sweaty bungalow in south-east Asia, I wasn’t too optimistic about the skiing this January. Arriving home to an unpredictable snowpack thanks to the constructive metamorphism of December’s meagre snowfall lurking beneath the new layers in the two to three thousand metre range on northern aspects and a general lack of covering confirmed my doubts.

Skiing the trees in Italy last December, yesterdays conditions were similar..

However, since new year the snow has been falling in the Alps and yesterday was a good powder day in Courmayeur, Italy. The snowpack is a bit thicker over there and we had a great day in the trees. With careful route choice and some local knowledge the skiing in the Alps is quite good now.

Here’s Erik’s new little edit from a fun day last April:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKJRJYFHvQs&w=560&h=315]

Weissmies, Mountaineering course, Chamonix ski guide, haute route, chamonix climbing, Chamonix freeride, Chamonix mountain guides, Swiss mountaineering

End of season summits: Weissmies traverse, Mt. Blanc de Cheillon traverse, Gran Paradiso

September 30, 2013/in chamonix, general blog, Valais Mountaineering /by AndrewLanham

With shadows lengthening and becoming more defined on the alpine landscape, fresh snow dusts the summits and the leaves change colour as the mornings come with a crisp freshness and the shy sun takes early refuge behind the horizon, leaving the natural world to dance on its last touches of warmth before the darkness lays down its cold, calm blanket.

The autumn can be one of the most pleasant times to climb in the Alps. With decent weather one can climb the classic summer routes and with the new snow and colder temperatures it is often an ideal time to climb some of the steeper ice gullies or north faces in the Mont Blanc range.

The end of the summer and early autumn have included the following ascents:

Weissmies traverse

This is an aesthetic and varied traverse of moderate difficulty on one of the 4000m summits surrounding the Saas valley.

sunrise above the Allmageller Hut, nearing the start of the climbing

the Mischabel chain across the valley just after sunrise

The exceptionally snowy summer makes it possible for teams to gain more height on the snow than is possible in most years.

The team putting on crampons on the subsiduary summit.

The team putting on crampons on the subsidiary summit.

the summit ridge

the Weissmies summit

Mt. Blanc de Cheillon is one of the less famous summits of the Valais mountain range due to the fact that it doesn’t quite reach 4000m but is a very worthwhile objective with an imposing pyramid form above its plunging north face, bordered by seracs on both ridge lines. The traverse is an excellent journey up the expansive glacier below the Serpentine and along the airy east ridge to the summit, the descent by the west ridge is easier than the ascent. It’s an AD rated climb taking between 6 and 8 hours from hut to hut.

sunrise from below the Serpentine with the Pigne d’Arolla in the foreground and the Matterhorn in the distance

Mont Blanc de Cheillon east ridge

Gran Paradiso is the highest summit entirely in Italy, not sharing its summit with France or Switzerland, more importantly it’s an ideal climb for beginner mountaineers, requiring more fitness than technique even though the scramble to the summit virgin Mary is exposed. The view is exceptional and the challenge not negligible.

an autumn afternoon approach to the Rifugio Chabod

taking in the first views of the objective

view from the well equipped winter hut

everyone on top!

Engelhorner, Switzerland, Mountaineering course, Chamonix ski guide, haute route, chamonix climbing, Chamonix freeride, Chamonix mountain guides, Swiss mountaineering

Plenty of space to play in the Burnese Oberland

August 15, 2013/in general blog, Valais Mountaineering /by AndrewLanham

The climbing in the Burnese Oberland is slightly different to the other areas of the Alps. The summits are high, with steep limestone on their northern flank, to the south of the watershed its a maze of peaks divided by expansive glaciers really giving the feeling of being in a big, slightly wild place. It is a long range of mountains extending from the Col du Sanetsch in the west to Grimsel Pass in the east with a lifetime of mountaineering and rock climbing possibilities if we start to look at the sub-four thousand metre peaks.

View east into the Oberland from the Mutthorn hut with left to right: the Eiger, Junfrau and Abeni Flue dominating the skyline.

Looking west into the Oberland from the Engelhorner. The horizon from left to right: Froschkopf, Kingspitze, Kastor, Rosenhorn, Mittelhorn, Wellhorn and Wetterhorn with the huge face of the Scheideggwetterhorn to the right.

A few weeks ago the Rosenlauistock and traverse of the Kleine and Grosse Simelistock were the objectives with Laurie from Australia. Here are some photos from these two days of alpine rock climbing in the Engelhorner:

The Rosenlauigletscher behind good limestone climbing.

traversing pitch on the Rosenlauistock with the Wellhorn behind

overhanging abseil on the descent

taking in the morning views from the Kleine Simelistock

great climbing, perfect setting

Engelhorn ambiance

Another party on the summit of the Kleine Simelistock where we had just come from.

climbing the ridge up to the Grosse Simelistock

on the crest

summit sandwich

looking back up at the “mountain goat” descent

relaxing in the meadows below the imposing cirque

The Oberland is most famous for its high alpine summits and the biggest glaciers in Europe, here are some photos from the Finsteraarhorn, Hinterfiescherhorn traverse, the Grunegghorn and the Monch in late July.

the Finsteraarhorn in the morning light

the rimed up summit cross of the Finsteraarhorn

Finsteraarhorn summit view over towards the Aletschhorn, Grosse Grunhorn and the Jungfrau

the Grosse Wannenhorn with the Valais behind

Grunegghorn summit view up the Ewigshneefeld with the Hinter and Grosse Fiescherhorn on the right and the Eiger at the top of the valley.

sunrise from the Monchjoch hut

The view down the Aletschgletscher from the top of the Monch

The Monch summit ridge

Col des Cristaux, Ski touring, freeride, off-piste, backcountry, Alpine Energy Guiding, mountaineering & ski adventures, Andrew Lanham Mountain Guide, Chamonix, Aosta Valley, Swiss, lyngen alps

Spring powder to end my Chamonix ski season

May 12, 2013/in general blog, skiing /by AndrewLanham

Here are some photos with a film in the previous post from a couple of runs around Chamonix, ending my ski season:

Tomas climbing up to the Col des Cristaux above the Argentiere glacier.

Tomas skiing the face

Col des Cristaux with the head of the Argentiere basin behind.

Eric enjoying some powder at the top of La Noire NNW face.

Skiing down a steeper, narrow section to make a small rappel.

Good powder turns all the way down the face!

skiing the Glacier de la Noire with the Glacier de Periades and Mer de Glace below.

Chamonix Ski touring, freeride, off-piste, backcountry, Alpine Energy Guiding, mountaineering & ski adventures, Andrew Lanham Mountain Guide, Chamonix, Aosta Valley, Swiss, lyngen alps

Painting lines on mountains winter 13

March 17, 2013/in general blog, skiing /by AndrewLanham

Winter 2013 has been filled with good powder turns, here are a few images from the last couple of months.

Good pow on the south faces round Chamonix this winter!

Beautiful terrain near La Grave

Couloir skiing near to La Grave, France

Laying some tracks on a ski tour from Grands Montets

Getting the goods in Les Aiguilles Rouges near Chamonix

A guest from Canada discovering a powder day, Chamonix style! 4900m of descent in a day with runs like this couloir off the Grands Montets..

Touring in Les Aiguilles Rouges delivers as always.

Touring near Chamonix yesterday

Ice Climbing, Mountaineering course, Chamonix ski guide, haute route, chamonix climbing, Chamonix freeride, Chamonix mountain guides, Swiss mountaineering

a cogne classic

January 23, 2013/in general blog /by AndrewLanham

That familiar ring tone of the alarm that breaks the silence of the night, an unwelcome visitor arriving well before sunrise, this is the standard start for a day trip to the ice centre of Cogne in Italy. After the obligatory coffee and croissant stop in a warm Italian café, Magnus and I set off down the trail as the first glow of a new day toyed with the jagged horizon of the Gran Paradiso range. Being early and Monday we were first at the foot of Repentance in the Valnontey valley.