Alpine Days for a sexagenarian.

From the Arolla valley with a camp at the site in Evolene the first outing was to Mont Blanc du Cheilon  after an overnight at the Dix refuge. After another night at Dix up to Pigne D'arolla overnight at Vignettes hut and a retreat from the Bishops Peak in a breakdown in the weather.
From the same camp in Evolene we made our way to the wee refuge at the col du Dent Blanche for a traverse of the Grand Cornier.

The routes up the mountains were generally the easiest ones.... the so-called voie normale.

The ladder from the Arolla ski area to reach the Dix hutte.

On the East ridge of Mont Blanc du Cheilon.

Scanned from a photograph taken in 2001.

Don returned to the traverse of MB Cheilon a few years later with folks including my daughter.

We reached the Dix hutte from Arolla and returned to Dix after a traverse of Mont Blanc du Cheilon.

The Vignettes hutte that we reached from Dix after crossing Pigne D'arolla.

Cabane at the col du Dent Blanche.

Progress on the SE Ridge of the Grand Cornier with Dent Blanche behind.

Close to the summit of Grand Cornier.

Descending the NW ridge of Grand Cornier to reach the Moiry Hutte.

From the Moiry Hutte we reached the Point de Mourti a small 3,700 peak reached from the glacier above the hutte.

A journey from Zermatt over several summits and return to Zermatt via the Monte Rosa Hutte. Basically along the border between Switzerland and Italy.
Beginning at Breithorn and then visiting the 4,000m. peaks along the frontier.
These peaks we reached from our camping site base in Saas Gruund and a car ride into the Zematt valley.

Waiting for the corner on Polluce to clear before ascending.

The final snows on Polluce.

Polluce summit.

Descent from Polluce.

A wee rest at the Madonna and child to spot the way up to Castore….. our task for the following day.

Approach to the Ayas Rifugio.

The final snow ridge on Castore.

Don on the summit area of Castore...Don is a kind-of modern day Taugwalder strong, very reliable and very cool and with a knowledge of the Alps extending back to his youth.

Resting on Lyskamm.

Descent from Lyskamm with the big M behind.

More of the route from Lyskamm over the tops  with an overnight at the Rifugio Ghifetti.

Zinalrothorn and The Weisshorn. 

The grotty cabane on Balmenhorn.

Summit area of Zumsteinspitze.

Approach to the Grenz glacier...our way back to Zermatt....Lyskam left and with Dufourspitze on the right. 

After reaching the Monte Rosa hutte...down to the dry glacier then up to the col to reach Zermatt.

Castore, Polluce, Breithorn and M.

The way up to the Konkordia hutte from the Aletsch glacier.

Our camp was now near Fiesch on the road that if followed would reach the Grimsel Pass.

The alternative way of getting to and from the Konkordia Hutte.

On the way from Konkordia to Finsteraarhorn hutte at the Grunhornlucke pass we ascended the Wyssnollen a warm up peak that gave us a look out towards the bigger peaks.

Summit of Finsteraarhorn in the Oberland with the metal cross....message on the horizontal bar 'soli deo honor' glory to God alone ... on a raw day without too much visibility.

The old Finsteraarhorn Hutte, now the winter room, new hutte behind.

The wee pass in the distance, the Grunhornlucke,  to reach the  Aletsch glacier to get out to Fiesch.

The hut-walk up to the Rothorn Hutte with Wellenkuppe and Obergabelhorn in the distance.

The way up to Wellenkuppe. From the Rothorn hutte we crossed the glacier and up the snow slope to the left then upwards on broken rocks and with a beautiful slab which led onto the final snows.

The Trifthorn col with Obergabehorn behind.

The Trifthorn Ridge on a fine wee peak between Wellenkuppe and Zinalrothorn. Access is from the same glacier as for Wellenkuppe.

The approach to Zinalrothorn.

The approach to The gap, centre of image, on Zinalrothorn.

Reaching the Gap. In the past there was usually a snow filled gully that was used to get to the Gap.  Now with the snow retreating the rock rib to the left is now used.

The Biner slab.

The summit beckons.

Don stepping up onto the summit of Zinalrothorn.

Top of Zinalrothorn.

Abseil back into the Gap.

Resting after the fragile bit.

Back on the snow again for a return to the Rothorn Hutte.

Leaving the green world behind and heading into the rubble at the base of the mountains.

This trip was done from the top of the Grimsel Pass.  A beautiful walk in above the hydro lake with many blossoms until we reached the dry glacier.

More rubble....glaciers can be seen as giant conveyer belts bringing the broken mountains down to lower elevations.

 The roof of the  Lauteraarhorn hutte can be seen  perched above the shadowed rock area.

The Aarbiwak is like the col Dent Blanche refuge a self service place....you simply leave the fees for the stay in a payment box.

Folks soaking up the rays outside Aarbiwak.

Moss campion and mossy cherleria at Aarbiwak.

The wee couloir to the base of the climb.

The fine ridge on the Strahlegghorn.

The final section of the Ridge.

And the reward at the summit of the view of the Finsteraarhorn seen from the opposite side from that from which we reached the top via the ridge from the Hugisattel col.

Down to the Shreckhorn hutte for the night.....Finsteraarhorn still dominates.

Heading to Rothorn hutte from Saas Fee.

From Saas Fee the hut-walk up to the Rothorn hutte is a fine day out.

Purple saxifrage close to the Nadelhorn glacier.

Descending to the two Rothorn huttes after visiting Nadelhorn.

Approaching the Bachlital Hutte on a pleasant hut-walk beginning from a little way below the top of  Grimsel pass.

Bachlital Hutte.

The top of Grosser Diamantstock

Descent from Grosser Diamantstock.


From our camping in Saas Gruund we walked up from the village on a path through the larch trees to reach both the Weissmies and the the Lagginhorn by the South Ridge after a stay in the Hohsaas hutte.
From Saas Gruund, on an old mule track, we walked up to Saas Fee then through trees and a fine balcony walk up to the Brittania hutte to ascend the Rimpfischhorn and on a separate day the Allalinhorn by way of the Hohlaubgrat.
All of them very pleasant days out.

The Hohlaubgrat on the Allalinhorn….a pleasant ridge climb, with near to the summit, a steeper wee pitch with an in-situ iron stake to use as a protection runner.

Mel on the summit of Allalinhorn.