December 2006 - Alpine winter conditions, Highland Guides Blog and new associate staff....
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21/12/06 Whilst skiers in Chamonix still struggle to find any decent snow, climbers are enjoying perfect alpine winter weather and excellent mountain goulotte ice conditions - Click here to find out more. 16/12/06 Away from Chamonix in the higher resorts of Saas Fee and Zermatt there has been some good on and off piste skiing. Much better than UK reports had suggested.....read more here. |
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12/12/06 After a very mild start to the alpine winter, with a distinct lack of decent conditions for skiing - or ice climbing, it has finally put down some snow and got cold. Check out this link for a webcam view of Chamonix today. Also check out the new Highland Guides Blog - Set up to pass on conditions information and trip reports when I'm away from the comforts of the home PC! |
Hopefully I'll soon be posting some reports about more tracks like these, good ice on the Alpine North Faces and fat cascades in the valleys - we can all live in hope! Log on and see what really happens! If the Alps or Scotland are not very exciting in december don't forget to enter out winter climbing photo-quiz. Click the link and enjoy some photographic inspiration for the forthcoming winter seasons in both the Highlands and Alps. You could also win a superb Black Diamond Ice Screw. Closing date for entries 31st December 2006.
Highland Guides are pleased to announce a new associate member - Tim Blakemore. Tim is an active and experienced MIC who has worked the Scottish Highland winter for a number of seasons now. Having done several big alpine north faces with Tim I can confirm that not only does he have a seriously steady hand in the mountains - he's great company to be with on the hill too. Go to our associates page to find out more about Tim and the other staff who may run your Highland Guides course if I'm not available.
November 2006 - Winter has arrived in the Highlands!
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Read
the reports of some of the first
routes to get done this winter season and check in throughout the
winter for updates of what's happening on the Scottish and alpine
scene. We are now taking bookings for winter courses - check out
our winter pages for inspiration. |
29/11/06 The 'long awaited' Highland Guides winter climbing photo-quiz is now on line. Click the link and enjoy some photographic inspiration for the forthcoming winter seasons in both the Highlands and Alps. You could also win a superb Black Diamond Ice Screw.
You can now view MOVIES on the Highland Guides site. Click the link to enjoy some inspirational and amusing mountaineering and ski clips.
October 2006 - Brit-Rock Photo-Quiz
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Check
out the new Highland Guides Photo Quiz
- It still awaits a complete ascent! (22 out of 22 correct answers).
So test your knowledge of English, Welsh and Scottish Rock with
this photographic celebration of some classic, Hard and Extreme
UK Rock.
A few folk have been making the most of the October sunshine and been out completing their projects on the superb steep limestone walls of Pen Trwyn. |
September 2006
15/9/06 I've just heard from Delphine, the excellent new guardian of the Leschaux Hut (beneath the North Face of the Grande Jorasses). The hut is now closed - conditions are not good and very few folk were around. Earlier in the summer The Shroud and Croz Spur both received a number of ascents. Later on only the Walker and West Face of the Petite Jorasses were climbed, with the exception of a Russian team who climbed the Croz....and base jumped off the top!
August 2006 - Muztag Ata, Chinese Pamir
Rob has just spent a month in Pakistan and China working on this non-technical 7565m peak for Jagged Globe.
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Conditions were difficult with cold, snowy and very windy weather hampering progress and preventing nearly all climbers on the mountain in august reaching the summit. Leader, David Hamilton commenting this was some of the worst mountain weather and conditions he’d ever experienced on a big peak, despite summiting 8000m peaks 9 times! |
July 2006 - Alpine Conditions / Reports
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After
some very hot weather, conditions also finally warmed up and the
Leschaux hut, beneath the Grandes Jorasses North Face, has been
packed with folk heading for the Walker Spur. Earlier in the month
there was some decent weather and a number of teams were attempting
the Puetery Integrale. Hannah Burrows-Smith and I climbed the long
rock route that is the superb South Ridge of the Aguille de Puetery.
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Spring
/ Summer alpine conditions in early June 2006
were the best they had been for a while. It did not last long though!
One week Tim Blakemore and I were attermpting the North Face of
the Grande Jorasses - the next weather and conditions were such
we were on the superb West Ridge of the Salbitzan. Read our reports
for more details. |
