TR - Ski Mountaineering: Fiescherhorn 4049m/12551ft - 04.04.2006

[bbirtle]

This one's more focusing on the high mountain eye candy and the uphill battle as we were too pooped on the way down to stop for many photos.

Fiescherhorn is one of the Bernese Oberland 4000m peaks in the heart of Switzerland. We had intended to do the Monch and the Jungfrau the next two days but the hurricane force winds and white out conditions magically parted for one day and one day only.


The white out cleared during the night to reveal this incredible sunrise. Our peak for the day is the highest one on the right.


Panning the other direction, down the Aletchglacier to the mighty Aletchhorn.


Part of me enjoys American style camping while the other part enjoys hot tea and the comforts of Alpine huts.


Grabbing the skis...


...and down we go, the the approach of the climb on the other side of the massive sea of ice.

(Continues...)

[bbirtle]

Skinning DOWN the nearly totally flat glacier


Here I met up with my friends who had taken the hard way up from Fiesch. I took the easy but expensive Jungrafraujoch railway.


Up and up...


And up and up...


The Aletchhorn in the foreground with the Zermatt-Saas chain in the background. You can just barely see the Matterhorn starting to poke through.

(Continues...)

[bbirtle]

Vincent nears the top, Nuno in the foreground. The slope got steeper and narrower, turning into any icy couloir, and then a messy loose rock slope topping out at a col.


Nuno waiting for our slow asses at the top.


From there, after some route-finding difficulties, it was a scrable to the summit.


Now on the way down, Vincent deep in springy pow.


Very soupy snow, but much more fun than walking down!

Thanks to Nuno and Vincent for a great trip to Switzerland!

:: End Transmission ::

[LeeLau]

Originally Posted by bbirtle

Up and up...

LOVE this picture

[klar]

very very beautiful.

[Trackhead]

Very nice!

Where are the skis?

[commonlaw]

Originally Posted by Trackhead

Very nice!

Where are the skis?

Skis? We don't need no stinkin skis!

[Ireallyliketoski]

Great pics, that looks like some beautiful Moutainskieering (my proposed new word for the discipline)

[splat]

beautiful place.

[bcrider]

Thanks for the pics and stoke bbirtle of a land far, far away.

[skier666]

Now that's what I call a ski tour.....

[bbirtle]

Thanks guys!

Originally Posted by Trackhead

Very nice!

Where are the skis?

We hit a big rock band and dumped the skis at the bottom of that. It's a little bit misleading in that we were only on the snow for around 5 min in this picture before getting onto the rocky summit ridge.

[Franz Klammer]

And Brian delivers yet again ...

[blondin]

cool TR birt
keep em comin' not many like that