Snow for the Euros.

[Buster Highmen]

How has the Syrian refugee situation impacted the borders? I got my first ever Swiss shakedowns 2 years ago when CH stepped up the security. I'm wondering if there's a big hassle getting from Milan up to Innsbruck.

[klar]

How has the Syrian refugee situation impacted the borders? I got my first ever Swiss shakedowns 2 years ago when CH stepped up the security. I'm wondering if there's a big hassle getting from Milan up to Innsbruck.

No point worrying unless you are a refugee without a passport.

There has been a steady stream of refugees (not just from Syria) crossing the Brenner (Bozen-Innsbruck) for months now and they, as well as an increased police presence, are certainly visible. With things as they are there at the moment you would maybe have slight delays and have to show your passport if they search your train. Less noticeable at other, smaller crossings further west. The current massive influx from Syria is coming over further east, mainly at a few specific crossings.

The Swiss have always done occasional 'random' searches of long haired hippies, cars with eastern european license plates, and black people. I'm sure that hasn't decreased but I don't think it is more likely to happen now than it was before.

[geo039]

How has the Syrian refugee situation impacted the borders? I got my first ever Swiss shakedowns 2 years ago when CH stepped up the security. I'm wondering if there's a big hassle getting from Milan up to Innsbruck.

Just get a low numbered licenses plate from Appenzeller and be white

[Buster Highmen]

No point worrying unless you are a refugee without a passport.

There has been a steady stream of refugees (not just from Syria) crossing the Brenner (Bozen-Innsbruck) for months now and they, as well as an increased police presence, are certainly visible. With things as they are there at the moment you would maybe have slight delays and have to show your passport if they search your train. Less noticeable at other, smaller crossings further west. The current massive influx from Syria is coming over further east, mainly at a few specific crossings.

Thanks K, good to know.

The Swiss have always done occasional 'random' searches of long haired hippies...

Guilty. But they didn't take my Cheetos away.

Just get a low numbered licenses plate from Appenzeller and be white

So...that means you'll pick me up in IT on Jan.19, 2016? It's either you or Birdo.

[peds]

Just curious about your dog:

Does he fly with you from England?

Do you take him on glaciers?

Sorry, I missed this. To answer your questions, we've never flown with him, we always drive. He is too big for carry-on luggage, and you hear such horror stories from people putting their dogs in the hold that I doubt we'll ever fly with him. But he does pretty well on long car journeys, he knows the drill now so he just goes to sleep.

I would take him up on a glacier if it was the right glacier, I mean I'd happily take him on a dry summer glacier where you can easily see the holes, and I'd take him on heavily-trafficked routes in the winter without too much worry, but if we were to ever go slightly further afield though, I'd want to invest in a decent Ruffwear harness and have him on a running carabiner between two people. I'd love to do more bivvy and high-altitude stuff with him, but I think I'd have to get him some snow booties, really.

Whilst we are the subject of my dog, I might as well share this picture of us, because it illustrates perfectly the second part of my post. Here is us on a thermos-weight jog up Mont Buet last Sunday with some trail running friends...



Now, anyone familiar with Chamonix might well recognise the north-facing side of the Aiguilles Rouges as the backdrop to this photo, and it's pretty obvious that summer has released its warm, sweaty grasp on the mountaintops, allowing a nice thick layer of snow to accumulate. So yesterday I decided to get up nice and early, leaving the house at 5am and walking 1540m up the sunny, south-facing side of the Rouges, to the Col du Belvedere - the obvious notch up and right of my head in the picture above.

Now, I'm not entirely sure you'd call this "stoke", but for just a few brief seconds, it certainly qualifies as "skiing"... and I can only apologise for the shitty camera work during the only important bit of the video, unfortunately i knocked the head cam forwards whilst crawling through a tunnel in a particularly exciting bergschrund crossing.

Anyway, 1540m ascent, 100m downclimb, 150m ski, 1290m descent on foot. Totally worth it.

[muchocacao]

I wonder how my cat will take the suggestion of skinning up Elbrus this may.

[Meathelmet]

Ha! Game on, that is.
Nice one, Peds!

[klar]

Nice Peds. IMO it counts as skiing if you put your skis on your backpack.

We had a work outing today and yesterday. Would have been easier without the 10-25 cm of snow but glad we dragged in the skis because it makes it so much easier to not fall in all the holes. Skiing (really bad) breakable crust while attached to three other people is also always a good time.

[peds]

This be real, yo!

[klar]

This be real, yo!

Actually, this be retarded. Not recommended.

muchocacao: does your cat use 2 skis or 4?

[Alkares]

I got my first ever Swiss shakedowns 2 years ago when CH stepped up the security.

Not a fan of Shakedown Street?

You shouldn't have a problem, as long as you are traveling with a car and have your pass. Also I think going to Swiss from Italy won't be so much of an issue, as opposed to if you're coming north from Croatia or somewhere else in the Balkans.... In that case, expect looooong waits....

When you heading over BTW?

[geo039]

Thanks K, good to know.


Guilty. But they didn't take my Cheetos away.


So...that means you'll pick me up in IT on Jan.19, 2016? It's either you or Birdo.

possible...keep in touch

[Buster Highmen]

Not a fan of Shakedown Street?

That GD album kind of signaled the end for me.

You shouldn't have a problem, as long as you are traveling with a car and have your pass. Also I think going to Swiss from Italy won't be so much of an issue, as opposed to if you're coming north from Croatia or somewhere else in the Balkans.... In that case, expect looooong waits....

When you heading over BTW?

Flying into Milan is the best deal currently and I have been targeting Jan 19, but I've hit a few wrinkles in the plan.

possible...keep in touch

So kind of you, but really, don't worry about it. I'd die for a ride in the new Alfa though! (I have a '65 Giulia Sprint GT ). What would be really cool is to meet for turns and I'll buy beer. As I mentioned, there's some problems I have to straighten out before I can commit to this.

[muchocacao]

muchocacao: does your cat use 2 skis or 4?

he declined with disgust, no matter the number.

[klar]

he declined with disgust, no matter the number.

They could just decline right? but they always have to do it with disgust. Hate that shit. Hang in there mate.

It's that wonderful time of year on the glaciers.... edit: why is it sideways?

[muchocacao]

It's that wonderful time of year on the glaciers....

The last time I was there this time of the year was five years ago, I need to fix that.

[beer30]

quit my job and bought a plane ticket. hoping 2015/16 is even half as good as 98/99 where to me in the alps.

[peds]

quit my job and bought a plane ticket. hoping 2015/16 is even half as good as 98/99 where to me in the alps.

Where are you headed?

Bimbling around on the Le Tour glacier... still some pretty big holes to fill in!

[klar]

Bimbling around on the Le Tour glacier... still some pretty big holes to fill in!

What are you doing?! Skis are ALWAYS better than walking!

Hallstätter glacier, Dachstein, AT, yesterday. Lovely day with just a slight drizzle.



XC track in excellent shape:


Anarchy.

[peds]

What are you doing?! Skis are ALWAYS better than walking!

We were trying for a valley-to-summit push as light as possible, I tried to talk my partner into bringing the skis but he didn't fancy the extra few kilograms. 15km, 2000m in about 7 hours 45, didn't quite make the top because of all the fresh snow covering the rock. Turned around.

There would have been 300m vertical of impeccable skiing. I think it would have been worth it, he didn't. Next time!

[beer30]

quit my job and bought a plane ticket. hoping 2015/16 is even half as good as 98/99 where to me in the alps.

Bavaria. Homecoming of sorts

[peds]

Look, I know, it still isn't skiing. But it's snowing in Chamonix right now, so there might well be some early-season ski touring available if we are really, really lucky. Anyway, here is a short video documentary about climbing the Aiguille du Chardonnet last weekend. It has the same shitty camera work and poor production values as every other video I've ever made, but there you go.
Still a lot of holes to navigate on your way around the Le Tour glacier and all the other smaller glaciers feeding into it, but maybe after this current snowfall and a few more, it won't be quite so terrifying.

[klar]

not sure what you mean by poor production values but even if those were present here, content always trumps even the best camera work

[klar]

Bump to page one. Where is everyone? Glacier resorts are crazy busy and people are falling over rocks, triggering slides and then falling in crevasses with the slides. Meanwhile we're shredding groomers to the max, placing bets on how many people we'll see fall into holes on any given day. Yesterday I had to leave the very nice groomers for work and kinda didn't want to be there.

This had just enough snow to skin but not to ski so on the way down we walked. Epic.


Aliens landed here.


meh.


If you fall in that one, I'll jump in this one, okay?


Meanwhile other people are actually going touring.

[McDee]

Yes, i've been wondering where all the rockskiing stoke got that must have been happening this week! Sure something will be put up ove the long weekend somewhere . Heading south for some last sunny (hoepfully) days myself.