Various photos

Various photos from a number of trips to the Alps over the years (Challenge: guess what and where they all are). Sorry for the lack of words on this one. Proper post on what I got up to in the Summer coming soon.

Broken!

(typing with just a left hand, so please excuse any mistakes)

So i havnt posted anything in a while because I've been out enjoying the snowboard lots. Maybe a bit too much, as it resulted in a shoulder separation on monday afternoon when I had a big crash close to the Wengen World Cup course. I'd like to thank the Swiss-French couple who helped me out, Rolf the paramedic, the helicopter team, the Dr. in Grindelwald and the attractive nurse that did my x-ray.

I'm all strapped up and full of painkillers now and yesterday went up to Kleine Scheidegg so some fresh mountain air and to enjoy the views. Got some nice photos of the surrounding mountains (click for full size).

Wetterhorn above Grindelwald..

Eigernordwand

Kleine Scheidegg from the top of the Lauberhorn chairlift.

Monch with Nollen Route going up the ridge on the right hand side. 

Eigergletscher train station.

Jungfrau and Silberhorn

I'm awaiting a call from a specialist in Interlaken about an operation on the shoulder, so staying patient and keeping myself entertained until then.

From Grindelwald to Lauterbrunnen

Various...

Having a boring quite evening in tonight so thought I would put up photos from my trip to Saas-Fee & Kandersteg as well as the morning views here in Grindelwald. Too Lazy for captions tonight. Would like to  thank Maya and Fränzi for letting me stay at their place and Remy for making the nice Lauchkuchen.

Killing Time!

So I arrived in Grindelwald last night with my life packed into three huge bags and got settled in to my flat in the hotel. It turns out that I don't start work until Friday 17th (my contract stated from the 10th December) so it looks like I'm just killing time until the hotel and restaurant get busy. Walked into Grindelwald centre this morning to look at sorting out a cheap snowboard. Think I have found myself a good deal already with someone who knows my boss.

Theres a crag up the hill from where I'm living called the Eigerwand, apparently its quite a big one.

I didn't write this.

That's all for now.

Alex wins!

Feeling rather pleased with myself today. I went to a job interview for a hotel porter position in Muerren today and while on the way there, had a phone call inviting me to a second job interview in Grindelwald.

The first went pretty well and then I walked back down the mountain to Lauterbrunnen though fresh snow, that was nearly a foot (30 cm for all you continentals) deep in places.

Hitched a ride up to Grindelwald for interview for the second job, which seemed a more appealing offer to me. There's a nice flat in the hotel included in the deal for just CHF 300 a month, which seems pretty good value.

Saw this in Interlaken on the way home, which made me giggle....

"But I might need to visit a sex shop halfway up the mountain!"

A successful failure on the Wetterhorn!

Finally got a chance for a trip to the mountains and selected the West Flank of the Wetterhorn as my target. I got to Grindelwald for about ten in the evening and hitchhiked up to the start of the path leading to the Gleckstein Hut. A very helpful local called 'Jonny' gave me a lift, he'd been out hunting and was telling me about his flashlight he got in the farmer's store that is just as good as a MagLite but a fraction of the cost.

I donned my head-torch and got on the path at Loitschbiel which made a rising traverse along the North side of the Weteerhorn and then turn up the left, up the valley above the Obere-Grindelwald Glacier. Deep snow made the going quite slow and I finally reached the Gleckstein Hut at stupid O'clock in the morning. Absolutely knackered! I got in the hut, went upstairs and died for about 4 hours! Far too tired to climb the West Flank route to the summit.  Had to make do with a nice lie-in, brunch and taking some photos of the surrounding peaks.

At about midday I set off back down to Grindelwald, happy that I had reached the hut without having to make an unplanned bivi.  The descent was a pleasure in comparison to on the way up. Snow had softened and didn't have that annoying crust that tries to hold your boots in place. Things were warming up, which meant snow and ice projectiles were starting to fall from the cliffs above. Nothing too big luckily and I'd remembered my helmet. The footpath passed a large section of bare grass, where a slab avalanche must have occurred a few days before.

I was down below the snow line by about 4 in the afternoon and thumbed a lift down to Zweilutschinen and then up to to Lauterbrunnen to have a quick look around. Nice little town, I will come back here again soon.  Stuck my thumb out again to get down to Interlaken train station and was picked up by 3 Germans (thanks for the beer guys) who had been BASE jumping from the cliffs in Lauterbrunnen.  They were very friendly and took me almost all the way back to Bern. Good times!

Photos:

On the way to the hut at 2 in the morning or something stupid.

Suffering in bed

Swiss toilet humour

Grindelwald from my bedroom window.

The West Flank of the Wetterhorn. Sacked it off as I was too tired. Maybe another time.

I would like to dedicate this post to my good friend Rob Smith in South Wales, who gave me some helpful times on walking in deep snow without snowshoes. Cheers Rob.