Updates

Mountainvision
mountainvision@btinternet.com
UK: 01768 896 718
SWISS: 0041 279 573 311
Kevin's mobile: 07764 186 431
Winky's mobile: 07734 051 867

My guiding season in Saas Grund has started this week - on Monday Jody my client & myself walked up to the Weissmies Hut 'Winter Room'. From there we completed an ascent of the Lagginhorn on Tuesday - a good freeze overnight meant that we made good progress from 5am to 9am - after that the sun softened the snow and life was bad!

18th March 2010. The two photos above & one opposite - a ski from the Klein Matterhorn to the start of the Half Traverse of the Breithorn.
The Matterhorn in the distance.

1st March 2010. Toby, Tim and Winky on the 2nd belay on the Upper Connecting Ridge, Beinn Bhan, Applecross.

18.01.10 Summit of Gibidum, above Visperterminen. The Bietschhorn in the distance.

31st July 2009 Marie Standaloft on the summit of the Matterhorn, four and a half hours after leaving the Hornli Hut

June 2009 Our Alps season, based in Saas Grund - has started! Lots of snow still from the Winter & Spring, these Ibex were spotted at the Brittania hut, more seen on the track up to the Almageller hut.

A view from the summit of the Allalinhorn June 18th 2009 shows a good amount of snow still on the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc in the far distance, and the Dent Blanche to the right in the picture.

15th January 2009. Our expedition to Aconcagua. Pictured next to Winky are the 'Penitents' which are a feature on the ascent from Base camp to camp one.

18th January 2009. The team on Aconcagua. Kevin, Patrick, Peter, Eileen, John, Margaret & Winky.

15th December 2008. Major snowfall in Saas Grund! This is the road up to Saas Almagell; at the moment roads in the whole Saas valley are closed because of avalanche risk. This photo shows debris from an avalanche from the East side of the valley onto the road. The local authority is expecting roads to be opened on Wednesday at the earliest.

16th December 19.25 - All roads are now open in the Saas valley, including through the avalanche debris pictured between Saas Grund & Saas Almagell. Avalanche risk is still category 4 however, and lifts in Saas Fee & Grund are still closed.

BOOKING FOR the ALPS 2010 and 2011 NOW !
Our advice is to book earlier rather than later if you want a particular week or dates in 2010 or 2011. This advice applies not just for Mountainvision but I would guess for other guides & companies as well.

We do not show a 'calendar' of courses, instead we can offer anything on any date, as long as that date has not been filled. So if you have a group of 4 who can only get together for a week to climb Mont Blanc in the third week of July, from midweek to midweek, for example, our flexible booking is designed to accommodate requests like this.

►► Snowshoe Alpine Mountaineering in the Winter & Spring Empty mountains & empty huts; we use the 'Winter rooms' in the SAC huts, with wood-burning stoves & nobody else rarely in the mountains. £850 per person for 5 days of guiding & all expenses, accommodation & equipment.

Cooking in the Mischabel 'winter hut'. Enough chopped wood for the wood-burning stove to last a winter season - from mid September to the end of June. Even hut slippers are provided! This picture was taken on Thursday 20th September 2007, prior to an ascent of the Nadelhorn 4327 metres. The hut is at 3340 metres.

'Oberland Trilogy' ~ The Monch, Jungfrau & Eiger South Ridge, 5 days guiding, 4 nights in the Monchsjoch hut & 2 nights B&B Hotel accommodation, £1550.

Matterhorn Ascent by the Hornli Ridge, 6 nights B&B Hotel & hut accommodation, 5 days guiding, £1475. 1:1 guiding ratio on the Matterhorn ascent.

Mont Blanc Ascent by the '3 Monte's' route or the Gouter Ridge, 6 nights B&B Hotel & hut accommodation, 5 days guiding, up to 3:1 guiding ratio for the acclimatisation ascents, 2:1 for the Mont Blanc ascent - £1250.

'Swiss 4000 metre Peaks' classic 4000 metre peaks in the Swiss Valais Alps, all - inclusive & 5 or 10 days guiding, 2:1 guiding ratio, from £1300.

Snowshoe Alpine Mountaineering in October, November & December; 5 days guiding all-inclusive, £850 per person, discounts for groups or pairs.

For availability or to discuss any of these guiding options & courses, email, make a request for information on the 'Bookings & Enquiries' page, or 'phone.

For the 2010 season we are based again in Saas Grund, a village in the Swiss Valais Alps. Easy to get to from Geneva airport - a two hour train journey to Visp, the nearest railhead to Saas Grund. I meet clients in Saas Grund & take them to their accommodation - the Hotel Schoenblick.

From the valley the choice of quality 4000+ metre mountains is huge - the Weissmies & Lagginhorn (& the Fletschhorn, at 3993 metres only 7 short of 4000 metres) on the East side; and the Durrenhorn. Hohberghorn, Nadelhorn, Lenzspitze, Dom, Taschhorn, Alphubel, Allalinhorn, Strahlhorn, Rimpfischhorn - the mighty Mischabel range - on the West of the Saas valley.

On the other side of the Mischabel mountain wall to the West of the Saastal vallay is the Mattertal valley - Zermatt & the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa, Ober Gabelhorn, Zinal Rothorn, Breithhorn, Castor & Pollux, the Weisshorn, Bishorn - these mountains are accessible by a 45 minute drive to Tasch, the train shuttle station for Zermatt.

The Bernese Oberland & the Eiger, Monch, Jungfrau, Schreckhorn - & more, is within a 2 hour drive.

The Gran Paradiso, the highest mountain wholly in Italy, and a good alternative if the weather is bad further North, is accessible in under two hours through the Grand St Bernard tunnel into Aosta.

BOOKING FOR the ALPS in 2010 NOW !
Enquiries, & bookings for courses & guiding for 2010 are ahead of last year already, so the advice is to book earlier rather than later if you want a particular week or dates in 2010. This advice applies not just for Mountainvision but I would guess for other guides & companies as well!

Panorama from the top of the Allalinhorn, above Saas Fee.

The Strahlhorn, Dufourspitz on Monte Rosa, the Rimpfischhorn, Liskamm, Castor & Pollux, the ridge of the Breithorn, the Matterhorn, Dent du Herens, Mont Blanc in the far distance, Dent Blanche, Ober Gabelhorn & Zinal Rothorn.

.............................................................................................................................

2010 Bookings for the 2010 Alpine season are advancing. To ensure the dates you want - especially for July & August 2010 - now is the time to book!

.......................................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................................

Ensure that you have the new European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) after January 1st 2006. This card replaces the old E111 form. The card entitles UK residents to reduced cost health care whilst traveling in most European countries, including France & Switzerland. www.ehic.org.uk

You still need adequate Alpine mountaineering insurance. Try www.thebmc.co.uk or www.snowcard.co.uk (cheaper if you are not a member of the BMC already).

Timetable