TO GRINDELWALD, AUG 25-31

GRINDELWALD

To get to Grindelwald from Zermatt, we used a day pass that AC got us for only 35 dollars. When we got to Spiez, we took a boat across the lake to Interlaken:

Dont take my picture now, Mike

Mike is enjoying his first trip to Europe

The Eiger peaks above the ridge from the Thunersee

Last shot of our boat trip

Grindelwald is one of my favorite places in Switzerland. The majestic Wetterhorn, Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau rise above the town. While Im thinking about it, watch this ski-parasail nut fly down the west ridge of the eiger, the ridge my Dad and I climbed in 1975, then turn right onto the north face at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut1kGmOhzWQ. Anyway, I love this place. Our first few days we had wonderful weather, soon it would be raining and snowing.

We got a 6 day pass to all the lifts, and on a beautiful day, we went up the Mannlichen gondola and walked to Kleine Scheidegg. Here I am almost pointing to the Scheidegg Hotel, where I worked the winter of 1980-81 as a waiter.

Looking down at the beautiful Lauterbrennan valley

Cows, cows, cows everywhere

We met with Tony Wyss, who owns the gift shop at Kleine Scheidegg, he took us to dinner at his restaurant in Grindelwald. He is 61, and snowboards, runs marathons, mountain bikes, flies planes, parasails, paraglides, plays tennis and volleyball, and windsurfs in Egypt on his vacations. Stud!

Sitting in the salon of the hotel where I used to serve drinks

Clint Eastwood filmed the Eiger Sanction here, Frau von Almen, my boss, is the woman next to him.

I made another swiss friend!
Im not sure what this cow is doing, but there is the Eiger and Monch in the background. Dad and I stood on the summit of the Eiger in 1975.
Lauterbrennan Valley, sweet!!

The swiss army practising their drumming

Want to hear them drumming? Of course you do!:

We took the First Gondola, where Kim and I went tandem parasailing in 2004, and got these shots

stitched together 3 photos

We had a great hike to the Schreckhornhutte. It was a true alpine bliss experience, we were aware there was no place in the world we would rather be at that moment, surrounded by wildflowers and glaciers, little avalanches regularly falling from the slopes above. It was a 3500 foot climb to the hut, in 4 hours.

One of the many glaciers behind the Eiger
The first hour of the hike was below tree line
Kim and I hiked here in 2004
The Baregg restaurant reached in the first hour of the hike
There is no place Id rather be than right here, right now. Have you ever felt that?

Mike was feeling the alpine bliss
One of the many glaciers, they are receding due to global warming, we are at about 8000 feet
Mike, looking back down the valley to Grindelwald

I made a friend! Schweinschnitzel anyone?

Video of Mike and the glaciers during our hike

As the trail got higher there was fresh snow from the storm the night before
I saw this beautiful wild Steinbock with magnificent horns
The trail climbed fixed ladders to the left of this glacier, can you see the trail through the snow slanting upward to the right on the left of this picture?
Magnificent alpine paradise

You could hear and then see small avalanches and rockfalls

Fixed ladders helped get you up the steep parts
This was the scary river crossing where Kim and I had a tough time crossing in 2004
Dont travel on glaciers without ropes

After a 3500 foot climb here is the Shreckhornhutte, I had a bowl of soup for 7 dollars

View from the hut

HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR GRINDELWALD PHOTOS. The next 2 days it rained and rained and rained, leaving fresh snow as low as 5000 feet, in August. Mike left for Munich and Im on my own now. Hope to post a Kandersteg Klettersteig then the Austrian Alps in a week or two. If you are feeling friendly, post a comment!

Aug. 30, 2010

ZERMATT, SWITZERLAND AUG 21-24

ZERMATT

In Zermatt we got a room at the worlds most expensive hostel, 200 dollars for a room for 2, with dinner and breakfast. Zermatt is an expensive and touristy town, but a must for mountain lovers. Kim and I stayed here in 2004. Got no sleep with Mike`s snoring. The first thing we did was rent Via Ferrata equipment to climb the local klettersteig. You get a harness, two straps and carabiners are used to clip in to the metal cable. Only unclip one at a time so you are always protected. This course took over 4 hours, long but easier than Engelberg and Leysin`s klettersteigs. At the first ladder Mike turned around. I ended up following a 9 year old and his Dad, it was tricky passing them as they leaned into the cliff. It`s not easy feeling studly following a 9 year old. The ladders were swinging and hanging. There were narrow wood boards to walk across staring into the void. I was alone and it was quite hot, I used up 2 litres of water. There were 2 steep climbs and lots of traversing along the cliff. There was a shady cave near the top I could finally rest, gazing over the Zermatt valley, a true feeling of alpine bliss!

Here are some pics of the climb

Mikes first klettersteig

We then hiked up to the Schonbielhutte. First we climbed 2300 feet to Trifft, following a river with glaciers above. We stopped for a hot ovomaltine, then continued 4 hours to the hut, racing an oncoming storm. There was a final 1200 foot climb just before the hut at 8840 feet. We got Mike a private room for his snoring. Dinner was festive and delicious, though 75 dollars to sleep and get the 2 meals. We rinsed off with cold water. I slept downstairs to escape the snorer, but people woke me up all night long going to the bathroom. At 3AM I gave up and went back upstairs. Here are some pics from that day

Racing the oncoming storm

North Face of the Matterhorn and Schonbielhutte:

The next day Mike returned to Zermatt while I went up to the Matterhornhutte (aka Hornlihutte). We dropped 1600 feet together before I climbed 3300 feet on a monster of a steep trail. All I could think about was how to make my pack lighter next time. I was bonking near the top from not eating. I made my own dinner to save money, it cost 35 dollars to stay there, but 8 dollars for a liter bottle of water since there was no water there. The hut is at 10,500 feet. Climbed up a bit using the fixed ropes, but a fall would have been bad so I came down. Slept poorly again, but the next morning I left at 6:40AM, watching the sun rise over the Monte Rosa massif and matterhorn. Truly an alpine bliss experience. It took 2.5 hours to drop 5300 feet back to Zermatt, I was sore for 2 days. Here are the pics from these 2 days:

See the hut on the ridge

Alpine horns in Zermatt

swiss hamlet above zermatt