It really didn’t look very promising today, the forecast was bad and there was a lot of low cloud. Yesterday had been awful really, raining all day and not really worth going out. So, meeting David again, we had a slightly late start with a vague plan to walk up the valley and explore a couple of options there.

We started with a quick side trip to the copper mines, in season they run tours around here but neither of us had been here before. It’s about 100m climb up from the main track and then just a straight walk back down. The weather was not brilliant but it looked worth continuing so we set off for the cabane de Petit Mountet with a plan to have lunch there.

I got some water in my boots the other day from the snow high up, fortunately they didn’t get so wet that flowers grew in them.

It was in the afternoon after we’d left the cabane that the most amazing thing happened, but you’re going to have to read on for that……


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Meeting up with David, a regular ski partner in the winter, and all sorts of plans had come and gone for this week, climbing the Zinalrothorn or La Besso, climbing some other peak but in the end for today the weather had the final call and after some heavy rain and snow at altitude a hike looked the best idea. The route was a classic of the area, from Chandolin passing the lift system at Saint Luc and then on and up to the Bella Vouarda with an idea to take in the Forcletta before starting a traverse back to Zinal.

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Here we are, day four at a fairly leisurely 0500 start and hitting the hill at 0615. The night was spent in the Tracuit Hut which at 3270m is fairly high, the hut was pretty busy probably due to such superb conditions.

So far the tour has just been extraordinary, the best trip I’ve made this year really and that’s due in large part to the guide Fredy Tscherrig who set the trip up, his knowledge of the area is just stunning and his passion for it is obvious.

For me today is the point of the trip, in some ways the point of the season and probably of life itself! I’ve spent the season skiing in the Val d’Anniviers and one of the reasons I actually ski tour is to explore more of the valley. Now we are at 3270m high up in the Anniviers, three days into the trip and ready to make an ascent of he Bishorn at 4153m. The Bishorn is a “ski 4000″ so we’re going to be able to make all but the last few metres on skis.

I used Adobe LightRoom to make a web slideshow of the whole trip, view slideshow here.


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This was going to be a long day, the aim was to travel to the Cabane de Tracuit which looks a pretty long way on the map. Another early start at 0400hr and we’re away from the the cabane du Mountet a little after 0430hrs lighting the way by head torches until fixing skins and starting the first ascent.

photo : some of the group climbing the Blanc de Moming with the Dent Blanche in the centre background.
 

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