Early-season week's skiing in Chamonix to hone those telemark and alpine skills. Skiing will be mainly on piste, but going off-piste if conditions permit. Flying to Geneva from Edinburgh (Easyjet) and staying in self-catering accommodation.
Contact Chris Fenton 07827284049
Dates provisional – dependant on flights etc. After a good tour last season, this is another opportunity to explore the mountains north of the Arctic Circle. The trip is Hut to Hut, starting at Nikkaluokta (50km West of Kiruna) in the Kebnekaise Mountains. Valley / hill touring in spectacular scenery staying 2-3 nights at each hut to allow local tours with a lighter pack. Your will need some hill touring experience (eg hut to hut in Norway or similar) on cross country skis – given the mountainous terrain, it is not suitable for beginners.
Please contact Keith C (see membership list or e-mail membership@estc.org.uk for details) if interested.
10 day trip to the Rondane comprising 5-6 days hut to hut touring with possible 3-4 days on piste. Details to be formalised but Norwegian airlines are offering very competitive flights just now so if you are interested get in touch with myself Clare Campbell or Sarah Montgomery.
This trip is most suitable for anyone who has done at least a week’s skiing on classic touring skis and is reasonably fit and able to ski 15- 25 km with a pack. (No food to carry).
I shall be organising another holiday at my daughter's large house in Sentein in the Ariege with accommodation for approximately 12. Travel will probably be Edinburgh to Bordeaux and hire car to the village. Length of stay can reflect people's holiday entitlements. Costs are likely to be about £300. We can do a Refuge night one night but essentially following the successful pattern of the last trip people will select day walks from the house of differing lengths and difficuties. The National Park of Mont Vallier is 10kilometres from the house and the peaks are just short of 3000metres.
If you are interested please contact me:
david.brown1945@blueyonder.co.uk
Keith C and Neil S are planning a trip staying at one hut (Landmannalaugar) - We might get to the hut by a 4*4 or there may be a 25km ski in towing a pulk packed with provisions to a comfortable hut next to hot volcanic pools. Varied skiing – mountains to the south , flat to the north and volcanic features all around.
You might find this programme available on BBC iplayer until Sunday 30th of October: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0110grr/Julia_Bradburys_Icelandic_Walk/. We will touring around the start of this route.
Good experience of touring in untracked mountains required and you must be prepared for sub-arctic weather.
Contact Keith C (see membership list or e-mail membership@estc.org.uk for details) if interested.
If there is sufficient interest I am happy to repeat the trip conceived by Chris Fenton a few years ago. We would ski tour from hut to hut finishing with the hut below Gran Paradiso and allowing the summit ascent. It is proposed that there be two groups of six skiing separately but meeting up at the same huts in the evening. One group would be for well experienced ski tourers and will be restricted to people with appropriate experience. This group would assume responsibility for its own route finding. The other group will be geared at people who have good experience but who would like the opportunity to tour with the added support of a qualified mountain guide. This is the group I shall join. Travel would probably be via Geneva and minbus on through the Mont Blanc Tunnel. Costs are likely to be approx £600 for the unguided group and £800 for the guided group. Anyone undertaking the trip would be expected to have done Avalanche / Winter Skills Training in recent years. The circuit is a high mountain traverse around from one mountain valley into the next and is alpine touring of an advanced nature (many of the organised tours in this region are classed in the brochures as intermediate), although not as arduous or involving as much exposure as some of the major French and Swiss traverses. Staying the first and last night in a hotel , the Rifugio we might use are Bezzi, Benevolo, Chivaso, Victor Emanuel II and Chabod.
When I have sufficient expressions of interest I will organise a planning meeting and we can move to the next stage
Contact:
david.brown1945@blueyonder.co.uk
For the record, here are what we have done in previous years. For more details see the trip reports.