More Ski Touring

In mid April a had another wee ski touring trip out to the Alps. This time I went to the Silvretta Alps in Austria. A few people have asked if this all this ski touring is in preparation for British Mountain Guides application (which it is not) with the implication that is the only reason to go ski touring. This view point is a shame as ski touring is such a pleasant activity to for it's own sake, as I hope the photos below show. 

 The chilly day. Luckily I had brought my thermometer so could quantify just how chilly it was (-9.4 degrees  I seem to remember).

 Heading up the valley from the Jamtel Hutte. 

 Nona nearing the summit of the Dreilander-Spar 

Nona and the amazing German man in his ripped jeans. He took no ice axe ,crampon or rope and went for a 4 day ski touring trip in his jeans. Fair play though, he did somehow get to the top of some impressive peaks, even if he did almost topple off the top of Silvrettahorn.

 Heading across and below the ice fall on the Ochsentaler Gletcher with the Silvrettahorn in the back ground. 

 Nearing the top of the Silvrettahorn with Piz Buin in the back ground. 

Skiing back down to the Wiesbadener hut. 

Chose something else....

Choose Scottish Winter, Choose the West Coast, Choose unpredictable weather, Choose darkness, spindrift and crap conditions. Choose snowploughing about in a whitout, Choose gambling on weather and conditions. Choose too much snow, or too little..... Choose dragging yourself out of your bed at death o'clock to spent to early to shiver for hours on some god-forsaken stance. Choose sitting in the snow stuffing malt loaf down your throat wondering which youth is going to repeat and downgrade your routes. Choose raving and shaking your ski poles at the sky as the rain hammers down and the ski runs are reduced to sorry strips of wet snow.  Choose Scottish winter....... but for all that I love it, this year I decided to chose something else for a week. I chose five days touring around the Albula Alps in East Switzerland, and you know what it was not too bad.

The Kesh Hutte with Piz Kesh, the highest mountain in the area, beyond.

Guy and John nearing the summit of Piz Kesh. 

Part of the descent from Piz Kesh involved this cheeky little slope. It was quite exciting as it is steeper than it looks, and all the soft snow had been scraped off by the time I came to descend. 

Some very nice skiing further down the towards the next hut. Photo Jon Orr.

Nearing the top of Piz Pischa with Piz Kesh behind.

Lovely tracks and Guy. 

Running out of snow for the final few hundred metres.