April 19-24, 2009, Gemmi Pass, Switzerland
4/19/09
Europe
2873
1
It's always tough to leave the area when the days start getting long and weather and snow conditions create opportunities for good trips... except when leaving the area also affords great opportunities for ski touring. A work commitment took me over to Switzerland with skis in tow and we got in several great tours over the weeklong stay. It's hard when the conference schedule calls for ski touring for most of the day, before any of the real work happens!
We were based out of Gemmi Pass, above the village of Leukerbad off the Rhone Valley. We stayed at the Wildstrubel Lodge (not a traditional hut) which afforded great views, great food, nice rooms and very good service. A considerable amount of terrain can be accessed right from the pass and we took advantage of a lot of it, skiing five peaks in five days -- Roter Totz, Schwarzhorn, Steghorn, Wildstrubel and Balmhorn. Several other climbs with nice descents are possible including the Rinderhorn and Daubenhorn but we ran out of time and fresh muscles. The nice thing about the area is that it is pretty easy to find good things to ski regardless of the conditions as there are slopes and descents of varying pitch facing in all directions. The views up high were fantastic and often includes shots of the Weisshorn, Matterhorn, Eiger and Mount Blanc. The only downsides were the typical crowds in the Alps and some annoying flat stretches that had to be crossed at the beginning and end of each day's ski.
If you're ever looking to get out of the PNW and ski somewhere abroad, this is a nice option.
Some additional photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/iluka1968/GemmiPassSwitzerlandApril2009
We were based out of Gemmi Pass, above the village of Leukerbad off the Rhone Valley. We stayed at the Wildstrubel Lodge (not a traditional hut) which afforded great views, great food, nice rooms and very good service. A considerable amount of terrain can be accessed right from the pass and we took advantage of a lot of it, skiing five peaks in five days -- Roter Totz, Schwarzhorn, Steghorn, Wildstrubel and Balmhorn. Several other climbs with nice descents are possible including the Rinderhorn and Daubenhorn but we ran out of time and fresh muscles. The nice thing about the area is that it is pretty easy to find good things to ski regardless of the conditions as there are slopes and descents of varying pitch facing in all directions. The views up high were fantastic and often includes shots of the Weisshorn, Matterhorn, Eiger and Mount Blanc. The only downsides were the typical crowds in the Alps and some annoying flat stretches that had to be crossed at the beginning and end of each day's ski.
If you're ever looking to get out of the PNW and ski somewhere abroad, this is a nice option.
Some additional photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/iluka1968/GemmiPassSwitzerlandApril2009
Wild. That's awesome, some really great pics! Sounds like a great time across the pond...
Reply to this TR
Please login first: