Berry berry lovely

It's a bumper year for redcurrants this year. All around the chalet bushes are strewn with strings of ruby's which glow in the sunlight. Although free and abundant, there's still a cost to picking them as the best bushes seem to be buried in fields of nettles. The other day we came back with 7.5 kgs of fruit. Having filled the freezer we started making jelly - can't wait for the next leg of lamb...

Better late than never...

Col des Arpettes
Just getting a bit of training in for an early September tour of the Monte Rosa - normally an 8 day hike - which we're doing at a run with mad Tom, hoping to condense it into four 30-odd km stages. But it's the ascent and descent which will cause the trouble: the worst day is 2906m up and 3400m down. Here's a google earth track to the stunning Col des Arpettes above our house which we nipped up as a test-run which my phone miraculously recorded and which also tells me I can now eat an extra 6.7 Twixes. So it's not all bad.

Himalayan Alps

Despite the mixed weather recently we were able to have a wonderful walk on Monday up the Grand Chavalard with some friends. Despite the cloud swirling around we still got some amazing views down onto the Rhone valley, a vertical drop of about 2400m. It brought back memories of a walk we did in the Langtang in Nepal a couple of years ago (left Switzerland, right Nepal). It's not the first time that we have been reminded of the Himalayas since being here - different cows though...

Gd Chavalard, Switzerland (left), Eric in Langtang, Nepal (right)

On a clear day you would have an amazing 360 which takes in Mt Blanc, the Bernese Oberland and the Matterhorn - something to come back for.

Imperial Haute Route

Finally, nearly four years after arriving here, we've done the classic tour of the valley including an ascent of the 4153m Bishorn. It's probably not the first time this peak has been climbed by people with blisters covering more than fifty per cent of the surface of their feet, but full marks to Anthony and Axel for an impressive display of mental fortitude. Arse-of-the-tour award for skiing the best pitch of powder with one skin still attached - doh! - goes to Eric.  And everyone in the group gets a medal for days one and four which involved a lot more walking than normal due to thin snow conditions. Thanks to chief guide Graham Frost and to Mark Walker for getting us to the top of the correct mountain and keeping us in such good spirits.

Rosenhorn - heil ski touring from Meiringen

A quick trip up the Rosenhorn (3689m) and then a ski down the Rosenlaui glacier: amazing views of the Eiger from the east, looking much slimmer than it does from the north. A chilly start to the day, though we might have been trembling for other reasons along the summit ridge. The ski down was in spring conditions and then super-warm slush at the bottom though we easily skied to the door of the lovely Hotel Rosenlaui where they helpfully dispense drinks to thirsty ski tourists even though they're not yet open at this time of year; they even go and get your car from wherever you parked it when running late for the heli, if you ask nicely. Thanks to Christian Willi our guide and to Christine and Ueli from Haslital Tourism for joining us for this great ski day.

Proper powder

A snowy weekend has left the whole Val d'Anniviers in great shape. Lots of powder in the Chamois, top to bottom, putting the pleasure back into our run home.

Normal service has been resumed

Two snow storms, last weekend and yesterday, have put an end to the recent snow drought. In fact the pistes stayed in pretty good condition but it's nice to have plenty of fresh powder off piste again.