I believe it. I was shocked to see the Wetterstein buried in snow the other day. But a webcam look at the Val Gardena showed golden, heathery slopes down in the Dolomites at even higher altitudes. Complex weather around here!
Can't think what possible objection the guide could have had to you making a hot water bottle out of your camelback. I do this all the time with my nalgene. Boiled water = toasty sleeping bag and = treated and safe drinking water for the next day.
Yeah! The hot water bottle thing seemed dubious to him in general, and then he thought the plastic might melt too. Plus he was weirded out that I didn't have a sleeping bag. It seemed like a sort of visceral "no!" response to whatever I did :D.
Thanks WoundedKnee. This route is a pretty unique multiday winter opportunity with a lot of exposed but non-technical terrain. Though I have read reports of people wallowing in deep snow! Happily, the ridge is windy though and if you are lucky that serves to limit the snow depth...kind of like Rainier in winter, where you don't often need snowshoes above 10,000 ft thanks to the wind.
Thanks Daniel! Well I actually wrote the "Day 1" part in a text file a few days after we did the trip. Then I got sidetracked by other stuff and just now got back to it. Note that Day 2 is much sparser :D. Fun trip man, thanks for your company!
Deb - Sep 6, 2007 6:25 pm - Voted 10/10
Beautiful!Both the climb and the photos are totally beautiful!
mvs - Sep 7, 2007 7:46 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Beautiful!Thanks Deb! It's raining every day here now, I thought I'd pull something out of the closet to get excited for winter.
Nikman - Sep 14, 2007 10:11 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Beautiful!Great report! PS: The weather in the southwestern alpes was surprisingly good, when that bad weather ran over the German/Austrian Alps :-)
mvs - Sep 16, 2007 4:20 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Beautiful!I believe it. I was shocked to see the Wetterstein buried in snow the other day. But a webcam look at the Val Gardena showed golden, heathery slopes down in the Dolomites at even higher altitudes. Complex weather around here!
vancouver islander - Sep 7, 2007 12:36 am - Voted 10/10
Great report..as always. Eloquent and entertaining.
Can't think what possible objection the guide could have had to you making a hot water bottle out of your camelback. I do this all the time with my nalgene. Boiled water = toasty sleeping bag and = treated and safe drinking water for the next day.
mvs - Sep 7, 2007 3:13 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Great reportYeah! The hot water bottle thing seemed dubious to him in general, and then he thought the plastic might melt too. Plus he was weirded out that I didn't have a sleeping bag. It seemed like a sort of visceral "no!" response to whatever I did :D.
WoundedKnee - Sep 8, 2007 10:24 am - Voted 10/10
Another great one.I've really enjoyed reading all of your recent reports.
mvs - Sep 9, 2007 7:02 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Another great one.Thanks WoundedKnee. This route is a pretty unique multiday winter opportunity with a lot of exposed but non-technical terrain. Though I have read reports of people wallowing in deep snow! Happily, the ridge is windy though and if you are lucky that serves to limit the snow depth...kind of like Rainier in winter, where you don't often need snowshoes above 10,000 ft thanks to the wind.
darndt - Sep 9, 2007 5:26 pm - Voted 10/10
I like itAfter all these months it's pretty amazing that you remember all these details! Great TR on a great trip!
mvs - Sep 9, 2007 6:59 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: I like itThanks Daniel! Well I actually wrote the "Day 1" part in a text file a few days after we did the trip. Then I got sidetracked by other stuff and just now got back to it. Note that Day 2 is much sparser :D. Fun trip man, thanks for your company!
Koen - Oct 12, 2007 11:09 am - Voted 10/10
niceAnother one of yours I hadn't read and just as good as the Ortler one. Nice pics as well.
mvs - Oct 14, 2007 1:41 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: niceThanks! We really enjoyed it...
schmid_th - Oct 19, 2007 3:54 am - Voted 10/10
Great!Nice to read - very good report and great pictures! I hope that one day we can make a climb together (when I´m fit again)! Cheers, Thomas