September 2021

September 2021

The Weissmies

In September we had Deepan out with friend and business partner Neil. Neil is a British Mountain Guide who splits his time between the UK and the Alps. Neil guides for Rock n Ridge and heads up our alpine section of the company.

Deepan had six days and was on a mission to climb as much rock and peaks as possible! Of course there was some acclimatisation to do before climbing these high peaks.

The hike up to the Almageller hut is useful in a number of ways. Firstly it gets your head into the surroundings. Dri Hornli Secondly it’s great for fitness and training in preparation for the climbing of the Weissmies and climbs like the Dri Hornli, which was on the cards. And thirdly it’s all topping up your acclimatisation fitness. And fourthly it’s a warm, comfortable place to stay with food and beverage!  The hut sits at 2,894m, and the Weissmies stands at 4,017m, which as you can see is a good place to acclimatise.

The next day was the push for the summit and the picture above shows ‘Deeps’ on the summit of the Weissmies! Well-done lads.

Dri Hornli

The Dri Hornli / Dri Hornli traverse is a classic AD ridge on the south ridge of the Weissmies. It’s a ½ / ¾ day rock climb, which is roped, of course to keep you safe at all times. The traverse is exposed in places and the climbing equates to about a 4a/4b rock climb in the UK. The pictures show ‘Deeps’ on the ridge of the Dri Hornli, with the ‘classic’ picture just below the crest of the mountain.

Meanwhile…

In addition to the fantastic adventures that were going on in the Alps. Someone has to hold the fort back home, and September was a busy month here. Lot’s of Canyoning and Ghyll Scrambling, but some interesting multi pitch climbing work came in. The family wanted some rock climbing up near or around Edinburgh. After scouring the climbing guidebooks for a while, I came up with a place called Traprain Law. I’ve never heard, or been here but when I arrived the day before to check things out it looked promising.  Dri Hornli Weissmies

The weather was mega for their day luckily. So we made full use of this and got to work climbing as much as possible. The kids were great, and were keen. After all of the climbs they got to abseil off the rock back down to the ground, which is always a buzz for new climbers. Rock Climbing courses Here

Climbing

In addition to climbing in Scotland, there were people wanting days out in the Lakes. Jack and friend Olly were two climbers – Olly being relatively new to the sport but keen. Jack had done a fair share of climbing before but wanted to progress and take it further. He had climbed out in the Alps before, and so was telling him about the Dri Hornli and the Weissmies trips that were happening. The Dri Hornli is one that he had always wanted to do so that lit the fire for inspiration and alpine dreaming! Besides lots of rock climbing, equally important is looking at the safety side of things. So building belays, anchor selection, stance management and simple rescue scenarios were covered throughout their day. Jack’s words were ‘massively beneficial’ to his learning so that felt good.

Alpine Courses

If you require any further information on any of our courses, please get in touch. Besides the Dri Hornli and the Weissmies, Rock n Ridge covers ANY peak in the Alps and can sort out a custom trip out for individuals/small groups.

There will be more info about the Alps section soon, and eventually will be revamping this side as it’s a side of the business not many clients know about, but the conversation often gets around to the Alps and trips etc.

You can find more information on our alpine section Here

Links:

Preparing for the Alps booklet – Here