Blog Posts in Category: Mountaineering

Christlumkopf Ski Tour with Becky

Alastair BegleyAustria, Ski Touring Short Link

It seemed so simple when we came up with the idea, arrive at the Christlum ski area as it opened, skin up to the top, ski back down and get back to work in time for the afternoon, however it was only when I looked at how long the route took Adam and me a few weeks ago, that I realised this may have been a tad ambitious. I was keen to get out with Becky, as last weekend she had bought ski touring skis and we didn’t have a chance to use them, and this weekend the weather looks fairly snowy. So we came up with the above plan, which turned out to be a bit overambitious for a first ski tour, as there was no time at the top to chill out and eat some food before getting back down! The skin up the Rodelbahn was a great way to warm up and for Becky to get into the rhythm of ski touring, so we gently snaked our way up through the forrest, eventually appearing at the mid mountain and emerging from the forrest. Here we briefly skinned. Read the full article…

Pre work Hirschberg Skitour

Alastair BegleyAustria, Ski Touring Short Link

I certainly wasn’t convinced at the idea of a pre work ski tour when my alarm went off at 04:50, however I dragged myself out of bed and completed the 1h drive to the parking for Hirschberg. After getting fairly cold gearing up at the car, we soon headed off up the initial section of piste. I remember this initial section being brutal when I walked it, and it certainly felt just as brutal on skis in the dawn light. Eventually we made it to the top of the piste, and the end of the ski resort where we headed off into the forrest. Here it was much easier going and the track was wide enough to skin two abreast so it was fairly social. We followed the skin tracks off the main track and more towards the descent, which probably made progress slower, but it certainly made the ascent more beautiful. As we broke out of the woods the sun was just starting to hit the slopes as we emerged into the warm sunlight and glowing peaks. A few steep turns later and we were at the huts before. Read the full article…

Christlumkopf Piste Tour

Alastair BegleyAustria, Ski Touring Short Link

With a poor weather forecast and a suboptimal avalanche forecast, Adam and I decided to head to Christlumlopf for a piste ski tour to get out, as it could easily be done in poor visibility and with a high avalanche forecast. The day turned out to be much nicer than we had anticipated, however there was still a lot of cloud around, so it probably wasn’t a bad decision. The way up was very pleasant, most of the way up was on a quiet Rodelbahn, with only a short section up the side of a piste, before we went into the woods for the final ascent. It wasn’t a long day out, we were at the summit in under two hours, but my legs certainly felt the lack of ski touring so far this season! The ski down was wonderful, on wide pistes, with good snow and not very many people!

2022 in 100 Photos

Alastair Begley100 Photos, Alpinism, Arco, Austria, Bavaria, Dolomites, General, Landscape, Paragliding, Road Cycling, Rock Climbing, Scrambling, Ski Touring, Skiing, Via Ferrata, Walking, Winter Climbing, Winter Walking Short Link

Thankfully 2022 was a more normal year than the previous two years, and our first full year with our new lifestyle living an hour from the Alps. A high point of the year was the number of visitors we were able to host, for skiing, walking, paragliding and climbing. We certainly made the most of living near the alps, with most weekends spend in the mountains one way or another. Winter Our winter was fairly dominated with piste skiing, where Becky progressed from tentatively skiing easy blue runs to confidently skiing red runs with the odd short black run as well! This was great to see and I am looking forward to her continued progression this year. Despite the focus on piste skiing we also squeezed some paragliding in and I managed to get 4 days of ski touring as well. General Through the winter we managed to squeeze in some paragliding, and on one of our final days of skiing of the year, I am managed to combine a morning skiing with my first proper cross country flight on my paraglider which was a very memorable experience, as I. Read the full article…

Thaneller Hike&Fly

Alastair BegleyAustria, Paragliding, Walking Short Link

Following a day with snow down to the valleys and a beautiful weather forecast, we headed off early to Berwang in Austria to climb Thaneller. We had decided to climb Thaneller as it is a fairly standalone mountain which has wonderful views over the Lechtaler Alpen, towards the Zugspitze, over the Plansee and towards the Tannheimer Geberge. It was also suitable for a hike and fly with the predicted wind direction. The ascent up to the peak was beautiful, with snow covered mountains, green fields in the valleys and incredibly clear air which gave us wonderful views. As we climbed higher the views just kept improving and we had a wonderful inversion as we looked towards the Karwendel. As we approached the summit we were greeted by the view north over Plansee and into Bavaria, which was very special. The wind was moderate and in the correct direction to take off, so I quickly setup before it further increased and after more failed inflations than I would care to admit, took off. Upon watching the videos the others took, it I was clearly using my hands to balance as I. Read the full article…

Blauberg Überschreitung

Alastair BegleyBavaria, Walking Short Link

With another day of beautiful sunshine and unexpectedly warm temperatures we decided to head off and do one of the long ridge walks in Bavaria which has been on my todo list for a while, the Blauberg Blauberg Überschreitung. As Becky was heading off early the next morning, we wanted to ensure that we weren’t back too late, so we got up early and arrived at the car park at 8am. We were certainly not the first people there, but the car park was still pretty deserted. The walk in was pretty cool in the shade, and for a large amount of the very flat walk in we could see the towering ascent at the end of the valley, which was as steep as it looked! We were thankful that it hadn’t rained, as the approach was along a valley floor and involved multiple crossings of the river, certainly not one to do in trainers after lots of rain! We were soon at the start of the ascent, which was fairly brutal, but at least most of the ascent was then done in one go! Eventually we emerged on the. Read the full article…

Hochiss, Achensee

Alastair BegleyAustria, Walking Short Link

We had some friends from the UK visiting us, and wanted to make the most of the limited amount of time they had in the mountains with us. We had previously done this walk last year, when I flew off the top, and it was certainly memorable due to the relatively small amount of ascent thanks to the Rofanbahn, fantastic views, and even a little bit of scrambling. While last time there was plenty of hill fog in the morning, which made the ascent fairly grim and cold, this time we were basking in the warm sunshine, which made the walk enjoyable from the start. As we climbed up towards the Rotspitz and the view into the Karwendel and over Achense opened up it was just fantastic. From this point the entire ascent of the ridge was enjoyable, and we managed to find a location in the sun and out of the wind for lunch. As the day went on the Föhn winds started to develop, and you could clearly see Föhn clouds over the main alpine ridge. This meant that the summit was pretty chilly, combined with the high. Read the full article…

Via Settimo Cielo, Val di Ledro (Arco)

Alastair BegleyArco, Rock Climbing Short Link

After a day of paragliding at Bassano we returned to Arco for a final day of climbing before heading back to Munich to prepare for the arrival of some friends. We headed to the Val di Ledro, which looked like it was full of well bolted multi-pitch routes from UIAA 5+ onwards. We decided to climb Via Settimo Cielo as it was highly rated, only UIAA 5+ and with 4 pitches of proper climbing. The approach to the crag was slightly more involved than we had expected, as a climbing path wound it’s way around the base of the cliffs high above the old road below. Thankfully we had a gpx track to the start of the route, which certainly made finding it easier, and we were pleased to find the start of the route deserted. The route was absolutely stunning, with interesting climbing which was consistent at the grade, no polish and really well bolted. As we were climbing there were beautiful views both up the Val di Ledro and out onto Lake Garda. All too soon we were at the top, but due to a lack of preparation. Read the full article…