Goto Chockstone Home

  Guide
  Gallery
  Tech Tips
  Articles
  Reviews
  Dictionary
  Links
  Forum
  Search
  About

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

  Shop
Chockstone Photography
Australian Landscape Photography by Michael Boniwell
Australian Landscape Prints





Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

Area Location Sub Location Crag Links
International (General) (General) (General)  

Author
First time in the Alps, where to go?
WilliamTi
10-Apr-2019
12:19:15 PM
Hi all,

Me and my wife are heading to the alps for the first 2 weeks of July, we have about 12 days there for a few climbs, to give us loads of time to acclimatize and generally hang about.

Our primary purpose is learning, we are there to experience alpine culture, get familiar with higher altitude mountaineering and walking, gain experience on glaciers and enjoy the scenery. We would also like to tackle a decent significant target.

At first we thought Chamonix, but it doesnt really sit too well, i'm not too keen on the idea that the alps = chamonix, i'm sure there must be many better and cheaper alternatives that give good value for our goals.

We're both very fit and have been doing lots of big days in scotland over the winter with lots of ascent,

Where would people suggest to go?

Do you have any specific routes that would suit us?
gfdonc
10-Apr-2019
2:10:08 PM
I don't get why you'd rule out Chamonix so quickly. (Disclaimer: I was there last month).

Tall peaks, long routes, good infrastructure, ready access to guides and guidebooks.
They have glaciers. Lots of them. Mont Blanc fits your 'significant target' criteria.

2nd disclaimer: I haven't climbed there - but would like to.

Plenty of options in Switzerland - Zermatt/Matterhorn for example.
Austria would have some good options (Dachsteins I expect would be one).


Keenas
10-Apr-2019
2:59:44 PM
If you want alpine rock climbing, buy some of the Plaisir guides. Has heaps of amazing climbs all over the alps.
If you want mountain climbs, mixed routes or snow plods, there are so many areas around to get 4000m or so on F or AD routes, anywhere from Écrins to Gran Paradiso to Valais to Bregaglia.
Chamonix is busy, but so are all the popular, easy routes all around the alps.
Will_P
11-Apr-2019
9:37:57 AM
WHAT?! Chamonix is incredible, if it's your first trip to the Alps you should totally base yourself there. I went there for all of June last year in what was planned to be a once-off trips to the Alps... now I'm intending to spend every June there. There's so much to do, especially in the moderate range you describe. If conditions aren't on for the Mont Blanc range there's heaps of more moderate stuff in the Aiguille Rouge range. And it's just an hour through the tunnel to Courmayeur in Italy, which opens up a whole new area (and great coffee, which is the one thing Cham lacks).

A great guidebook is Laroche & Lelong’s ‘Mont Blanc Range - Classic snow, ice & mixed climbs’; others include Batoux’s ‘Mont Blanc – the finest routes’ (more of a coffee table book than a guidebook), and Moran’s ‘4000m Peaks of the Alps’. There's also heaps of excellent guidebooks available once you're there that I couldn't find in Aus or for purchase online.

Finally, it's possible to spend time in Cham without breaking the bank - get an apartment through Airbnb, don't eat out too much, go for foot access rather than the lifts if time and conditions for your objective allow, etc.

Happy to expand on any of the above, PM me if interested.
Chockstone Moderator
11-Apr-2019
11:44:10 AM
A heads up for those following this thread.
Earlier today I updated the Chockstone Feedback, FYI Chockstoners thread with the following information;
>
New registration WilliamTi (8848), clueless potential mountaineer, initially checked SFS okay, but a day later has three spamming offences recorded there from a chinese IP. The post they made on Chockstone is on-topic so as another experiment I’m waiting and watching to see if we get spammed by him (travel related stuff?), before disabling their registration. Very tentative benefit of the doubt given at this stage, but being ongoing closely monitored.


The above responses in this thread may have been trolled!
diddy
11-Apr-2019
11:56:08 AM
Exact same post made twice on UKC forums by different users:

https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/expedition+alpine/first_time_in_the_alps_where_to_go-702813

https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/hilltalk/first_time_in_the_alps_where_to_go-703067

I have to say, I thought the initial post was odd, when it's apparently written by someone who is/has recently been in Scotland and asking about the European Alps, on a rock forum in Australia.








[Moderator edit:
Thanks for that information. I've followed up on it and one of those posts was by the same username as used here on Chockstone. It also made another 'legitimate' post to UKC on a different topic on the same day of 10/04/19. This date is also the date of registration of that username on UKC.

The second post linked above, was made by a different username of NateDangerJones on 04/04/19. This username has made three other 'legitimate' posts on UKC on two different topics back on 08/11/18.
This username was registered on UKC on 26/05/12 and updated on 25/02/19. It has a completed User Profile (bio) that appears to be genuine, though perhaps inconsistent with the post here on Chockstone, as it lists main activity as being Mountaineering, along with mostly climbing in UK with best onsights over a 4 to 10 year period being;
Winter - IV
Trad - E2
Bouldering - f6B+.
It is not a username appearing in our registrations database.

I'm still giving tentative benefit of the doubt, but consider this poster as having a short term memory/identity problem!]

MisterGribble
11-Apr-2019
2:54:57 PM
WilliamTi (8848) - a sacred number !!!

Some day Willy boy, some day.......
Will_P
12-Apr-2019
1:22:16 PM
Well that's disappointing. I'm trying to be a better person; I'm trying to be more positive and encouraging, to lift others up and inspire passion... and it's spam. Is this how ODH became the way he is?

phillipivan
17-Apr-2019
2:45:20 PM
On 11-Apr-2019 Will_P wrote:
> (and great coffee, which is the one thing Cham lacks).

I recall the coffee in the Rufigio Torino (Italian side) was better and cheaper than anything in Cham, or Paris for that matter. The food didn't sit well with me, however.

There are 9 messages in this topic.

 

Home | Guide | Gallery | Tech Tips | Articles | Reviews | Dictionary | Forum | Links | About | Search
Chockstone Photography | Landscape Photography Australia | Australian Landscape Photography | Landscape Photos Australia

Please read the full disclaimer before using any information contained on these pages.



Australian Panoramic | Australian Coast | Australian Mountains | Australian Countryside | Australian Waterfalls | Australian Lakes | Australian Cities | Australian Macro | Australian Wildlife
Landscape Photo | Landscape Photography | Landscape Photography Australia | Fine Art Photography | Wilderness Photography | Nature Photo | Australian Landscape Photo | Stock Photography Australia | Landscape Photos | Panoramic Photos | Panoramic Photography Australia | Australian Landscape Photography | High Country Mountain Huts | Mothers Day Gifts | Gifts for Mothers Day | Mothers Day Gift Ideas | Ideas for Mothers Day | Wedding Gift Ideas | Christmas Gift Ideas | Fathers Day Gifts | Gifts for Fathers Day | Fathers Day Gift Ideas | Ideas for Fathers Day | Landscape Prints | Landscape Poster | Limited Edition Prints | Panoramic Photo | Buy Posters | Poster Prints