Arc’teryx Alpine Academy clinics now online
Registration for the Arc’teryx Alpine Academy 2018 is fast approaching, and you can now all the clinics that are available at this year’s event on the dedicated website.
SkyWay Monte Bianco officially open
The new cable car which runs from Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley to Punta Helbronner (3,462m) on the Italian side of Mont Blanc is now officially open. Construction of the €110m cable car began in April of 2012 and replaces the 58-year-old Helbronner cable car. It will be open year round, providing access to mountaineering routes as well as off-piste skiing …
First ascent of Alps rock tower
British climber (and Trek & Mountain contributor) Tony Penning has soloed a previously unclimbed rock tower on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc Massif. Situated just below the southeast face of the Grandes Jorasses, the tower attracted Penning’s interest while camping in the Val Veni this August. Penning made two carries to the bivouac below Punta Grassi, before repeating …
Steck and Schäli make speed ascents in the Alps
Swiss speed climber Ueli Steck and alpinist Roger Schäli made impressively fast ascents of the Alps’ most challenging peaks last month, with Steck completing a traverse of Mont Blanc while Schali tackled the Jungfrau Marathon. Ueli began the Peuterey Integral traverse in mid-August shortly after arriving in the Chamonix Valley. Said to be the hardest route of its kind in …
Alpine glaciers protect peaks from erosion
Scientists studying Mont Blanc and its surrounding glaciers have discovered that glacial ice atop these summits protect the peaks from erosion. Findings indicate that glacial ice acts as a protective lid, effectively sheltering mountain rock from the elements, most importantly rain and water damage. At the highest points, ice freezes to the rock and does not contribute significantly towards erosion. …