Day 0 Saturday

Flight from Manchester to Geneva then train and bus to Les Hauderes arriving around 1430. Only took 30minutes from getting off plan to sitting on train that included luggage pickup cash machine and getting ticket. Plane with BA cost £115.40, train and bus cost £54.
Gear was allocated early evening.

Day 1 Sunday

After a briefing to the 5 of us on the advanced course and a separate one to the 6 on the introductory course, it was off up to Arola for a shack out day ( check that everyone could do what they needed to be able to do). This included off piste skiing and skinning Kick turns up hill and down hill and avalanche transceiver searching. Alan injured his leg towards the end off the day and was out of action for two days.

Day lift pass 31CHF.

Day 2

It snowed over night and snowed most of the day. We needed chains on the mini bus to get to Arola. We eventually left for a 5 day tour at 1120 in heavy snow. After about an hour of breaking trail in turns in 30cm of powder, on route to the Bouquetins hut, we reached an ice cave and met a Chamoinx guide and clients. They had taken 5 hours to descend what should have taken no more than 2, and said the snow at the col was waist high. After some discussion we aborted and went back to Arola and practiced our powder technique.

Half day lift pass 24CHF!

Day 3

Due to the high avalanche risk from all the fresh snow went to Verbier and did some great off piste skiing in brilliant sunshine.

Full day pass 48CHF.

Day 4

Back to the original schedule today by taking the mini bus around to Tash then the train to Zermatt. After dumping food at the Bahnhof Hotel, we walked to the lift for the Klein Matterhorn. Then skinned up to the Breithorn 4164m very narrow at the top but skinned all the way. Then down to Unt. Theodulgletscher Glacier, at this point Lesley skied back down the piste, the rest of us went off piste ended up on the Gornergletscher and down a narrow gorge using fixed ropes towards the end. Then the snow ran out 500m from piste so we had to walk.

Left Klein Matterhorn lift 1030 reached top of Breithorn 1236 (2.5K) back at Barnhoff 1715. Total distance covered without using lifts17k height climbed 370m.

After a shower and a pint in a pub we all messed in to cook the evening meal. The Bahnhof has a well equipped self catering kitchen. Soup, pasta & instant whip type pud plus wine, it was what we had bought to have at the Bouquetins hut.

Tash to Zermatt train 7.80CHF. Klein Matterhorn up lift 52CHF. Furie down 8CHF (one lift). Total lift spend 67.80CHF.

Bed in the antic of the Bahnhof (mountain hut style) 31CHF.

Day 5

We got the 0800 train up to Gornergratt then cable cars to Stockhorn, skinning along ridge to the Stockhorn proper superb views! Then skied down onto the Findletsher reaching the low point at 1120, then up to the Adlerpass, exceedingly hot in the unremitting sun. After a breather and some food at the pass it was down in crap snow to the Brittannia hut having to skin the last 1 or maybe 2k, arriving 1745.

Very hot exhausting day, height skinned 700m, distance covered without lifts 14k (8k skinning).

Half board at the hut 61CHF 1.5Lwater 10CHF!!

Train and lift 50CHF

Day 6

Skinned from hut to Felshinn then funicular up 500m to Mittelallalin (3445m) Lesley and Alan advised that it would be better if they didn't attempt the ascent after Rob and Martin had seen the shirac band we had to negotiate. Ben was not well and had already decided he would not attempt it. So Clive, me, Martin and Rob started to skin up the Allalinhorn 4027m. Visibility became a problem and the route through the shirac band was as difficulty as they thought so we aborted at 3700m shortly after it started snowing heavily and visibility got even worse, it got difficult to orientate yourself in the near whiteout.

After a stop in a mountain café for lunch we skied down to Sass Fee Village reaching the bus station where the others were waiting at 1320 enabling us to get the 1330 bus to Stalden where the other team picked us up on their return from Tash.

12k of skiing 250m assent.

Funicular 24CHF bus 12.40CHF