Went on a day trip to the crags of ‘Le Coin’ at La Saleve, which are pretty much on the Swiss border. We’d found a cool looking ridge to climb, so set off early to catch it before the sun did.  The first pitch seemed impossibly steep and smooth, but we found a sneaky way… Read more

For the first time in over a year, I strapped on a pair of crampons and crunched out in the higher alpine world of snow and ice. We’d not planned to ‘go high’ this summer, but couldn’t turn down the opportunity when it arose. After getting such great views of the Mt Blanc massif from… Read more

It wasn’t until after lunch that the rain stopped and the clouds began to show some signs of lifting. Sensing that the smooth slabs above the Col de la Colombiere would be first to dry out, we optimistically set off up the hill. Our calculations were correct and we reached the base of the slabs… Read more

It was a different view from the back door this morning and felt like the first time in weeks that we were going to have a properly wet morning. The nights downpours had reduced to a steady drizzle and the hillsides, peaks and valleys all covered by thick damp clouds.  Perfect conditions for a morning… Read more

The calm at the lake was almost eerie compared to most days in August where the hot weather creates a strong wind through the valley and the beaches are packed with sunbathers and swimmers. It was overcast and due to be raining heavily, but so far, it was holding off, as were the crowds. We… Read more

With an imminent forecast of heavy rain and thunderstorms, I made an early start to try and get something from the day before rain stopped play. There was a threatening band of cloud on the horizon when I set out from the Col de la Colombiere at 07:30, but it looked like I’d at least… Read more