Public Website

A volunteer is sought to assume complete editorial control of the Club’s quarterly Newsletter from the end of 2011, soliciting content, selecting that which is most appropriate, liaising with our proof-reader and interfacing directly with the graphics designer who takes care of layout. If this challenge is of genuine interest to you, please contact the Club Secretary via the AAC(UK) Office for further details.  

Members

To access our
Members' Website
you need to
Log In
using the Username and Password
listed in our recent Newsletter.
 

Invitation

The largest UK Mountaineering Club
warmly invites you to
Search this website,
check our Programme of Events
view our answers to
Frequently Asked Questions
find out more about the
Austrian Alpine Club
check our Site Map 
Contact Us
and Join

Membership includes at no extra charge:

  • Mountain Rescue Insurance: worldwide, without age limit and inclusive of repatriation;
  • Alpine Hut Rights; members' discounts at huts belonging to the national mountaineering federations.

Joining is easy and is explained on our Membership page

Swiss Snowshoeing Meet March 2009

by John Dixie

It is always good to arrive in the Alps in winter, but particularly gratifying when there has recently been a big dump of snow and the weather has then stabilised and there is wall-to-wall sunshine for the whole of your trip. So it was when seven of us gathered at the excellent Hotel du Glacier in Champex-Lac, Switzerland, for a custom-tailored snow-shoeing week put together especially for us by International Mountain Leader Lindsay Cannon of Tracks and Trails. This area will be known to those who have done the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB).

Lindsay issued us with our rented specialist kit – modern lightweight snowshoes, trekking poles, and shovels, probes and transceivers for avalanche rescue. The latter enable the party to locate anyone unfortunate enough to have been caught by an avalanche – though as Lindsay demonstrated during   the week, the best way of managing this risk is by taking careful account of the snow conditions and choosing suitable routes.

Our itinerary was to include the Plan de Monnay ridge above the quiet little ski resort of Vichère; Le Chantonnet which is a rounded summit of 2576m just above the Petit Col Ferret (this col is an option on the TMB); a night at the monastery guest house on the Grand St. Bernard Pass and a couple of high cols in that area; and a final couple of summits, the Mont D'Arpille and La Vaudette at 2485m. The views from all of these places were superb and each one was an excellent day out, usually involving around 900m of ascent and taking about six hours. To visit this variety of places required transport, which was provided in the form of a minibus rented and driven by Lindsay. The only    problem we encountered was that towards the end of the week Lindsay was under the weather and so for the final two days we were led by her business partner, Julia, who is likewise an International Mountain Leader.

Snowshoeing is an excellent way to enjoy the mountains in winter. It is easy to learn and after a few days experience one may expect to be ready to go out of the valleys and to visit the cols and summits. Usually you have the mountain pretty much to yourself, maybe seeing a few ski tourers passing by as they enjoy similar terrain. It is a little more strenuous than summer walking - a snow-shoe weighs about the  same as a mid-weight  boot, and breaking a new trail often involves extra effort – but  with  them one can  climb and descend quite steep slopes and cope with snow  conditions ranging from fluffy powder to icy crust. And then there  is the  snow-shoers’  answer  to skiing  for descending  the  steeper slopes,  the  ‘bum slide’, which is an experience not to be missed! For this shower-proof trousers are a definite advantage.  All in all, it was a wonderful week.

Skiers may  be  interested  to  know that  there  is a wealth  of  easy off-piste skiing in this  area, particularly using the lifts at Vichère and Grand St Bernard.

[introduction]  [benefits]  [activities]  [membership]  [members' website]  [links]  [everything else]

Last updated 15 December 2009