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NEWS REPORT : NANDA DEVI EAST EXPEDITION: VIRGIN PEAK CHANGUCH IS CLIMBED..... Our team has just returned from an epic adventure in the Nanda Devi range. Two peaks were climbed, including the virgin beauty of 6322m Changuch, the famous Longstaff's Col was reached, the impressive Polish route on Nanda Devi East was climbed to 6050m, and a rare crossing made of the historic 5312m Traill's Pass (only the third in a century!).....For detailed report

View 40 of the best pictures of our trip on our NANDA DEVI PHOTO GALLERY

ALPINE SUMMER COURSES

Please enquire for LATE BOOKINGS ON 2009 COURSES For full details of our 2009 programme:- ALPINE COURSES

COURSE REPORT 2008 The summer season has given excellent conditions on the higher peaks.....READ MORE

ALPS 2008 PHOTO GALLERY Highlights from our 2008 summer season

Places still available (as at June 26th):

INTRO ALPINE: July 18-24, Aug 1-7, 8-14, 15-21, 22-28

INTERMEDIATE ALPINE: July 11-17, 18-24, 15-21, 22-28

GRANDES COURSES: July 11-24, Aug 15-28

MONT BLANC FORTNIGHT: July 11-24, Aug 15-28

Call or e-mail us now if you want to reserve a place; many courses have only one place left.

HIMALAYAN EXPEDITIONS 2009

HIMACHAL PIONEER 2009: 17th Sept - 11th Oct We return to make another attempt on virgin Peak 6184m in the Lahaul district of Himachal. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a genuine pioneering trip with expert guides with an itinerary of just three weeks! Absence of crowds is guaranteed. Recommended to mountaineers with Scottish winter and or Alpine experience. An excellent objective for a first climbing trip to the Himalaya

himalayan expeditionsPrice: £3,250 incl flights to India, all guiding, travel, accommodation and ground services in India

ONE PLACE LEFT AS AT JUNE 26th

Discounts available to past clients Worth up to 5%!

SPITI MOUNTAIN VOYAGE 24th July to 16th Aug 2009 Join us for one of the world's great mountain journeys crossing the Greater Himalayan Range from Kinnaur to Spiti , Rupshu and Ladakh, a trek of 180km and the ascent of a 6000m peak en-route. A perfect blend of culture, travel and adventure for seasoned trekkers and mountaineers.

Fantastic value at £2,650 all inclusive price. No previous Himalayan experience required

RECENT NEWS REPORTS:

LATEST NEWS AND CONDITIONS: pics of recent highlights; Norwegian Ice 2009 report and picture; guide to new dry-tooling crag at Loch Carron; Rod Hogg's sponsored Denali climb; James Baxter's epic Norway journey; Sligachan Bridge.......Read more

ARCTIC PARADISE - NORTHERN NORWAY: June 7-21 We enjoyed two weeks of fantastic climbing in the land of the midnight sun, visiting the Lyngen Alps, Stetind and Lofoten Islands..... Read more

SUMMER ALPINE SEASON 2008: The summer season has given excellent conditions on the higher peaks and an acceptable mix of weather without the intense heat of 2006 or the continuous storms of 2007. Our courses have achieved many successes and enjoyed unforgettable mountain days....Read more

norwegian iceNORWEGIAN ICE 2009: An excellent ice climbing fortnight was enjoyed in the valley of Laerdal by our 14 clients Tim Blakemore, Matt Helliker, Martin Moran and Martin Welch with a total of 8,000m of graded water ice ascended... Read more

NORTH-WEST HIGHLANDS NEWS REPORT:

MAY/JUNE 2009: The weather played "Jekyll and Hyde" with us in May. The first week was one of the worst Spring weeks I can remember in 25 years of working as a Guide in Scotland. The Atlantic conveyor belt, driven by an active jet stream, got into full flow. First we had snow on the Skye Ridge, then came three days of near-continuous rain and finally we got battered by two days of high winds and more heavy showers of snow! By contrast we now have magnificent weather with light wind and clear blue skies, ideal for traversing the Cuillin ridge.

Our Adventure Rock Climbing group May 2-7 certainly had their share of "adventure" - White Slab Direct (S, ***) in Coir a'Ghrunnda between the snow showers, three Severes on Stone Valley crags in character-building wind and rain, East Buttress on Beinn Eighe in more rain (!), sport climbing on Moy Rock conglomerate with 4 routes up to 6b+, a gale-lashed ascent of Sword of Gideon (VS ***) on the Bealach na Ba and finally a session of dry-tooling on on our local Leacanashie crag. Fingers, legs and motivation were all tested and our three clients responded with great pluck.

We've also been helping the BBC film a new programme "Munros" due to be broadcast on BBC4 later this year and possibly on BBC2. I guided presenter Nick Crane up the In Pinn in perfect weather (see pictures below). The Pinnacle was so busy with other climbers that we had to wait until 5.30pm to begin filming the ascent, but we had a wonderful evening on sunwarmed rock. Meanwhile John Allott has been doing heroic work prtering camera kit to all the filming locations which include Bidein nam Bian , Ben Nevis and An Teallach.

Links for further information:-

www.mwis.org.uk : Mountain Weather Forecasts for the Scottish Highlands

www.sais.gov.uk : Scottish Avalanche Information Service

 

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS:

Changuch (6322m) - on the Pindar - Lawan divide; one of India's last virgin peaks; climbed by our team on June 9th

 

 

Rob Jarvis leading on the fnal ridge to Changuch

 

BBC filming Inaccessible Pinnacle 11th May ; presenter Nick Crane pounces on an unsuspecting Munro-bagger for an interview

 

The spectacular traverse on Thunderbird (E3, 6a), Seana Mheallan, Torridon, Thurs Apr 2nd 2009 (photo: Ed Edwards)

 

 

Skye magic; climbers on An Stac viewed from the top of the Inaccessible Pinnacle: 7.30pm Mon May 11th

Spring comes early to the Cuillin!: the Inaccessible Pinnacle on March 19th 2009: climbers Russell Grey and Robbie Warriner

NANDA DEVI EAST EXPEDITION: 14th MAY - 23rd JUNE 2009

Our team of 6 spent a varied and rewarding five weeks in the Nanda Devi range of Kumaon in India with the blessings of good weather and a safe return. A beautiful 5 day trek took us from the roadhead at Munsiari up the Gori Ganga gorge, then up the Lawan valley to a base camp at 4280m under the awesome 3000m SE wall of 7434m Nanda Devi East. Base camp was an extensive flat grazing meadow with fresh running water and a carpets of primulas.

The Heroic Poles: A Polish expedition was already camped nearby, in the final stages of their attempt on NDE to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the historic first ascent in 1939. Jan Lencowski, grandson of first ascensionist Jakub Bujak, was the leader. The 1939 climb of the SE Ridge was the hardest pre-war route in the Himalaya by a considerable margin, and has only been repeated a handful of times, all with extensive fixed roping apart from an impressive Alpine-style ascent by British Guides Roger Payne and Julie-Ann Clyma in 1994. The subsequent story of the 4 Polish engineers who pulled off the magnificent first ascent in 1939 is harrowing. Two were killed by an avalanche on Tirsuli three weeks after the NDE climb. The other two, Bubak and Klarner, were unable to return to Poland due to the outbreak of war. Bubak went to Britain, worked in the war effort, then disappeared in mysterious and unexplained circumstances in Cornwall in 1945, just after the war's end. He never saw his wife or family again after leaving for Nanda Devi. Klarner wrote a book on the trip, returned to Poland after the war, but then disappeared, presumably into one of Stalin's gulags in 1949. His daughter published the book in 1956.

Nanda Lapak (5782m): The whole team (Jim Finnie, Paul Guest, Rob Jarvis, Martin Moran, John Venier and Leon Winchester plus our LO, Luder Singh from Kulu) warmed up with an ascent of Nanda Lapak, an excellent training peak on the ridge east of Nanda Devi. From a comfortable camp at 5100m an AD standard climb was made to the summit, with a section of 80m of hard brittle glacier ice at 60deg angle forming the crux. The views were exceptional, probably the best of the trip.

Longstaff's Col: Meanwhile the Poles gave up their brave attempt on NDE, having fixed ropes to 6900m. They had been hampered by deep snow and strong winds. It was sobering for us to see these hardened climbers (one had summitted Everest sans-oxygen!) retreat through exhaustion. Nonethless, we made our first foray to Longstaff's Col. At 5910m this col is a historic gateway to the Nanda Devi peaks, first reached by Dr Tom Longstaff in 1905. The problem with the col is that is only reached by a 40 to 50 deg snow/ice couloir which is no less than 1000 metres in vertical height! Add a 16kg load plus the essential need to reach the col soon after dawn before the sun loosens the snow and avalanches commence, and you have a challenge. We set out at 1am. In fog and light snowfall we took 8 hours to reach the col. John, who was carrying an enormous sack, dropped out half-way. Longstaff's Col would be fine if a nice cosy snow hollow for a secure campsite could be found; but no, the col is a knife-edge with a 900m plunge into the Sanctuary on the far side. We hacked two tiny tent platforms on the crest and prayed that it wouldn't be windy. This is no place to trip over a tent guyline! The day was probably the most exhausting of the trip, but ended with a majestic sunset over the Sanctuary.

Nanda Devi East Pinnacles: Over the next two days Martin and Rob with Leon and Paul explored the route across the pinnacles towards NDE. The Polish team had done a superb job of fixing 8mm ropes to an assortment of old pegs hammered into rotten rock. The pinnacles were snowed up and very airy. The climb across the three towers was totally exhilarating - akin to the Eiger Mittellegi ridge. Martin and Rob continued up the next buttress, looking for a potential campsite at 6100m. However, the fixed ropes ran out and a long exposed snow ridge continued to the next step with no sign of a campsite. Deterred, they returned to the col, and on the evening of June 1st the 6 climbers descended to base camp for a rest and a rethink.

Changuch: A recce was then taken under the south wall of unclimbed Changuch, a beautful peak of 6322m south of base camp, which had resisted three previous attempts. We spotted a feasible route up couloirs and ramps to gain its NW Ridge. After tactical discussion we decided to forgo a slim chance of getting up NDE for the chance of getting our names on the first ascent list! Meanwhile Jim was suffering from a strained knee and John was struggling with health and fitness. With little chance of climbing Changuch they both decided to leave the trip early and departed for home on June 7th. While Rob, Paul and Leon made an initial foray to Changuch NW Ridge Martin faced the unenviable task of going back up to Longstaff's Col with high-altitude porter Heera Singh to retrieve some 35kg of equipment and tent. They left Advance camp at 4870m at 7.15pm , reached the col at midnight and got back to camp just as the sun hit the couloir at 6am.

On the night of June 6th/7th Rob, Paul and Leon climbed the couloir and ramps to gain the Changuch NW Ridge at 5800m. After a tough all-night climb hopping in and out of avalanche runnels they established camp with two single-skin tents on an exiguous site at the col, and rested for the next 36 hours. Martin and Luder followed the route the next night joining the col camp at 3am. After a fine hot spell of weather a more unsettled phase took hold with afternoon snowfall blowing in from the south. However, the nights were still fine and after shaking off several centimetres of fresh snow the team emerged at midnight on June 8th/9th. In Rob's tent Luder was sick, vomiting his breakfast back into his mug. But this boy is made of tough stuff - within a few minutes he declared himself ready to start. Martin was suffering paroxysms of finger and toe pain, contracted from spending a cold night bivvying outside. Nonetheless, the teams were ready to move at 12.30am. Martin led the first 130m of mixed ridge, then Rob took over to make a sterling lead of the exposed snow-ice slopes above. We moved together across a 250m 55deg traverse, then Rob led 4 steeper 60m pitches to gain the undulating upper arete. At around 9am he pulled on to the summit crest. The highest point was a crumbling pinnacle 30m across the crest.

We downclimbed the route to regain the col just as the afternoon blizzard began at 1pm. After a cramped and pensive afternoon, the decision was made to bale out as soon as the storm ended. We couldn't afford another 24 hours trapped on the col. At 6.30pm descent was started. The slopes below the col had a thick cover of fresh snow. Once we had satisfied ourselves that they were safe the downclimbing was easier than we might have expected in bare icy conditions. At midnight we emerged into phantasmagorical moonlight on the Lawan Glacier, and wandered back to base camp in an exhausted reverie. Naveen produced tea, soup and dahlbhat at 3am and we turned in to bed at dawn!

Traill's Pass : After three days of complete rest the team were ready to tackle the final phase of the trip - a crossing of Traill's Pass to Pindari. Britain's first commissioner to Kumaon, Mr G.W.Traill, had crossed this 5312m pass in 1832. Due to glacial retreat the crossing became much more difficult in the 20thC and the only recorded crossings were made in 1941 and 1994. Leaving base camp on a glorious morning on June 14th we climbed a glacier and 300m 45deg gully to reach the col and camped on the plateau beyond. That night the weather was warm and misty and we had a tough job trailbreaking over the plateau next morning to reach a rock shoulder at 5425m where a mighty downfall broke away into the Pindar valley. As clouds boiled up and snowfall commenced we tackled a tricky descent of a 55-60deg snwo/ice gully, then dropped off a glacier shelf on foul exposed and vegetated ground. With clear weather we might have safely reached Pindari by early afternoon, but fog and blizzard complicated routefinding. We could not risk a blind descent to the valley with so many cliffs in the vicinity. After many false starts and the best part of 400m reascent we finally bushwhacked a line into the valley and reached the shepherds huts at 6.30pm - all of us totally blown! Luder asked the shepherd, Amar Singh, if he could offer any food and 90 minutes later we were sat cross-legged in his hut enjoying a magnificent if spicy dahlbhat. The next three days were spent wandering down the gorgeous Pindari valley, happily little-changed since my last visit in 1995. We ended with a knee-crushing 1500m descent to the roadhead at Song.

On June 20th we were reunited with our superb base camp team of Naveen, Mangal and Heera at Berinag. A delightful night was enjoyed in the bustling hill resort of Naini Tal before the final weary bus ride back to Delhi and the furnace-like blast of an air temperature of 43degC! Thanks to Guide Rob Jarvis, to Mr Pandey and his dedicated staff and to our peak-bagging LO Luder Singh for helping to make this one of our most memorable trips.

Photo Galleries: Enjoy our NANDA DEVI 2009 , Himachal Pioneer 2007 and Ladakh-Kang Yatze 2006 photo selections and check our web pages for full details of 2009 and 2010 expeditions; book early for extra discounts:- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rod Hogg's Sponsored Denali Climb: One of our regular clients, Rodney Hogg, has just climbed Denali by the West Buttress route and is raising funds for Children in Need from the climb. Rod has climbed the Matterhorn and Eiger with us and did our Advanced Norwegian Ice course this winter. If you'd like read more and contribute to his charity effort keep please check his web-site www.rodneyhogg.com

Epic Ski and Kayak Journey up and down Norway well over half-way: James Baxter from Edinburgh completed his solo ski journey from the southern to northern tip of Norway. Having skied all the way to North Cape, a distance of 2600km, he is well en-route on his kayak back down the west coast, another 3000km, and will finish sometime in August. He is hoping to raise funds for schools in remote villages of NW Nepal from sponsorship of the trip. This is a truly magnificent venture worthy of support from all adventurers and wilderness lovers. You can hook up to James' web-site, follow his day to day diary, send messages of support and make donations:- www.skipaddlenorway.com

NORWEGIAN ICE 2009

An excellent ice climbing fortnight was enjoyed in the valley of Laerdal by our 14 clients with guides Tim Blakemore, Matt Helliker, Martin Moran and Martin Welch with a total of 8,000m of graded water ice ascended. Weather conditions were varied, with some cold sunny days and other periods of strong Fohn winds. Temperatures remained low enough to guarantee good climbing at all but the lowest levels.

Long hard routes climbed included the majestic 400m Kjorlifossen (Scottish VI, 7 or WI5+) (ascended by David Horwood and Tim) and the superb Seltunfossen (200m, Scottish VI, 6 or WI5) (Chris Franks and Steve Potter with Matt).

Likely virgin routes were established up the Forestadfossen (Scottish IV, 6) a 600m gully akin to a giant Lakeland ghyll (Donnie McKechnie, Willie Munro, David Horwood, Rod Hogg with Tim and Martin W) and Paradise Lost - a lovely 150m plug of grade III water ice high in the side valley of Rasdalen (Richard Ausden, Andrew Hoffman and Martin W).

In Mid-Laerdal Martin M climbed the excellent Skorifossen (Scottish V, 6 or WI 5, 180m) and Drosingenfossen (Scottish IV, 5 or WI 4+, 160m) with Mark Bull and Gillian Duncan

Many of our clients also enjoyed some leading on the 80m icefalls of Hoggeberg which offers over a dozen lines from WI2 to 5+, and is the perfect coaching venue. In 2 weeks of climbing we saw one only other team, this in a valley 1000m deep and some 35 km in length!

Explorations to neighbouring valleys revealed some astonishing ice lines of world-class scale and grandeur, plus a hidden gorge offering a wealth of unclimbed lines up to 150m, equal in scale and quality to the honeypot of Rjukan. Full details will be revealed if you book with us for 2010! And you can particpate in the pioneering and development of a new ice arena.

Watch out for details of next year's courses and book early for a great week's climbing.

Norwegian Ice courses

Check out our photo gallery for the best of our Norway climbs: Norway Ice 2005

Martin Moran leads the 50m ramp pitch on the Skorifossen, Laerdal, Norwegian Ice March 2009

Dry Tooling and Sport climbing in Lochcarron: Development of Leacanashie crag in Loch Carron's oak woods is close to being finished. The cliff is composed of crushed gneiss, with much friable rock and few cracks and is entirely unsuited to trad climbing. Several visiting climbers have confirmed that the cliff is a great gymnasium for dry-tooling with ice axes (M3 to M9 standard), as well as offering some tough and exciting little free climbs (6a - 7b). It's a great venue for an autumn or winter day in a beautiful location, which gets all available sun. Crag Directions: Grid reference 854356. Drive through Lochcarron village and turn L on road to North Strome and Ardaneaskan. Follow this for 3.5 miles past Strome Castle. The road dips steeply down past the shingle bay of Smugglers Cove. Park on R of road above the cove, beside an old gravel cutting, just before the woods. Walk 60m up a grass hollow. Just past a large rock turn L over a low wall and follow a path through bracken into the oakwoods. Walk 70m across a slight marshy hollow then turn up R and walk 50m through trees up to the base of the crag (10 minutes from the road). The Routes: An 8m wall at L end of the crag gives several short crack problems from M4 to M6 standard with belays in place at the top. The bulging wall R of this provides an excellent sustained M7, Buccaneer (6 bolts and chain). An easy corner offers an M3 warm-up for beginners. The arete of the corner can be done at M5 with detour left at a bulge. The bolted roof crack just right goes on natural holds throughout and is called The Gibbet due to one's propensity to swing uncontrollably from the crucial placement near the lip (M8, 7 bolts). The next line goes direct up the blank roof, Credit Crunch M9 (7 bolts and chain). The start has an awkward high clip to the second bolt. Three drilled placements in the roof are very hard to find on-sight, then there is a long reach to bomber placements in a hidden horizontal crack over the lip. Ribcracker M8 (7 bolts and chain) is the crag classic, starting up a groove to a ledge then tackling the big roof from R to L on drilled holds finishing with an exciting pull into a bottomless groove on the lip. The 4 routes right of this have been climbed as sport rock climbs - grades 6c, 6c+, 7a and 7b respectively, but they could also be dry-tooled. All ascents so far have been done with rock shoes. Cramponned ascents are awaited! Scottish winter grade equivalents are approx 2 grades higher than the M grade - so an M6 would be Scottish 8 in pure technical difficulty. Routes are decidedly easier with verbal instructions on where to find the crucial placements!

Below: Martin Moran feels the pinch on the roof of Credit Crunch (M9), Leacanashie dry-tool crag, Loch Carron

Sligachan bridge now replaced: The bridge over the Allt Dearg, which was destroyed in summer 2008, has now been replaced with construction by the Territorial Army. So climbers and walkers bound for the northern Cuillin can now be guaranteed to keep their feet dry. Moran Mountain Ltd was pleased to support the cost of construction with a donation of £100.Thanks to Lochalsh and Skye access officer Donald Kennedy and to Sconser Community Council for getting the project organised so quickly. Otherwise, parties could have been trapped when the river was in spate. Imagine being 200 metres from the Sligachan bar, unable to cross the river and then being forced to walk 3 miles upstream to find a crossing point!

Don't hesitate to send reports of your own expeditions and climbs in the NW Highlands to me on: martin.moran@btinternet.com

ALPINE COURSES 2008

ALPINE 2008 HIGHLIGHTS Above - Paul Brown on the Kuffner Route, Frontier Ridge, Mont Maudit (D) - Mont Blanc range, Aug 14th 2008

BEST OF THE ALPS 2008 PHOTO GALLERY

The summer season has given excellent conditions on the higher peaks and an acceptable mix of weather without the intense heat of 2006 or the continuous storms of 2007. Our courses have achieved many successes and enjoyed unforgettable mountain days. All 13 of our Matterhorn candidates succeeded in reaching the summit with the route in excellent condition and relatively quiet. A 100% success rate was also recorded on Mont Blanc with 9 happy clients standing on the roof of Western Europe. No fewer than 20 clients made the ascent of the Dent Blanche. Superb snow conditions in August allowed 5 clients to climb the Kuffner Route of Mont Maudit's Frontier Ridge, probably the finest mixed ridge route of Difficile standard in the Alps. William Newsom did the Grandes Jorasses by its voie normale with Graham Frost, despite cloudy windy conditions. On the same day our group of 4 clients traversed the Eiger. The N Face of the Pigne d'Arolla (AD+) was climbed in a single 8hr push from Arolla, with dismal rain giving way to glorious sunshafts as the teams approached the final face. Other north faces included the Point Marcel Kurz (AD) above the Bouquetins Hut and Gran Paradiso (AD+). Our Oberland Odyssey groups were especially active with ascents of the Finsteraarhorn, Aletschhorn, Gletscherhorn and Grunegghorn. Best rock route of the season by a long chalk was the 15 pitch NE Face of the Kingsptize (TD) in the Engelhorner group of the Bernese Oberland, climbed in damp conditions after a night of heavy rain and after grave warnings from the hut guardian that we would take a "very very long time".

Notable failures included that old perennial the Bietschhorn (3934m), which remained as loose and uncompromising as ever and the innocuous 3000m Wiwannihorn, where one of our Mont Blanc teams met their Waterloo. Hardest summit of the season - and certainly the most complained about! - was the simple Ulrichshorn (3925m) where an unacclimatised team had a midday epic traversing between the Bordier and Mischabel huts.

Bizarre occurences included meeting a stranded and blinded ibex at the summit cross of the 3869m Mont Blanc de Cheilon - sadly we fear it fell in subsequent days. A rope mysteriously disappeared at the Bordier Hut forcing abandonment of an attempt on the Nadelgrat, only to reappear at the hut door the following day!? Most-visited hut was definitely the Dix above Arolla, where the hut's anniversary was being celebrated by giving away bottles of wine and liqueur to every visiting Guide. It's rumoured that Walter Phipps has completely replenished his home wine cellar during the course of the season. Owen Samuel and William Newsom did a great job organising a rescue and offering first-aid and emotional support to two badly-injured French climbers whom they saw fall 300 metres down the Lenzspitze face - although I suspect that getting cuddled by William might have formed part of their ordeal!

I'd like to personally thank all the British Mountain Guides who helped make this one of our most successful summers ever - Andy Teasdale, Graham Frost, Dave Kenyon, Walter Phipps, Ewen Todd, John Lyall, Andy Perkins, Kenton Cool, Jonathan Preston, Owain Jones, Owen Samuel, Eric Pirie and Stuart MacDonald - together with Aspirant Guides Hannah Burrows-Smith, Neil Johnson, Mark Thomas, Matt Helliker, Rob Jarvis and Tim Blakemore. They are not only some of the finest mountaineers around but also superb instructors and motivators. Special thanks go to Judith Weston who once again managed our chalets in Evolene with aplomb and wooed our clientele with delicious home-cooked meals. Her flapjack recipe is now being demanded by huts throughout the Alps! Finally, a big appreciation of a wonderful bunch of clients - from 18 year old Lear Robertson to 65 year old Des Winterbone - you've made fit co-operative and good-spirited teams, accepting the setbacks with good humour and taking every opportunity the mountains offered. Hope to see you back next year!

 

 

 

ARCTIC PARADISE - NORTHERN NORWAY: June 7-21

Our 8 clients and 3 guides enjoyed two weeks of fantastic climbing in the land of the midnight sun, visiting the Lyngen Alps, Stetind and Lofoten Islands. Seven peaks were ascended. In north Lyngen we discovered extensive glaciers and superb alpine ridges, still massively caked in rime ice. The area receives little attention for mountaineering despite its increasing fame as one of Europe's finest off-piste ski destinations. We saw no-one in our 6 days there. As well as climbing brilliant peaks like Lakselvtinden (1615m) we enjoyed high mountain camps, bivouacs and a marvellous 600m sitting glissade off the Tomarsskardet col. Moving south in week two we had an idyllic 2 nights camped under the mighty obelisk of Stetind, which is one of Europe's finest mountains outside of the Alps. Our team of 5 climbed the normal route with its notorious hand traverse crux! Finally, it was over to Lofoten, a "mecca" for rock climbers and home to Norway's roughest mountains. Richard Hampshire, Bill Shaw, Vic Williams, Jonathan Preston and myself made an ascent of the East Ridge of Rulten (1065m), first climbed by Collie and Slingsby in a tour de force in 1903. After an approach by jet boat this mighty ridge engaged us for 19 hours - thank goodness for 24 hour daylight! With 500m of the hardest rock scrambling imaginable followed by 300m of steep snow climbing this historic climb gave us a total spanking.

ARCTIC NORWAY PICTURE GALLERY

Summit ridge of Stetind (1392m) - Norway's national mountain; climbers Richard Hampshire and Bill Shaw; 15th June 2008

Full details of 2009 trips on our Arctic Norway page

ALPINE CLUB GUIDEBOOK by MARTIN MORAN

Martin Moran's new guidebook to the classic routes on the 4000m peaks of the Alps published by the Alpine Club is now available .

Signed copies on Mail Order: £23 (incl post & packing)

240 routes from F to TD- standard described; 80 photos and photo-diagrams; peak lists, historical review, practical advice and information

Use our secure web booking form to order your copy (all major cards accepted)


MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT SPONSORSHIP:

For 2009 we are pleased to team up again with Mountain Equipment - Britain's No.1 manufacturer of gear for the serious mountaineer - in recommending the right kit for your climbs with us. Mountain Equipment supplied the jackets, clothing, rucksacks and sleeping bags used on our successful first ascents of Nilkanth West Ridge and The Godfather (VIII on Beinn Bhan). For full details of their range and a list of stockists go to their web-site: www.mountain-equipment.co.uk