Paragliding over Marmolada (Dolomites)

Alastair BegleyDolomites, Paragliding Short Link

I had hoped to fly over Marmolada last time I was in the Dolomites, but due to sticking with my pre-planned route, despite the late takeoff time, I wasn’t able to. I had thought that flying over Marmolada would have to wait until next year, but with some unseasonable weather, and a good airmass the cloudbase was predicted to be at 3700m with a moderate southerly wind on the 30th October! As the window with the good conditions and my availability was only one day, I woke up at 4:45 in Munich and drove straight to the Sella Pass. I got there with excitement as there didn’t appear to be any high level cloud which was certainly a risk from the forecast and made the short walk up to the Lokomotiva launch site. Here I waited until I was fairly sure I would stay up, although I was still a little unsure as I launched as lots of people were still failing the climb out! Thankfully I launched and made my way towards the steep cliffs and was soon in a strong climb which took me up and away. After. Read the full article…

Blauberg Überschreitung

Alastair BegleyBavaria, Walking Short Link

With another day of beautiful sunshine and unexpectedly warm temperatures we decided to head off and do one of the long ridge walks in Bavaria which has been on my todo list for a while, the Blauberg Blauberg Überschreitung. As Becky was heading off early the next morning, we wanted to ensure that we weren’t back too late, so we got up early and arrived at the car park at 8am. We were certainly not the first people there, but the car park was still pretty deserted. The walk in was pretty cool in the shade, and for a large amount of the very flat walk in we could see the towering ascent at the end of the valley, which was as steep as it looked! We were thankful that it hadn’t rained, as the approach was along a valley floor and involved multiple crossings of the river, certainly not one to do in trainers after lots of rain! We were soon at the start of the ascent, which was fairly brutal, but at least most of the ascent was then done in one go! Eventually we emerged on the. Read the full article…

Hochiss, Achensee

Alastair BegleyAustria, Walking Short Link

We had some friends from the UK visiting us, and wanted to make the most of the limited amount of time they had in the mountains with us. We had previously done this walk last year, when I flew off the top, and it was certainly memorable due to the relatively small amount of ascent thanks to the Rofanbahn, fantastic views, and even a little bit of scrambling. While last time there was plenty of hill fog in the morning, which made the ascent fairly grim and cold, this time we were basking in the warm sunshine, which made the walk enjoyable from the start. As we climbed up towards the Rotspitz and the view into the Karwendel and over Achense opened up it was just fantastic. From this point the entire ascent of the ridge was enjoyable, and we managed to find a location in the sun and out of the wind for lunch. As the day went on the Föhn winds started to develop, and you could clearly see Föhn clouds over the main alpine ridge. This meant that the summit was pretty chilly, combined with the high. Read the full article…

Via Settimo Cielo, Val di Ledro (Arco)

Alastair BegleyArco, Rock Climbing Short Link

After a day of paragliding at Bassano we returned to Arco for a final day of climbing before heading back to Munich to prepare for the arrival of some friends. We headed to the Val di Ledro, which looked like it was full of well bolted multi-pitch routes from UIAA 5+ onwards. We decided to climb Via Settimo Cielo as it was highly rated, only UIAA 5+ and with 4 pitches of proper climbing. The approach to the crag was slightly more involved than we had expected, as a climbing path wound it’s way around the base of the cliffs high above the old road below. Thankfully we had a gpx track to the start of the route, which certainly made finding it easier, and we were pleased to find the start of the route deserted. The route was absolutely stunning, with interesting climbing which was consistent at the grade, no polish and really well bolted. As we were climbing there were beautiful views both up the Val di Ledro and out onto Lake Garda. All too soon we were at the top, but due to a lack of preparation. Read the full article…