Chris' (not so) Triumphant Return to Alpine Climbing
Last weekend I did my first alpine tour since living in Europe. Quite sad, really, but I've been nursing some knees since around 2000 due to some ITB problems. I thought I had licked the issue recently so I readily agreed to put my body through the fun of hiking long distances with a heavy pack, then climbing a bit of glacier, and hopefully some north faces. So last weekend I joined Dirk and Bernd for an early friday departure to the Otztal - famous for rowdy skiing/party at the megaresort
Solden and for the discovery of the Similaun man, also affectionately known as Oetzi (ootzee), buried in the ice since 3000 BC.
Unbeknownst to us prior to our departure, it was the weekend of the famous sheep migration from the high mountains of Austria to the deep valleys of north Italy. Consequently, there were film and radio crews staying at the hutt, when normally it would be reserved just for us mountain men. Among the crowd was the famous Reinhold Messner, who joined my table the next morning at 5:30am. Sadly, I didn't have my camera with me at the time. There's my fishing story!
Here are the pics from our approach to the Martin-Busch Hutte and our climb up to the summit of Similaun, the 5th highest peak in Austria. Click here.
Last weekend I did my first alpine tour since living in Europe. Quite sad, really, but I've been nursing some knees since around 2000 due to some ITB problems. I thought I had licked the issue recently so I readily agreed to put my body through the fun of hiking long distances with a heavy pack, then climbing a bit of glacier, and hopefully some north faces. So last weekend I joined Dirk and Bernd for an early friday departure to the Otztal - famous for rowdy skiing/party at the megaresort
Solden and for the discovery of the Similaun man, also affectionately known as Oetzi (ootzee), buried in the ice since 3000 BC.
Unbeknownst to us prior to our departure, it was the weekend of the famous sheep migration from the high mountains of Austria to the deep valleys of north Italy. Consequently, there were film and radio crews staying at the hutt, when normally it would be reserved just for us mountain men. Among the crowd was the famous Reinhold Messner, who joined my table the next morning at 5:30am. Sadly, I didn't have my camera with me at the time. There's my fishing story!
Here are the pics from our approach to the Martin-Busch Hutte and our climb up to the summit of Similaun, the 5th highest peak in Austria. Click here.
