Photos from Switzerland II

This was my lunch - ham and cheese and salad, kaffe und Mars Bar

Lovely cygnets

This is the Zürich flag

Photos from Switzerland

Exploring Zürich

Mannedorf

It's been fabulously hot and sunny here today, a real summer's day. Spent it exploring Zürich on the trains, trams and boats!
The water is unbelievably clear here and it was warm enough to go swimming.


















There are so many Swans here as well and they have lots of healthy looking young woolly cygnets in tow.
They are such beautiful birds, I took heaps of pictures of them - much to their chagrin as I think they were actually hoping for food ..... not fame.















Didn't find Yo Yo Climbing school so will have another go tomorrow, it can't be that hard to find!

However to make up for it I did stumble across two shops that stocked an awful lot of Salewa climbing gear and clothing - I could spend a fortune in there!
I wish they sponsored me like they do Roger and Christoph......


This is the boat I can get to school - it will take longer but I might make the most of the summer before switching back to the train and trams.

Arriving in Wädenswil

Day 1 Photo - Wädenswil train station which is directly next to to Zürich lake - beautiful

Well I got here.....

Not quite as I expected but it's early days yet - well this is only day one!
Finally got my laptop to work which is good because the house computer is a German/Swiss strange keyboard and I was completely lost!

Managed to get to know the trams and trains extremely well - as I got the wrong ones so many times. I now know Zürich like the back of my hand.

Found the LSI and met the people who were very welcoming. Only 5 in my class so far, one can only hope the other 4 are mountaineering type men - all unattached.

Tour preparation

Right, with Roger off to the USA for a month, that gives me 4 weeks to perfect my 7a and improve to an 8a so I can go climbing mountains with him and not feel embarrassed!

That shot above is of Roger and Christoph (Hainz) on top of the Magic Mushroom (Eigernordwand) after opening their new route. Great photo - thanks Salewa.

DWS Mallorca

7c - Roger Schäli

Appropriately named Psycobloc - this is Deep Water Soloing (DWS) in Mallorca. At least the water here is warm! This is what you do when the Swiss summer gets unbearably hot - you leave the country.

Some would describe "Cove Del Diable" as being for the hardcore DWS super star, and they would probably be right. Twenty metre high cliffs and steep routes are a nightmare for some but a fantastic dream for others. The cove showcases an awesome overhanging wave of limestone covered in jugs, pockets and crimps.

To the right-hand side, looking inward from the sea, the walls become more vertical and turn into virtual slab climbs.

Although it is an intimidating environment the climbing is not as bad as it first appears.

Before long you may well find yourself tackling a juggy 6c or even a 7a+. The highlight for many is the awe-inspiring Superwoman 7a+ that combines every climbing style imaginable.

Photo shamelessly nicked from Roger's report ....

Avalanche Mont Blanc

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Mont Blanc du Tacul

Very worrying news out of Chamonix this morning with a massive avalanche down a major summit in the Mont Blanc region.

The missing include five Austrians and three Swiss, and the nationalities of the other two were not immediately known. The avalanche was set off around 3 a.m by the fall of a huge block of ice on Mont Blanc du Tacul, one of the peaks in the Mont Blanc range, at an altitude of some 3,600 meters (11,800 feet).

Authorities have deployed a vast search team, involving three helicopters, dozens of rescue workers, doctors, Alpine guides and sniffer dogs. Mont Blanc du Tacul is along one of the routes that mountain climbers often used to reach the summit of Mont Blanc, western Europe's biggest mountain at 4,810 meters (15,780 feet).

I hope all these climbers are found safe and well -

Racing and Sports

25/8/08
Unfortunately they now believe they are buried underneath the massive ice serac that caused the avalanche in the first place. Little hope is held for any of the missing climbers.

The three Swiss climbers came from the Bern Canton and Roger knew all of them. A sad week for the Bern climbing community.

Final climbing at Wimborne

How sad, it'll be my last days climbing on Tuesday with David. But, I have spotted a French Grade 7a I want to do before I go.
It looks manageable to about 3/4 of the way and then I can't work out how I get to the next bit... I need to be a foot longer I think, but will try anyway.

When I come back I expect (hope) to be able to go with him to Swanage, Portland, anywhere really and climb higher and better!

Update update...
Got much further than I thought on the 7a and only crashed out because my arms were dropping off after 1.5 hours of bouldering. If I go back on Wednesday I may be able to sneak in another go...!

Wädenswil

This looks a nice place to be billeted. Very close to the lake and quite countrified in a way, certainly compared to Zürich.
Packing all but finished - 23kgs check in and 23kgs hand luggage! (so long as I can lift that into the overhead locker it's allowed!) I knew this climbing would come in handy....

Swiss wish list

Try saying that headline fast! This is a list of things I want to do in Switzerland...

1. Speak German like a (Swiss) native - obviously!
2. Make a bunch of new friends
3. Improve my climbing to French Grade 8a
4. Do several tours with Roger Schäli - because he's not only an awesome climber but great fun!
5. Climb the Eiger (why not I say?)
6. Deep Water Soloing - where there's guaranteed warm water!
7. Get a really good job at the end of my course
8. Get a lovely, bright apartment
9. Learn to ski! OK OK ....I can't help if I've never skied before!
10. Find a way (somehow) to get the money to go to Patagonia!
11. Ice Climb

I might add to this as time gets along.

A photo a day

I've decided I am going to take a photo a day for the length of time I am away - regardless of the weather or what I am doing!

And Roger has emailed to suggest a climbing week in Tessin - would be super but I may have to wait to do that after the course - one can't take days off when one is learning - darn!

Went climbing today in preparation. Yesterday climbed all day at Dancing Ledge, Dorset which was brilliant.

Switzerland 2008

I'm moving to Switzerland on August 28, 2008.

I'll be living in Wädenswil, which is on the lake near Zürich while I study German at the Language Studies International School also in Zürich.

My host family Simone, Ronald and little Yannic sound very nice.

I'll be doing a ton of work but there'll also be lots of time to climb both indoors at Yo Yo in Zürich and outdoors of course in the mountains!