Sometimes, you just have to accept the reality and not try to force things. So, we resorted to going to the museum and eating ice cream. Even further south, where the weather was nicer, the winds reached up to 50 mph at lower elevations. This past week-end however, the forecast was for three days of beautiful weather initially, and ended up into the worst three days of the summer, throughout the Alps. This was stressful but we almost always made it work. So I try to find other satisfying options, but this summer, the weather forecast would drastically change from the one posted in the morning to the one posted in the evening, forcing me to constantly change plans and adapt. But weather and conditions are something that I can’t manage and that’s a responsibility I always have a hard time not taking on as my own. That’s always really hard for me to do because people have travelled from far away for this, took time off work and away from their family, all that do “Plan B” climbs. I met him the day before the trip started with the weather outlook in hand and had to break the news to him that none of these climbs would happen. But this year’s unstable weather has added a whole new level of stress.Īt the end of July, I had a great client to climb both the Mitteleggi ridge on the Eiger and the Hornli ridge on theMatterhorn. Guiding can be intense in itself, because you have to plan for the climb, figure out what the itinerary is going to be, book huts and hotels and cable cars (a perk really!), make sure conditions are good on the route, brief clients on what to expect on the climb, what gear to take, make sure they have the gear they need and that they are using it right, make sure you have the right gear to guide a climb, pack your bag, manage clients on the climb, acknowledge hazards and manage them, come home at night and repeat for the following day. This year however, I can’t recall many days going according to plan. Sure, there were times when I had to wrack my brains a little in order to find a better destination than the one originally planned, but it was the exception to the rule and there was always a great alternative to be found. Last summer, this was hardly ever an issue. For this to happen though, three factors must be met: the client must be in good enough shape to achieve their goal, the conditions on the route must be good and the weather must be decent. And it really means the world to me to do my best at making them discover my backyard, in the hope that they will love it as much I do, that they will enjoy the climbing and get to reach their dream summit. Since guiding is very weather dependent, it has made my job quite difficult…but all the more interesting.Ĭlients e-mail me way ahead of time to book me for their dream climbs or their dream week in the Alps. But this year has been more on the figurative side of things.Įurope has been hit by a southwesterly flow of weather that even the best forecaster have had a hard time understanding and interpreting. One thing I love about my job is this: it sure keeps you on your toes… both figuratively and literally, of course.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |