1994 Switzerland, Bernese Oberland

Access into the high mountains was Alpine Meet 1994 not particularly straight forward, with many of the routes to huts proving to Bernese Oberland be substantially longer than in other The meet parts of the Alps visited by the Club The Bernese Oberland in the Swiss on previous meets. The difficulty of Alps was the venue for the 1994 YRC penetrating the north wall from the Alpine Meet, held between 23rd July valleys meant that the only practical and 6 August . The valley base was means of getting up high was to on the outskirts of Lauterbrunnen, succumb to the mechanical delights of near Interlaken. the exorbitantly priced mountain railway to the Jungfraujoch, which The attendees provides an excellent gateway to the The following twenty two members heart of the Oberland. and guest sampled the delights of this magnificent part of the Swiss Alps: With hindsight, the best arrangement Ken Aldred for those wishing to climb high would Dennis and Joan Armstrong have been to have taken the Dennis Barker and Anne Edwards Jungraujoch train and done a hut to TimBateman hut tour taking in some the stunning Alan Brown peaks en route. John Devenport Mike and Marcia Godden The campsite David Hick Alan Linford did a marvellous job in Alan and Angie Linford arranging camping and caravan places Harvey Lomas in our own corner of TCS Camp Site Alister Renton Schutzenbach on the outskirts of Graham Salmon Lauterbrunnen, run by the amiable David and Elspeth Smith Chris von Allmen, whose staff looked Graham Steine after us well. Alan even managed to Martyn Wakeman negotiate a group discount, including Barrie Wood a further discount for those nights Daniel Wood when members stayed up in the mountains. Although quite a large site The Location with a large transient population of Lauterbrunnen was an ideal centre, youth groups, mainly from the USA providing easy access to Interlaken, and the Far East "doing Europe", the and the nearby villages of Kandersteg, facilities just about coped with the Grindelwald, Murren, Wengen and numbers. The staff even telephoned Stechelberg, with a comprehensive huts to book places for us when we network of paths linking many of were planning trips into the these, providing a paradise for mountains, at no charge, which was walkers of all ages and abilities. The most welcome! (Telephone 036 55 12 area is steeped in climbing history 68, Fax 036 55 12 75) with the mountains of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau forming the The location of the campsite was north wall of the Bernese Oberland spectacular, with vertical and even and trapping the largest glacial in the overhanging cliffs soaring above the Alps just behind them. lush valley bottom, broken only by the The YRCBulletin 43 Summer 1995 waterfalls that fell uninterrupted for Maps and guidebooks the full height of the cliffs. The end of Several maps were available for the the valley was dominated by the area, with sheets 264 (Jungfrau) and precipitous north face of the 254 (Interlaken) at 1:50,000 covering Breithorn that provided a beautiful the areas visited by people on the backdrop. There were even sounds as meet. In addition, there was the well as sights, with the peel of the composite sheet 5004 (Berner church bells often providing a tuneful Oberland) covering a larger area. echo around the rock walls of the valley. The best climbing guide covering the The weather whole area was 'Bernese Oberland Despite most of the party arriving at Selected Climbs' by Les Swinden and the campsite during or just after a published in 1993 by the Alpine Club, very heavy storm on the first which included both the mountain Saturday, on the whole we were routes and also a selection of rock blessed with remarkably good routes. There was of course a good weather, especially when we were in selection of guide books and topo the mountains when we were guides in French and German to be generally accompanied by windless found in the book and gear shops to days and azure skies. There were the be found in most of the towns and regular thunderstorms as is common villages. in the Alps during the summer months. One particularly bad day in the mountains saw a large fall of new For walkers, probably the most snow, probably about a foot deep on comprehensive guide book was the summit of the Jungfrau. In the 'Walking in the Bernese Oberland' by high mountains, the snow usually Kev Reynolds and published by froze during the night, although the Cicerone Press, which provided many high daytime temperatures did soften ideas for excursions undertaken it considerably by late during the course of the meet. The YRC Bulletin 44 SU11U11er 1995 The Tschingelhorn (3577m) seemed a never ending snow slope. by Alister Renton Luckily, they had plenty of room for us and the hut warden muttered It was on the Welsh meet that the something in German about the thought of going to the Alps this year telephone. We ate well that evening entered my head. Barrie Wood was and went to bed as we were all quite going and had a spare place in the car. tired. Before no time at all I found myself sat on the ferry on the way out to the Next morning we woke at 4.00 am Alps. We drove right the way though and had a warm chocolate drink for and arrived in Lauterbrunnen at about breakfast. Only two of us set out. The 10.30 am on the Sunday morning. morning sunrise was quite spectacular, something I had not seen Heading out of the campsite were before and so early in the day. We Graham Salmon and Martyn walked over the pass and continued Wakeman on their way up to the downhill to the foot of the couloir. Mutthorn Hi.itte with a view to doing There were a number of parties in the Tschingelhorn the next day. "An front of us as both myself and Tim easy peak for acclimatisation " they were feeling the altitude. The going told us at 3,655m. up the couloir was tough, quite steep and people were passing us on their Next day saw our team of Daniel, way down. Once at the top of this Tim, Barrie and myself getting our section we paused for a rest before gear ready. We tried to book the hut continuing up the rocky ridge to the up by telephone but were unable to summit snow slope. On the top we get a reply so we opted to go up there were rewarded with splendid views of in the hope that we would not be all the peaks around. turned away. The bus arrived and we boarded and paid the fare to We spent quite a while at the summit Stechelberg. before we made our way back down. The couloir took quite a while to Once we had arrived in Stechelberg, negotiate as the snow was getting we found the path and started the 4 soft. Anyway we got down safely and hour walk. The sun was beating down walked back to cross the pass. A on us. The temperature was just too helicopter had landed in the snow so hot for me. We stopped a few times we watched this before continuing. and drank plenty of water. It seemed Once over the pass we went back to take ages to get onto the moraine down the snow slope to the hut. By but even then the hut was still a fair this time we were both very tired. We distance away. Just before we got to had a long deserved drink at the hut the snow line we came across Graham and sat down on the veranda. We and Martyn on their way back down. could not decide whether to walk We stopped and talked with them for down to the valley because we did not a while before it was time for us to now the times of the last back down continue up to the hut. When we to Lauterbrunnen. Anyway we arrived at the snow line we roped up thought that we would risk it and go initially as one party of four, but a down. We collected our belongings little further on we split into two and started off. The snow was very groups. We continued up what soft and this made the going difficult. The YRC Bulletin 45 Summer 1995 We did not stop until we had come This year after a successful warm up below the snow line. Once below the trip to the Tschingelhornwith the two snow we again had a rest as by now Davids Smith and Hick, we were we were having to carry a wet 11 mm looking for our next route, when I rope and it weighed an absolute ton!! remembered these beautiful mountains, and it was soon agreed All was going well on the descent that this would be the area for our until a threatening thunderstorm hit next venture. A fairly long drive took us. It absolutely poured down. We us round to Kandersteg, from where sheltered under a tree. Not the best we were able to let a chair lift relieve place!!! We sat there for about 20 about an hours uphill slog. Before minutes before we made the decision long we were walking through the to go for it. We kept on passing signs forest above the stunning blue waters for the valley but the time seemed to of the Oeschinensee, a truly beautiful be getting longer.

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