European Guiding, Monte Rosa

Italian Guiding Insignia 

After spending 2 weeks floating around the Chamonix valley the skies cleared and the guiding season started in full. My first European guiding trip turned out to be the incredible Monte Rosa Traverse, summiting six, 4000 meter peaks and spending 4 nights in the exceptional Italian Huts including the Margherita Hut at 4556 meters (the highest in Europe).

The guides meeting at the Sella "Hut"

Looking back towards Mt. Castor 

Looking across at my "shadow"

Short roping up towards Col of Mt Liskamm (4527m)

Our fearless Italian Mountain Guides

Filipo and Paulo

Summit Madonna across from Margherita Hut

Looking over to the Matterhorn from the Margahrita Hut at 4556m

Freeing Moonlight Buttress

My yearly pilgrimage to the south has come and gone and once again it was worth all the effort to get away. Simon Meis and I started our trip in Zion Utah where we set our sites on freeing Moonlight buttress. After climbing a couple warm ups (Monkey Finger and Shune's Buttress) we spent a day climbing the crux 4th pitch of Moonlight Buttress with the plan of freeing the climb the next day.  We left at 10am the next morning (waiting for the climb to go into the shade) and climbed the route free in around  8 hours. It was my second time on the route and Simons first and we both agree that it is by far one of the best multi-pitch trad routes anywhere, we would climb it every year if we could. I have posted a short video of our ascent.


Moonlight Buttress from alpinesummits on Vimeo.