Since this is quite a long trip (22 days!) i've decided to start my blog on it now, should of really done it even earlier but hey ho. Currentely sat on the terrace of the Bahnhof in Zermatt writing this in the evening sun with perfect view of the Matterhorn!

So to start at the beginning...

Met Maria at the BP garage on the M6 at Parbold on the friday evening, hitiching a lift with her mum down to Dave an Tracey's in Dunchurch, Rugby. Had a minor detour via Maria's in rugby to pick up some snow stakes she'd left at her house. Got to Rugby soon after 10pm and met Dave & Tracey in the local pub, then back to their to pack stuff, book last minute tickets and then crash out on their couch.

Up at 7am to start to pack the car, was a momentous task. After a good hour we managed to fit most of the stuff into the Corolla, then rest had to be piled on top of each of the passengers one by one once they were sat down with the driver getting in last. I sat in the back with Maria, who despite being only a foot away sounded like she was a million miles away due to all the stuff in between us. Got to dover around lunch and a wander up to the viewing platform with Dave to look at the sea then back into the car to get on the ferry. Talked plans and pereused guidebooks on the ferry then off and made in-roads into Europe. After several hours of driving we found a nice campsite in Ay, town in the Champagne region of France. Had a minor incident when we orded food at the restaurant on the river, first it didn't come, and then some other food did served by a rather drunk franchman wielding a large cleaver and pizza cutter! Scary! Back to our tents and then to bed... was kept up for most of the night due to some local celebration, with live music and the fact that both of us had slept most of the day in the car.

Up the next morning, took down the tents and set off. Stopped for lunch on a backroad at a little cafe next to a pottery, browsed a little and then headed off. Got to the Swiss order and managed to get through without paying their extortionate road-tax for the motorways, but drove off very quickly due to some people commenting that the car may be over-loaded! A few hours later we arrived at the campsite in Zinal, a small village the next valley over. Me an Maria put up our tent and Dave an Tracey did theirs and then we headed down to a little restaurant for a meal, had a very nice 'Jambon Croute' and then collapsed into bed.

This being our first day in Zinal we decided to explore for te morning and then walk up to one of the huts in the afternoon. Had a lovely walk up through the forests having lunch by a little lake. Started to feel the effects of altitude and was completely out of breath by the time we got to the hut at 3000ish m. Descended via a different route taking in a section of via ferrata which was fun. Back to camp to cook a communal tomato Gnochi and then to bed.

Up early the next day to breakfast and pack stuff before starting our walk in to the Tracuit hut at 3200m. Started to feel the altitude again bout 2500m but was better than the day before so pushed on to the hut at a reasonable pace. Arrived a few hours before dinner and packed stuff for out ascent of the Bishorn the next day. This was my first night in a mountain hut and it was superb, we had dinner on a big communal table and chatted to climbers who had come from all over the world, Canada, Holland, germany, Scotland, America as well as locals. Went to bed reasonably early in preparation for or Alpine start the next day.

Up at 4am(!!!) for breakfast and then kitted up. We knew conditions weren't ideal as there was a lot of snow and it hadn't been that cold to freeze it. Set off at a similar time to the others in the hut we the four of us roped together going up the glacier. The going as really hard, each step we sank to our knees in un-frozen snow. Guidebook time reckoned on 2-3hours for the ascent but by this we were still not even at 4000m. Maria was finding it hard going so decided to wait for us around 3800m with a Scottish man from another party who was in a similar position. The 3 of us plodded on eventually reaching the summit, my first Alpine and 4000m peak - The Bishorn at 4153m. Started the descent through the now very wet and mushy snow eventually arriving back at the hut early afternoon. Rested for while, and drank the best can of coke i've ever had! and then headed back down to Zinal. Top day!

Decided we needed a rest day today after the busy last 3 days to mulled around the village, sleeping and looking in the shops. Cooked up a group Madras Curry for tea which went down well and then walked into town for few drinks in a bar while Maria used their Wi-Fi.

Moved over to the Saasatal valley today so up early to pack the car and drive to Saas Grund via a minor stop in Sierre for Maria to post some work. Arrived and checked out the forecast in he guides office before deciding of doing the Lagginhorn via a PD+ ridge route. Got the lift to the Hoshaas then walked in to a bivy spot for a few hours including some really nice scrambling over one of the spurs of the mountain. Cooked team drank hot chocolate and then fell asleep wit wonderful views of the Lenspitze and Nadehorn.

To esure the snow was firm we got up 3am and started up the glacier, the route entailed a few hours up the glacer before climbing a couloir and along the crest of the ridge to a notch. Tracey led to here where I took over for the final 400m of height followng the crest of the ridge up a some steep snowy ground, probably top end of scottish 1 but still really good fun. Topped out at 4010m about 9am with more beautiful views before descending back to the bivy spot and then to Saas, arriving mid afternoon. Had a pizza in a local restaurant to reward ourselves and hen found a campsite with really good facilities including a pool!

Got up the next day and packed the car and our sacks and drove up to Saas Fee. From their we had planned to do an ascent of the Alphudel from the Allanhorn station. The lift ride up was amazing, first a massive cablecar and then a underground funicular railway going through James Bond Villain's lair sort of tunnels. Emerged at 3500m beside the world's highest rotating restaurant. Alone at the station we searched out a bivy spot on the terrace and had dinner. Me an Dave had both been being quite pessamisitic about the weather where as Tracey the optimist was hopeful. Unfortunately the weather did turn for the worst and it began to rain followed by thunder and lighting. Managed to prize the automatic doors into the porch of the restaurant open and slept in their for shelter. As the storm continued and the lightning continued to strike we could hear was we thought was the metal restaurant we were in buzzing with the static electricity, scary stuff! Just as we were going to sleep we saw lightning strike the small peak only about 150m from us, awesome! The storm seemed to die down and we all fell asleep.

Got up at 2.30am to clear skies so me, Dave and Tracey set off up the PD route leaving Maria at the bivy who had a sore foot. Within 30mins the clear skies had gone and it had started to snow. After another half hour the snow had got thicker ad we had lost sight of all of our objectives so decided that we should turn back not wanting to have o negotiate the ridge climb in the scottish like conditions. Back under the seracs we went and were eventually at the station. To not waste the day we spent the morning looking round the big Ice-grotto that is there under the glacier, allegedly the largest in the world. I was really interesting with lots of infomation about the local guides and mountains. I'd noticed there was a small summit not far from the station along a small snow ridge with a little scramble to the point at the end. While the others were packing I soloed lond to the end and took some really good photos of the area as the sun was beginining to rise over the mountains. Went back down to Saas on the lift and hoped in to car to drive round to our final desitination, Zermatt. As Zermatt has no cars allowed in we parked in Taisch and got a taxi up with out stuff, found the Bahnhof, the climber hostel which we're stating in and got alotted beds before exploring the town which is beautiful, despite being quite touristy. Hundreds of lovely places to eat line the streets as well as loads of really tempting gear shops. We all got some food from the supermarket on the way back from our wander and cooked in the Bahnhof before going to bed.

Up in the morning and me Dave an Tracey had decided to try something harder, an AD route on the Ober Gadelhorn. Maria stayed in Zermatt to do some cultural things and rest her food while we hiked up to the Rothornhut. After 5 hours we got there in guidebook time to find we were the only people staying there. Got served a superb meal by the Guardian and his girlfriend, Pork steaks with gravy and sauteed potatoes. Dave an Tracey both reckon it was the best meal they've ever had in a hut! Spent the rest of the evening on the phone to my parents atempting to sort out the bank balance as I coulden't access it over here and then to bed.

Up at 2am and away from the hut before 3. Plodded up the glacier for two hours which was, as a coseqence of a storn during the night covered in a foot of powder, made going quite difficult. Evenually got the the ridge we needed after a hairy moment by the Bergschurd and set of climbing. according to the guidebook i should be exposed scrambling with sections of diff. So I had in mind something similar to a massively enlarged version of pinnacle ridge in the lakes or the cneifion arete in Snowdonia. Was right in some ways bu due to the snow fall things were going to be a lot harder. we had to keep crampons on due to verglas on the rocks which made the climbing tricky and it was bitterly cold... and did I forget to mention half the ridge was really loose and falling to bits! Tracey led the first bit up a chossy gulley and to a chimney, this was when things got a bit dodgy. She pulled on a small rock that was loose which in turn dislodged a big one, about 2 foot across. This scraped across the side of Tracey's helmet and fell past Dave rolling towards me. Dave shouted for me to take cover and I threw my self into crack covering my head but knowing the rock was going to hit me somewhere. Very luckily it came to a halt on a snow-ledge just a foot or so above my head - very lucky. Tracey was a bit shaken up after it so took over the lead, going up the chimney. It was only supposed to be diff by by the time I got to the top after having to clean all the holds of the snow and climb in my crampons it felt more like Severe!!! Brought the other p and then we continued up the ridge. By this point the sun had come up and rockfall had started, we were moving really slowely, with Dave belaying me up the tricky bits effectively pichthing it. We decided that this wasen't going to get us to the summit, and we needed to get back over the glacier before the rockfall got worse. We this though we backed off, abbing down 3 sections and then downclimbing the rest. Moved as fast as we could over the glacier which was now a prime avalanche prone slope, sunballs coming down it etc. Eventually got to the safe refuge of the hut pretty exhausted. We didn't get the summit but did a good proportion of the route in pretty wintery conditions and lernt a lot which was good. Packed stuff and paid at the hut then 4 hours walk down to Zermatt an back to the Bahnhof via an ice cream shop whcih is about when I started writing this!

Stories from the rest of the trip to come soon as well as lots of photos!