While the winter season of 24/25 has been quite successful for me in terms of ice climbing, I was becoming increasingly eager to engage in some proper mixed climbing as well. On the Madrisa north face exists a complex and interesting line that offers everything from steep ice climbing to delicate mixed moves and squeezing through narrow gullies…

After last year’s edition of the AACZ Ice Climbing Skill Transfer Workshop in Cogne nearly fell victim to a severe lack of climbable ice, the 2025 edition started under much brighter stars. The cold temperatures in the weeks leading up to the workshop left us quite optimistic, and when 20 Huttli made the drive into Italy this time, there were considerably fewer skis brought along as backup…

The first weeks of November had seen a remarkable stable window of high pressure weather in the alps. So far I had made use of this by going alpine climbing. With the end of this weather window approaching, I wanted to take one last opportunity and make use of the excellent conditions for mixed and ice climbing currently present in the high mountains…

With August nearing its end, the mountaineering season was similarly drawing to a close. But there was still one big tour I had in mind: The Nadelgrat follows a rock and firn ridge over no less than four 4000-metre peaks, making it a long, but aesthetic line. A tour like this requires stable weather, of course, but for once this summer the forecast actually improved rather than worsened over the course of the week...

It was now the middle of August and a stable window of high pressure weather meant that in the mountains, temperatures were soaring. And although this would lead to a rapid deterioration of the snow and glacier conditions, it also allowed for an opportunity to attempt some truly high alpine bivys. Together with Maurice, I had in fact planned for our first summit bivy on a 4000-meter peak...

After a bumpy start, summer was now in full swing here in Switzerland and with ever increasing windows of warm weather, the windows for north face climbing were simultaneously growing slimmer each day. But there was one more opportunity to be had. Not wanting to let this chance go to waste, Bas proposed an attempt to climb the north face of the Ober Gabelhorn …

It was June 26th, but a very precipitation-heavy winter here in Switzerland meant that ridges were still covered in snow and glaciers were perhaps better crossed on skis. But the large snowpack still present in the high mountains meant it was also the perfect window to tackle some north faces.…

The start of February saw the newest edition of the AACZ Ice Climbing Skill Transfer Workshop. Unfortunately, in the days leading up to the event, an alarmingly warm weather forecast for the Aosta Valley threatened to end the trip before it had even begun…