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reverse_dyno
May 11, 2009, 7:58 AM
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Registered: Dec 8, 2005
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I have been living in Switzerland for 3 years now and have yet to figure out a good way to pick mountaineering routes. The SAC books give a little blob on a route and unless you have the map in front of you, there is no way to tell what they are talking about. Each of those books cost 40 dollars and covers a very small part of Switzerland.
Do people really purchase a bunch of SAC books and maps and then go back and forth between them? Are there really no web sites with decent rout information? Bergtour.ch only reports on conditions, they do not even say how hard the route is!
reverse_dyno
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Alpsteinclimb
May 13, 2009, 10:18 AM
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Hi,
I'm living in Switzerland as well and yeah I use the SAC guide books to plan my mountaineering trips.
While with the ski touring guide books its just great (just look up the number of the trip on the ski touring map and read the corresponding description in the SAC guide book) you are right its a bit of a hassle for summer mountaineering since you don't have the numbers on the 1:25.000 maps.
I like searching gipfelbuch.ch or other sites for reports on conditions and getting new ideas for tours.
At http://gipfelbuch.ch/tourenfuehrer/liste/clear/all they also have some descriptions on difficulties of different tours.
Another great site for getting some ideas is hikr.org. Here they also present some grading as well.
Cheers,
Martin
myplan my
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steple
Jun 4, 2009, 4:52 PM
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Registered: Jul 11, 2008
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I usually borrow guide books and maps from the local library (e.g. for Zürich pbz.ch). I don't like SAC books. When planning a hike, I just look at the map and pick a route that has an ok length and elevation gain. I never really know what to expect, but hey it's an adventure.
Unfortunately I can't point you at any better source.
(This post was edited by steple on Jun 4, 2009, 6:25 PM)
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adnix
Jul 25, 2009, 12:37 PM
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Registered: May 20, 2003
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reverse_dyno wrote: I have been living in Switzerland for 3 years now and have yet to figure out a good way to pick mountaineering routes. The SAC books give a little blob on a route and unless you have the map in front of you, there is no way to tell what they are talking about.
How hard routes are you looking for? What about this book:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=478
http://www.amazon.co.uk/4000m-Peaks-Alps-Selected-Climbs/dp/0900523662/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1248524904&sr=8-1
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reverse_dyno
Jul 27, 2009, 8:06 AM
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Registered: Dec 8, 2005
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I've looked at books like that. I prefer to plan my own trips, book trips normally have tons of people on them. In the US I just take a map and plot a course. But the mountains in Switzerland make it a pain in the ass.
Trails on Maps tend not to be there once in the mountains of Switzerland I have noticed. The trails mentioned in books are always there.
Mark
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adnix
Jul 30, 2009, 4:41 AM
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Registered: May 20, 2003
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reverse_dyno wrote: I've looked at books like that. I prefer to plan my own trips, book trips normally have tons of people on them.
Yes, but have you taken a look at this particular book? The selection of routes for each peak is broad and generally includes all the possibilities that mortals might attempt.
In reply to: In the US I just take a map and plot a course. But the mountains in Switzerland make it a pain in the ass. Trails on Maps tend not to be there once in the mountains of Switzerland I have noticed. The trails mentioned in books are always there.
Generally speaking the trails in the Swiss are easy to find. There is one going quite vertical from the parking lot to the nearest mountain pass. Then there is another trail which goes between previous trails horizontal at the tree level (2000 to 2500 meters) if the terrain is easy enough. Other than that there are not too many trails.
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