2026 Alps Trip Report

Attendees: Ethan McQuaid, Adam Walker, Justin Boynton, Rich Buckley, Dez Hajdu, Will Westwood, Geoff Goh, Rick Hardy. 

This year's annual AMC alps trip was an interesting and in some ways, a sad one, with the week being dominated by a relentless heatwave, making the high mountains more dangerous than they already are. For almost the entire week, the freezing level hovered above 4,000m, leaving glaciers actively melting and snow slopes rapidly deteriorating. To make matters worse, heavy afternoon thunderstorms brought warm rain pelting down onto the non-freezing ice, quickly ruling out any real thoughts of classic high alpine snow and mixed routes.

With most of the classic higher-altitude objectives off the cards and predictable afternoon downpours, most of the team played it wise, climbing a lot on the Aiguilles Rouges side of the valley. We focused on shorter, single-day routes that could easily be wrapped up before the afternoon showers.

Adam and I did a speedy accent of Clocher Clochetons Traverse (AD 5a) before getting the Montenvers train up and bivying for the North - Northeast Ridge (D 5B) of Aiguille de L'M.

Probably our favourite route of the week was Traverse of the Perrons (AD) a short drive over the boarder in Switzerland. Superb traverse that is great practice for more exposed ridges in the higher peaks or as a half day when the weather isn't great higher up.

Not everyone stayed strictly to the lower valley routes though! A few brave souls fancied a bit more adventure and made the trek up to the Refuge de Couvercle on the Glacier de Talèfre. It proved to be a full-day with a fairly spicy approach given the lack of snow, made all the more memorable with Dez managing to lose the sole of his boot mid-walk…

Justin and Dez had to hobble back to Chamonix to get new soles and managed to tick off Modern Times (D- 5a). Will and Rich made the most of the remote hut by ticking off La Nonne (AD+ 5a) and Moine south face (PD+ 4b).

Despite the heat and daily weather dodges, it was another fantastic week with a great group. We all managed to bag at least a few sunny climbing windows and definitely drank a few extra beers in Chamonix town this year!

As week two rolled around, a few guys headed home or went hiking, but a strong contingent crossed the border into Switzerland for a much more successful run on higher ground. I'll pass the pen over to Adam below to tell that part of the story!

Finally, a special mention out to Geoff, this being his first real time in the alpine, having a very successful trip under the mentorship of Rick. Between then they ticked off an impressive number of route for the week: Violins Ziganes (TD 6a+), Cocher Cochon (TD 6a) and clocher clochetons (AD 5a), Arete de Papillons (AD-), Frison roche (TD- 6a) and Chapelle de la Gliere (D+ 6a).

WEEK Two

The heatwave had made conditions tricky, and we managed to rule out pretty much every option before eventually circling back to our original ideas. After plenty of discussion, we finally settled on Saas-Grund in Switzerland. It turned out to be an excellent choice.

Jegihorn – Two Routes, Two Teams

For our first day we split into two teams and headed up the Jegihorn. Before starting, we stashed some of our kit ready to collect on the way back, as we'd be heading onwards to the Berghütte Hohsaas afterwards.

Adam and Geoff headed up Panorama (AD+, 5c), while Will, Rich and Justin tackled Alpendurst (AD, 4c). Both routes were long and provided an excellent opportunity to practise moving together and getting used to the rhythm of longer Alpine routes. We all summited successfully and headed back down to collect our bags. It was at this point that Will discovered he'd forgotten his hardshell jacket.

Cue a rapid descent back to the apartment, followed by a race back up to meet everyone at the hut.

Mountain tax: paid.

A £11 Bottle of Water

A quick Alpine tip: check whether your hut has running water before you arrive.

We didn't. This resulted in us paying around £11 for a bottle of water at the hut.

A useful lesson, if a slightly expensive one.

Lagginhorn South Ridge – AD

The following morning we left the hut early to tackle the Lagginhorn South Ridge, our first proper long ridgeline of the second week. We made good time on the approach, overtaking a number of other climbers along the way before stopping to kit up near the glacier. That's when Adam discovered that he'd left his crampons back at the hut after rearranging his bag at the last minute. There was only one thing to do. Mountain tax: paid Again.

Adam headed back down the path at speed to retrieve them while the rest of us waited. With storms forecast for later in the afternoon, we didn't have time to waste, so once everyone was reunited we got moving. We made good progress throughout the route, moving together for the majority of the ridge, and eventually topped out almost without incident.

One phrase that every Alpine climber should remember is:

"Crest is best."

It was particularly true on this route. Whenever we strayed from the crest, the quality of the terrain deteriorated rapidly and the rock became increasingly loose. Adam discovered this first-hand when he pulled a fairly substantial block off the mountain and onto himself. Thankfully there were no serious injuries or falls, and after the initial shock we were able to carry on and reach the summit.

We descended safely back to the hut, arriving with enough time for the most important part of any Alpine day: tea!

Rest Days

After two long days back-to-back, and with the weather beginning to deteriorate, we decided it was time to retreat from the mountains and have a couple of rest days. Will and Geoff opted to walk down from the mountain, taking in the views while saving themselves the cost of the lift. Adam, Rich and Justin took a slightly different approach and rented scooters before heading down to collect their bags from the bottom of the lift. Both strategies were equally valid. Probably.

Weissmies North Ridge – D

With another weather window appearing, we decided to go for our second 4000m summit of the trip: Weissmies via the North Ridge (D). And it absolutely delivered. The route featured an incredible 2 km ridgeline, with everything we had been hoping for: huge views, exposed stances, scrambling and excellent climbing. It was a brilliant mixture of climbing and scrambling, eventually giving way to a snowy ascent towards the summit. After reaching the top, we descended via the Northwest Flank (PD) and continued down to the Almageller Hut. After the intensity of the route, it was fantastic to arrive at the hut, sit down to a hearty meal and properly reflect on the trip so far.

Dri Hörnli Ridge – AD

With our final day approaching, we wanted to squeeze one last route out of the trip.

We quickly romped up the Dri Hörnli Ridge (AD) before descending back towards the forest.

Once back in Saas-Grund, we finished the trip with a relaxed meal before getting some rest ahead of the long drive back to the UK the following day.

Until Next Year...

And just like that, the trip was over. Two weeks of climbing, scrambling, glaciers, ridges, huts, questioning route discussions, mountain tax and plenty of type 2 fun. Huge thanks to everyone who came along and made it such an awesome trip. There were some big days, plenty of learning, a few moments of excitement and a lot of laughs.

Awesome trip, awesome people. Cannot wait until next year.