{"id":14256,"date":"2021-06-28T13:44:06","date_gmt":"2021-06-28T13:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordsandimages.battleface.com\/?p=14256"},"modified":"2024-07-31T15:18:22","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T15:18:22","slug":"monkey-mountaineering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/monkey-mountaineering\/","title":{"rendered":"Six European mountains to scratch that post-lockdown adventure itch"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Approx read: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">mins<\/span><\/span><h3 id=\"\">Dust off those crampons &#8211; it\u2019s time to tackle some peaks.<\/h3>\n<h4 id=\"as-travel-takes-its-tentative-\">As travel takes its tentative first steps towards reopening across Europe, many are looking to the continent\u2019s spectacular mountains for their first taste of adventure in a long time.<\/h4>\n<p>And who could blame them? Amazing crags, stunning panoramas and snow-capped peaks which\u2019ll have you channelling your inner Tenzing Norgay in no time &#8211; Europe has some of the best mountaineering experiences on the planet.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Training for the National 3 Peaks Challenge\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0MbW1XgcNJA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>But if you\u2019re overwhelmed by the choices available, fear not; battleface consulted the founder of mountain-based travel specialists Monkey Mountaineering to get the inside scoop on where to go &#8211; whatever your skill level.<\/p>\n<p>Sam Marshall has been involved in expeditions to some of the most extensive, remote and hostile mountain regions on the planet, spanning all seven continents.<\/p>\n<p>He consulted his vast mountaineering experience to tell battleface his six favourite European climbs, ranging from (relatively) gentle adventures to serious challenges requiring expert planning.<\/p>\n<p>So, if you\u2019re looking to take advantage of Europe\u2019s best peaks this summer, read on.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"novice-climbs\">Novice climbs<\/h4>\n<p><iframe title=\"Gran Paradiso 4061m - Best first 4000m mountain to climb in the Alps?\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-15PDsAYpLY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gran Paradiso, Graian Alps, Italy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sam said: \u201cAt 4,061m Gran Paradiso is the highest independent mountain in Italy offering fantastic views over the Mont Blanc range from its summit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe easiest and shortest route to the summit starts at the Rifugio Vittorio Emmanuel.\u00a0 Graded F+\/PD- the majority of the route is a straightforward glacial walk with a short section of ridge (UK Grade 3 Scrambling) towards the summit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe ridge can be a bit of a bottleneck on busy days so make sure you take a warm jacket \u2013 the photos from the top will be worth the wait.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Weissmies glacier tour 4017 m | Preparation for Mont Blanc and Dufourpeak\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1Z-jI-dS6X0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Weissmies, Pennine Alps, Switzerland<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sam said: \u201cThe highest mountain in the north-eastern Pennine Alps is the 4,017m Weissmies which stands above the picturesque Saas valley.\u00a0 A south-to-north traverse of this mountain is an absolute must.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStarting at the Almageller Hut this route scrambles up the rocky south-east ridge to the summit before descending to the Hohsass Hut by the snowy west ridge and glaciated north-west face for a celebratory beer.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"intermediate-climbs\">Intermediate climbs<\/h4>\n<p><iframe title=\"Climbing the Breithorn Half Traverse, 20 August 2018\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aKiAtz6u_p8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Breithorn, Pennine Alps, Switzerland\/Italy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sam said: \u201cSteep snow, excellent rock and three main towers to climb make the half traverse of the Breithorn (4,164m) a perfect choice for an intermediate team.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis route, which is graded AD-, can be done in a day from Zermatt catching an early cable up the Klien Matterhorn or over two days by staying overnight in the Guide d&#8217;Ayas hut on the Italian side. Descent is via the normal route back to the Klien Matterhorn lift.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Lenzspitze Ostgrat (4294m), Juni 2015\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ry7DUTfRjzM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Lenspitze, Pennine Alps, Switzerland<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sam said: \u201cThere are no simple or ordinary routes to the summit of the Lenspitze (4,294m) but one of the best ways to get there, in my view, is by climbing the steep snowy north-north-east face, a route known as the Dreieselswand. Graded at D+ and at an average angle of around 50 degrees this is 500m of superb climbing directly to the summit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo return to the Mischabel hut most teams traverse the ridge (PD\/AD) to the Nadelhorn (4,327m) and then descend its north-east ridge (PD).\u201d<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"advanced-climbs\">Advanced climbs<\/h4>\n<p><iframe title=\"Piz Badile North Face\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DGsLzisYkAs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Piz Badile, Bregaglia, Switzerland\/Italy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sam said: \u201cThe north-east face of the Piz Badile (3,308m) is one of the classic six great north faces of the Alps. Starting from a bivouac, the Cassin Route (TD) climbs directly up this face and deserves to be on your bucket list.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith 800m of excellent rock and around 28 pitches of climbing up to HVS\/E1 the route follows a line of cracks and corners all the way to the summit ridge making for a truly memorable day out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Grandes Jorasses 4208m, Walkerpfeiler 1200m MD+ VI, A1(7)\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ycwx_GFfsfk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Walker Spur, Grandes Jorasses, France\/Italy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sam said: \u201cThe Walker Spur (ED1) on the Grandes Jorasses (4,208m) is generally accepted to be one of the best routes in the Alps. This sought-after objective offers excellent climbing in cracks and on open faces.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ll need an early start as the route is about 1200m long and 30 pitches of sustained climbing to reach the summit followed by a long descent. This route is still on my \u2018to do list\u2019!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Monkey Mountaineering specialises in providing adventure-travel experiences to the world\u2019s mountainous regions, incorporating trekking, climbing and mountaineering, fully supported by their team of experts. Find out more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.monkeymountaineering.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dust off those crampons &#8211; it\u2019s time to tackle some peaks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":14275,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1636,186,298],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure-travel","category-storyteller-spotlights","category-travel-tips","post_format-post-format-video"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14256"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18752,"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14256\/revisions\/18752"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}