Читать книгу Alpine Ski Mountaineering Vol 2 - Central and Eastern Alps. Ski tours in Austria, Switzerland and Italy онлайн

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Arnold Lunn wisely wrote that ‘Guidebooks merely describe the skeleton, leaving the memory to clothe it with romance.’ I would add to that and say that I hope these tours provide you with the information, inspiration and motivation to explore new areas, pour over maps, study routes and plan a new season, so that later your experiences can put flesh on the bare bones of this guidebook.

Bill O'Connor

International Mountain and Ski Guide

Cumbria

Putting in a fresh track to the Mittaghorn above the Hollandia Hut – this peak offers one of the finest descents in the Bernese Alps

INTRODUCTION

For most English-speaking skiers, there is probably only one high-level route – that between Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn, often called the Haute Route. Most people are astonished to learn that long before it was skied in 1911, it was a recognised high-level hike established by members of the Alpine Club as a relatively quick, high-level crossing between the bourgeoning villages of Zermatt and Chamonix. They called it the High Level Road. Today, this route between Chamonix and Zermatt is arguably the most famous and sought-after ski tour in the world. It may therefore come as a surprise to many that regard it as the one and only Haute Route that there are in fact a whole host of outstanding high-level routes throughout the Alps.