2 days in the Oberland with a huge team from GORETEX Europe. As part of their ongoing relationship with GORE, the BMG provided guides for a big, international group of competition winners hoping to make the ascent of the Balmhorn. I say "hoping" because the weather was looking doubtful, and the Balmhorn is a 1700m ascent from the hut - a tough challenge for people who'd flown in yesterday from all over the world!
The pre-dawn saw us leave the hut in damp, cloudy conditions. Not ideal. Reaching the glacier a couple of hours later after a long and confusing ascent through moraine, and we were still in the clouds. Luckily, as we joined the summit ridge at 3000m, we climbed above the clouds into a stunning inversion! Good snow conditions, stunning views, and a fine summit were a well-earned reward!
