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I went out for a wander through the Alps this summer. My plan was "The Walker's Haute Route CHAMONIX-ZERMATT". Having set off from Chamonix, I soon reached the french-swiss border, my first pass - Col de Balme. 
I spent a night brushing up my francais in Cabane Les Grands, and tried to learn an old swiss card game called Putz. I was now definitely on holiday, with my view of the Glacier de Trient, and the second pass - Fenetre d'Arpette. 
A couple of cloudy, uncharacteristically cold days of walking later, after the three-cols-in-a-day epic from Mont Fort to Prafleuri, I approached Lac de Dix and Arolla on a clear day, to find some magnificent views. 
(A few days earlier Thyon-Dixence took place, below follow selected results. See http://www.thyon-dixence.ch/ for full details and to enter next years' race on le 03 aout 2003.) Femmes 1. Mudge Angela GB-Edinburgh 1:23.12,2 2. Worku Tsige ETH-Ethiopie 1:25.24,8 3. Gusseltchikova Nadejda RUSSIE 1:29.14,4 14. Jollie Susie GB-Leeds 2:01.27,1 Femmes I 1. Netchaeva Svetlana F-Meythet 1:32.04,9 2. Guericke-Imgraben Barbara Leukerbad 1:35.44,4 3. Rowell Sarah GB-leeds 1:42.57,0 Homme 1. Mejia Ricardo MEX-Ecatepec 1:09.10,3 2. Burns Billy GB-Preston 1:09.44,2 3. Gex-Fabry Alexis Collombey 1:10.54,5 4. Muchuru Peter KEN 1:12.02,0 14. Devine Gary GB-Leeds 1:18.04,1 25. Bottamley Stephen GB-Leeds 1:25.08,0 40. Shane Green GB-Leeds 1:30.35,9 110. Owen Andrew GB-Hampstead 1:52.18,3 Veterans 1 1. Graham Patten GB-Cumbria 1:18.18,8 2. Steinbacher Wisi Wattwil 1:26.09,6 3. Seppey Michel Heremence 1:30.04,4 Veterans 2 1. Blair-Fish John Andrew GB-Edinburgh 1:30.03,0 2. Stritt Karl Tafers 1:31.47,3 3. Imoberdorf Walter Fiesch 1:34.23,0 
After passing through Moiry, without much of a view, then arriving in Zinal for 24 hours of rain, followed by 2 hours of of snow (with golf ball sized snowflakes), I soon met a euroDOSS contingent comprising: Anne, Dave, JP, Tash, Andy, Sarah Rowell, Graham Patten, Gary Devine + Carol, Steve Bottomley, and British swiss summer regulars Billy Burns And Martin Cox. (Shane and Panje chose Nice instead). And there was a surprise guest appearance from America's Paul Lowe, who cam over for the weekend! (last seen full of beer on his bicycle trying to make it to Sierre for a 5am train). The freezing weather lead to Sierre-Zinal becoming Sierre-Chandolin. Their website is http://www.sierre-zinal.com. (Results: not online yet.) A good few litres of Cardinal were finished off in "Le Pub" in the evening. 
Sporting a strong continental lager induced hangover, I headed off to Cabane de Grand Montet. The walk seemed flat without carrying all my worldly belongings with me, as I negotiated my way through up to 4 inches of snow, on a relatively untrodden path. The views at the cabane where fantastic, as I had climbed the last 1200m, so also had the mountains around me, and I now looked up at the snow topped four thousand metre peaks of Zinalrothorn, Ober Gabelhorn, Dent Blanche. Leaving the cabane, I realised that my legs were red and that the next day they would be sore, from walking on the snow. 
Leaving Zinal, I headed back up along the Sierre-Zinal course, climbing through the woods, paid homage to "Jack's Rock", and marvelled at the beautiful race route, which two days earlier had been under a cover of snow. I climbed up over Forcletta, and said "Au Revoir" to french speaking Switzerland, and "Guten Tag" to a new unknown German speaking land. Down through Gruben, and back up over Augustbordpass, through Jungen (which had awesome views up the valley towards Zermatt). The final descent was down to St. Niklaus, leaving only a gentle walk up the valley through Randa (excellent camping facilities) and Tasch to the final destination - Zermatt. I arrived on festival day, and found thousands of people lining the streets, in costumes, singing, and a parade of little goat like things. Quite a culture shock, after days of quiet walking. 
I soon met up with others, in the North Wall Bar, and bagged a four thousand metre peak - Breithorn (4164m), in my first adventure roped up on snow with crampons and the like. An absolutely awesome experience. 
Before heading back, several nights out in Zermatt were enjoyed, and the Hornli Hut (from where climbers' begin their ascent of the Matterhorn) was visited, after the Matterhornlauf race (which I did as a tourist due to an Achilles inflammation) for which selected results follow. (See http://www.matterhornlauf.ch for details). Frauen 1 Moon Melissa NZL 1:18.07,2 2 Gassmann Daniela CH 1:19.08,9 3 Tsige Worku ETH 1:22.13,3 30 Bottomley Louise GB 1:57.06,2 Manner 1 Wyatt Jonathan, NZL 1:02.27,6 2 Burns Billy, GB 1:04.55,0 3 Cox Martin, GB 1:05.06,5 4 Mejia Ricardo, MEX 1:06.05,6 5 Moscheru Peter, KEN 1:07.37,0 33 Bottomley Stephen,GB 1:19.31,3 44 Green Shane, GB 1:25.03,2 51 Ryan Kestle, GB 1:26.44,6 Jakeman Stephan, GB 1:53.12,3 GB 1st Team (Billy, Martin and Paul Crake) Pudsey 14th Team. 
A top guide book: The Walker's Haute Route CHAMONIX-ZERMATT, Kev Reynolds, A cicerone Guide. ISBN 1 85284 327 6.
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