The expeditions we have carried out in Europe include:

• The Matterhorn
• Mont Blanc

Right hand skyline is the Zmutt ridge. The north face
is in shadow. Hornli ridge centre with Beldevere and Hornli huts on black bump below. East face on the left.

Location: Above Zermatt in Valais, Switzerland.

Height: 4477meters (14689 feet)

Difficulty: NZ alpine grade 3+/4

Length of Trip: 3 days

Cost: $US1500 (as of January 2000)

Description:
Cable car access to 1 hour's walk from the Hornli huts. 3 am start and a rush to get on the ridge first.

4 - 7 hours up spectacular airy ridges with much fixed rope. Swiss and Italian summits to visit. An absolute must for any mountaineer. Return time 9 - 15 hours.

The Italian (west) ridge starts after an overnight at the Savoia Refuge which is reached after a good day's climb. Steep chains and ropes help access on a steep ridge and in one place a rope ladder swings free giving a good feel for serious exposure! We traversed, descending the Hornli and took 15 hours.

Early morning on a Mont Blanc traverse

Location: Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France

Height:4807 meters (15771 feet)

Difficulty: NZ alpine grade 2+ / 3

Length of Trip: 3 days

Cost: $US1500 (as of January 2000)

Description:
From an overnight at the Aiguille du Midi hut, accessed by cable car, a long traverse over Mont Maudit and Mont Blanc du Tacul.

We descended to Grand Mulets hut and returned to Chamonix next day. A mighty expedition!