Ok it's done! I fly into Paris on June 1st and have 2 weeks to go play climbing before meeting my boyfriend and his family & doing the tourist thing. Only 261 more sleeps! I'm hoping that my climbing partner will come out with me for at least some of that time but I might be looking for company if that doesn't work out. Would be fun to hook up with some SP'ers anyway come to think of it.

Where to begin!? I need to end up in Laon in mid-June but other than that I'm free as a bird. What would you recommend? I realize that it's a little early for good rock routes so I'll take what I can get. Sorry for being so vague but I'm just looking for a little direction so I can start researching.

Cool... lets keep in touch! Sorry bout your toe. Upper Exum is super fun but WAY too short. Wish we'd done Direct now. Will send u my number for future trip planning.

June is really early for climbing, depending on the kind of winter they have had and what kind of climbing you want to do. However, some of the ice faces may be in condition. Many huts won't be open yet.

Early June may work for the classic mixed routes in the Mont Blanc group. It was the case in 2006, though this year I ended up rock climbing at low elevations. It's still early, I suspect to make any predictions for 2008, but there's plenty of opportunities for great climbing at the foot of the Alps. So, if you have a backup plan, you can play it according to snow cover and weather.

My backup last summer was Arnad, in Valle d'Aosta: Corma di Machaby has a nice page here on SP. Mont Charvatton is not on SP, but also has some very nice, long routes.

If you include the Central Alps in your itinerary, consider Val di Mello for fantastic granite climbing. Too many great lines to get into the details, and besides I haven't been there in over twenty years, but it's impossible to be disappointed. Weather and conditions permitting, you may leave the valley floor. Badile and Cengalo are two amazing mountains, but if early June is too early for those, it may not be too early for something like this.

For limestone, the Grigne group has a lot to offer not far from Milano.

In the Dolomites, early summer climbing may be found near Passo Sella in the Sella Group or on Cinque Torri. These are only a handful of options; there are many, many more.

hmmm.... maybe i should bring my skis? Howz spring ski touring?

Until April skiing is possible. Later on it becomes complicated as the snow tends to be gone.

What do you intend to do ?
Only going to the Alps ?
Mountain climbing ? Cliff climbing ? Bouldering ? Hiking ?

MountaingirlBC wrote:hmmm.... maybe i should bring my skis? Howz spring ski touring?

the range of Saas Fee (Strahlhorn, Allalinhorn, Rimpfischorn, Alphubel) normally is perfect in June, also Monte Leone should be good, if winter is not too dry
and, of course the 3 fine ski-mountaneering of M.Blanc : Mont Blanc, Mont Dolent, Aiguille d'Argentiere

I'd really like to get up Mont Blanc. The Matterhorn too if possible. So the Haute Route is looking like a logical tour. Will have to ski my ass off here this winter to get in shape and improve my skiing if I'm going to do that.

great plans, like to see ambition, done Mont Blanc, matter of time until I do the Matterhorn. How did your summer go? heres a must do! Ice climbing in Norway in Krokan on forzen waterfalls

tonyscotland wrote::shock: great plans, like to see ambition, done Mont Blanc, matter of time until I do the Matterhorn. How did your summer go? heres a must do! Ice climbing in Norway in Krokan on forzen waterfalls

I have 2 weeks so hopefully I can Forest Gump my way up some stuff in that time even if I don't manage to do everything I'd like to do. Unfortunately I'm too far removed from my Scottish roots to be hard enough for ice climbing.

dont need to be hard to ice climb (even though yep! Im tough) the secret is! putting hand warmers inside your cloves, learnt that when boarding in the USA and Norway -14