Tim first met with James Walker (Medina, OH) in Chamonix for seven days of climbing. They had two objectives: Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn.

On September 4, the two set out for Mont Blanc. Unfortunately, their climb was thwarted by "super high winds". The team made it to the base of Boss Ridge (14,765') before they were driven off the mountain.

For their second objective, Tim and James drove three hours from Chamonix to Zermatt. It had been stormy for days and though they soon discovered that the Matterhorn had received 8-12 inches of new snow right before they arrived in Zermatt, they decided to climb anyway since the weather had cleared and promised a beautiful day. Tim said, "We were the only ones attempting the ridge that day, which was a treat, but the new snow made for very hard work and difficult route-finding. Eventually, we ran out of time as the clouds began to build again, and we had to make the obvious decision to turn around before the summit." Normally with any snow at all on the Matterhorn, European climbers don't even attempt it.

Tim then said goodbye to James and traveled back to Chamonix, where he planned to meet with Peter McVey (Halifax, Nova Scotia) on September 12. Peter had signed up for two days of advanced climbing, and after he and Tim discussed possibilities, they opted for two classic routes: the Arete des Cosmiques and the Midi-Plan Traverse.

"We had a great day on the Arete des Cosmique," Tim said. This route follows a mixed snow and rock ridge to the central summit of Aiguille du Midi (12,606'). Spectacular views are abundant along the ridge - to the right, climbers gaze down to the Vallee Blanche (White Valley), an immense glacier-filled valley; and to the left, over the ridge's towering peaks, jaw-dropping exposure stretches down to the Bossons Glacier far below.

The Midi-Plan Traverse follows the snow ridge between the two summits of the Aiguille du Midi (12,606') and the Aiguille du Plan (12,051'). It is a very beautiful and very popular route, again with far-reaching views all along the ridge. As on the Matterhorn, new snow hampered the climb. Tim said, "We made a good try at the traverse, but in addition to the fresh snow that made for slow going, the there were several slow parties that caused us to take much longer than we would have otherwise." It was surprising that they were slowed by other groups on this route. We really enjoy climbing in the Alps during September because so many visitors have left the area, it's common to have the routes to ourselves.

Tim returns to the United States later this month, where he will be leading and instructing rock climbing in Red Rock, Nevada.