Mountaineering and Ecology – An Alpine Introduction
2nd – 9th July 2011

An experimental course bringing together the mountaineer and the ecology of the mountains. This six-day course in the Swiss Alps does not pretend to be saving the planet, but it does aim to expand the mountain awareness of experienced hill-walkers, while giving them the technical skills needed to travel in glaciated terrain.

Discover mountain ecology
In the West, most of us live indoor lives, insulated from the elemental realities of sun, moon, stars, wind, frost and rain. Going to the mountains is a reminder that we are still a part of the natural world. Yet even mountaineers can be woefully ignorant about mountains, and we are the poorer for it. The nature and origins of the rocks we climb, the forces that have shaped those rocks into mountains, the moist clouds that swirl about their summits, the plants that grow on them even above the snow-line, the insects, birds and mammals that feed on those plants and in turn provide food for other species, all these can be a source of wonder and delight, yet so often they are not even noticed.

Ecology seeks to re-awaken our senses and our curiosity, alerting us to the teeming activity of the present, evidence of the past and intimations of the future. Above all, the study of ecology leads us to the realization that we, too, are a part of the food chain; ultimately we are just one species among millions, and the gift of consciousness carries with it responsibilities rather than rights. The planet as a whole is in such a parlous state precisely because we have lost sight of those responsibilities.

Course details
We will start the course by meeting at the Hotel Brunner in Meiringen, and exploring the jagged limestone mountains in this little visited region of the north-east corner of the Bernese Oberland by walking and climbing from hut to hut through flower rich meadows and dramatic mountain landscapes. After climbing the Hangendgletcherhorn (3291 m), we shall head off to explore some granite mountains nearby again moving from hut to hut before returning to Meiringen.

The course will be run by two highly experienced professionals who climb together regularly in North Wales:
Dr Rod Gritten is a freelance consultant who was Senior Ecologist for the Snowdonia National Park for over thirty years.
Rob Collister is a qualified IFMGA guide who has climbed and skied all over the world, though nowadays he works mostly in Switzerland because he can travel there easily by train.

Course dates
Mountaineering and Ecology – An Alpine Introduction – 2nd – 9th July 2011

Text © Rob Collister and travel-quest 2010/11, photo © Rob Collister 2010/11