What was the highest mountain you ever climbed and how was the experience? - eviltoast

Maybe include altitude in both metres and feet, otherwise 80% of comments will be about that whole discussion.

  • Admetus@sopuli.xyz
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    1 year ago

    We climbed the mountain in Kandersteg, Switzerland. I was basically a young teenager, we were on a scout trip there, with various other troops mostly from England. A bit like a jamboree. 3/4 up the mountain we got pelted by hail, and you wouldn’t believe how painful it was even under the hood of my jacket to be pelted like that, especially against the ears. Some unfortunate ones with no gloves/hood had no choice but to cover their ears with their bare hands, and these were bleeding following those few minutes of the storm.

    It was exhilarating. After getting to the warmth of the chalet we also got to go across the glacier, with yawning chasms in full view literally a yard or two away from our feet. Such things few youths have done, and I would recommend it for my own children if I could.

    • CaptainBlagbird@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      To the Blüemlisalp-Hut which is at 2840m above sea level. Uff what a bad timing with the hail 🙈 On clear days it’s so beautiful up there by the glacier. I worked there some time ago over multiple weeks. (It might even be possible that we’ve met, depending on the year/date you visited).

      I hiked up/down there more than anywhere else (probably about 25 times). The very first time I started too fast and overestimated my condition a bit, it was nice to feel my limits. Later, my record time for hiking up was just above 2h. I tried to be faster, but never managed to crack that 2h mark. Oh well… (The signpost says 4h10, and/but a normal paced hike took me about 3h.)

      On a side note: Last year the glacier was significantly smaller than the previous years, that really was a shock to see with my own eyes rather than “just reading about it in a news article” 🥺