Sadly have to say.. Goodbye, Kurt Albert

Well, I just got back home to Scotland last night and even with all the rain I was in a happy mood. Today, I have been told that Kurt has fallen to his death in the Frankenjura. He sustained serious head injuries and was being cared for at Erlangen hospital where he has now passed away. He was a great man, so nice, an amazing climber and had climbed all over the world from Patagonia to Pakistan and many wonderful climbs in between. In 1989 with Wolfgang Gullich he climbed an outstanding route on Trango Tower named "Eternal Flame" and Kurt's "Fight for Gravity" was and still is a big event.
I have not visited Erlangen or climbed in the Frakenjura for a long long time! Now I realise just how long ago it all was and so many absent friends....Struggling right now to turn a negative into a positive... oh la la, the faster we live the faster the clock seems to tick! We were all so young once, oh to hec with this, we still are and will be!
The above photo is not mine... dig out the slide boxes, scan, drift and re-live the past! Not yet, not yet, not yet!

Rope access training in Aberdeen, Scotland

Guys demonstrating their skills at Talon NDT training school today in Aberdeen!

Breithorn, Cara's first 4000 meter peak

Daughter and Dad on the summit today!

Whats all the fuss about! Mont Blanc in the distance, a perfect day!"

The Breithorn

Alpiniste in training.

Cara's first technical climb with crampons on, all was ace at 3500 meters!

Skills day on the rock.

Cara climbing on some slabs

Traverse from Aig du Midi to Hellbroner

Cara descending the arete du midi

Route finding through some crevasses

Dom - 4545m

The Dom is the highest mountain that sits entirely in Switzerland!

The Festijoch, after about two and bit hours of walking and scrambling from the hut we reached this col and were half way up it by 6.45 am this morning when Cyril admitted defeat, he had a sleepless night at the hut and well, sometimes it happens that one is sensible to turn back!

The Swiss alpine club { SAC} Domhutte.
Is in a magnificent situation, away from cable cars and the steep approach walk takes about four and a half hours from the quiet and picturesque village of Randa

Good day around the Vallee Blanche

The crevasses are opening up on the Vallee Blanche!

Cyril does not really like climbing rock with his crampons on.... but is and needs to, get used to it!

Climbing at Dorenaza for a rest day

Ariane climbing Jackpot 5b at Dorenaz this afternoon.

We also did L'ABC 5b and Bossetriche 5C+ and I had tough time trying to lead Meme pas per!

Snowflakes, summits and the Matterhorn

The Matterhorn, another cool mountain!

Snowflakes, one by one form the snow pack, they build up deeper and deeper until over the years they form glaciers. From summits and high cols the galcier slides down and where it flexes and molds over and around obstructions, crevasses and seracs form.....

Jonathan, Beranard and Bob on the summit of the Breithorn!

Outstanding day in the mountains

On a clear day you can see the Matterhorn!

Summit of Mont Blanc du Chelion

Climbing along the summit ridge, we had the whole mountain to ourselves, which meant some trail breaking work, but wow it was worth it!

Birthday celebrations at the Dix Hut

Jonathan, Bernard annd Bob on the summit of La Luiette on not such a nice day!

Poppies at the Dix hut

I found this dead swallow tail butterfly on the rocks at almost 3900 meters on the 8th of September. The girls at the Dix hut tried rewarming it to no avail!

Ulrichhorn

Very strong winds stopped us from getting to the summit of the Nadelhorn last monday, but we got the Ulrichhorn done from the Mischabel hut.

Bernard, Bob and Jonathan at the Mishcabel hut

Chamonix, Midi Plan traverse

Another fantatic day in the mountains!

Aig Rouge - Rock climbing

Voie Perroux on Index yesterday

An interesting few days climbing!

Phil trying a technical slab climb in Italy on Tuesday, this is at Chatelair in the Vallee d Osta

On the traverse of the Aig du Entreves yesterday

Keinan and Phil on the Contamine- Grisolle route on the triangle of Mont Blanc du Tacul today.