The view from Almagelleralp

It’s mid June and so far we’ve had a mere handful of warm sunny days. In less than a week’s time it will be the longest day and then the evenings will draw in on the long descent into gloom and……Christmas. What a grim thought.

So, I’ve banished miserable thoughts of a wet summer spent in the UK and my mind is focused on our two-week holiday in Switzerland where, please God, we will have some typical old-fashioned Alpine summer weather.  This year we are giving Zermatt a miss and hopping over the mountain range into the neighbouring valley – Saastal. One of a number of beautiful valleys that snake south from the main Rhone valley. At the roadhead at the end of  Saastal, a four hour walk will take you to the Monte Moro pass into Italy.

The main resort in Saastal is Saas Fee village that sits on a high shelf (a classic hanging valley) above the main valley floor backed by the fabulous Mischabel mountains. If you drop back down to the valley floor and walk up the opposite side from the village of Saas Almagell you will come to Almagelleralp from where today’s image was taken.

The Mischabel Range: from left – Taschhorn, Dom, Lenzspitze, Nadelhorn

This is the view back across towards Saas Fee (hidden) and the Mischabel mountains. Click the image to see an enlargement. The highest point in this range is the Dom, 4545M (14911ft) – Switzerland’s highest mountain.  (Click here to go to the first in a three-part post written about the Dom and my ascent of it). This is a majestic view but I often think that photography in the mountains can never convey size – you have to be there to appreciate the true grandeur of scenes like these. But hopefully in a few weeks I will be sitting outside this mountain restaurant enjoying a beer and maybe lunch, bathed in warm sunshine and taking in this view.  Not a bad way to spend a day!

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