SummitPost.org

Hi,

I'm considering heading to the alps for about 10 days of climbing, having climbed some 5000-6000m mountains in the himalaya and karakorams over the past 9 years.

I dont have a partner yet but am looking for some on this forum perhaps, and was considering hiring a guide but that is extremely expensive.

1) What cheap alternates do i have for knowing the route up a mountain and perhaps hiring someone for safety?

2) What 4000+ mountains would folks here recommend that are challanging for a first timer to the alps?

3) Can one combing climbing these mountains with a good glacier trek that offers views of the alps over 10 days? (id rather camp on a trek than find my way to a hotel every night) this is usualy the norm in the himalayas.

4) I'm planning to go in mid november, what is the weather like?

5) I have a total budget of $3000 that includes climbing, staying and lodging. is that too high/little?

YSK

If you are going mid November, you probably better think of skiing unless you like winter conditions for climbing, which is not necessarily advised for a first timer in the Alps, although it seems you have done some high stuff already. Most climbing huts will be closed and few guides will be willing to do any high climbs, since most routes will be snowed out. Even during this summer, there was a lot of new snow high up and many routes were not doable.

The trek style of traveling is not easy to do, even in summer, because of the high population density of the alpine countries. You can link travel from hut to hut in some areas, stopping to do climbs from each hut and then traveling on to the next. The huts that surround the Aletsch Glacier come to mind, from what you describe wanting to do. However, November is not a good time for this.

Get some guidebooks as well as look at the mountain pages on Summitpost - you'll see recommendations as to time of year, accommodations and routes etc.

I wouldn't bother going in November. Too late for climbing, too early for good skiing. Most of the lifts are shut down entirely, and the huts are unstaffed, as Moni already said. It's probably one of the worst months for going to the Alps.

Anything in easterun europe that would be interesting around that time of the year?