Vertical Frontiers Ltd

03/10/2026

A few photos from a guided Mont Blanc ascent a couple of weeks ago—and, for us, the end of another Mont Blanc season.

It has been a tricky summer in the Alps, with unprecedented and long-lasting heatwaves affecting conditions on many of the classic routes. On a couple of our trips we made the decision to move away from Mont Blanc, but that certainly didn’t mean missing out on some excellent mountaineering.

Instead, we climbed peaks including the Weissmies, Aiguille du Tour and several summits in the Monte Rosa massif—reaching almost 4,500m. Being flexible with objectives allowed us to find good conditions and give our clients some memorable days in the mountains, even when Mont Blanc wasn’t the right choice.

We’re now looking ahead to summer 2027, with dates already available for our six-day Grand Paradiso and Mont Blanc group programme:

🏔️ 23–28 May 2027
🏔️ 3–8 June 2027
🏔️ 11–16 July 2027

The programme includes training and acclimatisation on Grand Paradiso before moving across to Mont Blanc, giving everyone the best possible preparation for the summit attempt.

Plenty of additional private dates available on request.

If Mont Blanc is one of your goals for next year, now is a good time to start planning. Send us a message or visit the Vertical Frontiers website for full details.

01/10/2026

A big Mont Blanc in a day adventure yesterday—church to church from Les Houches.

We set off at 3:30am and enjoyed a wonderfully quiet mountain, making steady progress through the darkness before stopping at the Goûter hut for food, coffee and water. Quite a lot of food, as it turned out…

From there we continued to around 4,300m on the Dôme du Goûter. The guys were moving brilliantly and had more than enough fitness to complete the ascent, but higher up we encountered strong winds, very poor visibility and no track to follow.

Several unguided teams had also started following us, which added another layer of responsibility to the decision. Turning around was absolutely the right call.

It was still a fantastic day on the mountain and the guys had a mega time. We enjoyed a big journey, reached 4,300m and completed the full round trip from Les Houches in 13 hours 40 minutes.

A summit is never guaranteed, particularly late in the season, but a memorable day in the mountains certainly doesn’t depend on standing on the very top.

A huge effort and a great adventure from start to finish.

27/09/2026

New for 2027: ski touring in Western Finnmark, Norway 🇳🇴

From 9-16 May, we’ll be heading north for six days of ski touring among the mountains and fjords of Western Finnmark.

We’ll be based in a shared cabin beside the sea, travelling out each day to find the best snow and weather. The terrain offers plenty of choice, with summits rising directly from the coast and the possibility of linking several objectives together in a day.

On our previous visit, the skiing was only part of the experience. We also spotted reindeer, otters, foxes, porpoises, dolphins and sea eagles—and enjoyed some fairly spectacular views whenever the clouds lifted.

The week includes six guided ski-touring days, cabin accommodation and all local transport. We’ll cook and eat together at the cabin, itself a spectacular place to enjoy.

📅 9-16 May 2027
📍 Western Finnmark, Norway
💶 €2,850 per person
✈️ Start and finish in Tromsø
🎿 Previous ski-touring experience required

Send me a message if you’d like more information or to reserve a place.

22/09/2026

Not every day in the mountains needs to involve a 4,000m summit or a huge approach.

Some of the most enjoyable days this summer were spent on easier rock climbs and via ferrata—moving over good rock, enjoying the exposure and building confidence without the commitment of a major Alpine route.

These days can be a great introduction to climbing in the mountains, an opportunity to improve rope skills and movement, or simply a fun objective in their own right. The route and level can be adapted to your experience, whether you’re relatively new to climbing or preparing for something bigger.

If you’d like to try outdoor rock climbing, a via ferrata or build towards a future Alpine objective, get in touch and we can put together a suitable day or programme.

21/09/2026

On Saturday I guided the Grand Combin traverse with Catrin, taking in all three of its major summits above 4,000m.

Getting into position was almost an expedition in itself: we left the car at the finish beside the Mauvoisin dam, then took a bus, two trains and another bus before the three-hour walk up to the Cabane de Valsorey. Thankfully public transport in Switzerland runs smoothly 🚂

After breakfast at 3:30am, we set off shortly after four. The weather was perfect. We climbed above the cloud layer beneath a sky full of stars and a half-moon, with just two other teams nearby—one also making the traverse and another planning to paraglide from the summit.

The Arête du Meitin was “engaging”: quite loose in places, although reassuringly solid through the harder sections. Four hours after leaving the hut, we reached the highest point and began the traverse proper.

Some icy sections required ice-screw belays before we crossed the glacier to the abseils. Eight of those brought us down to the lower ridge, followed by a long, easy scramble and then a huge walk out to the reservoir and along its shore to the road.

A superb journey over one of the biggest mountains in the Alps.

Late-summer and early-autumn conditions have been excellent this year, and we’re really enjoying making the most of the quieter guiding season.

13.5 hours hut to car
1,771m ascent
3,000m of leg destroying descent

07/09/2026

19/08/2026

A final days guiding for August - an early start and a Grand Paradiso car to car with and Mark.

Absolutely fantastic weather and conditions for our ascent. And the first time I’ve worn more than a base layer this month! The wind was blowing (a little) and the air was fresh. Lovely!

An absolutely top effort by Rebecca and Mark, a smooth round trip despite the large amount of boulders to negotiate on this exceptionally low snow summer.

Now a break from guiding for some family trips and also a little computer time, need to get planning the winter and next summer. Back to the mountains in September ✌️

13/08/2026

Another chunky days alpine climbing with Ashley Brown : finishing off our week with the Cassin route on the north face of the Piz Badile.

We had an absolutely great time, with just one other team on the route, perfect weather and smooth climbing getting us up and over the mountain before lunchtime and down to the car before the rumbles of thunder.

It was my first time on the route, and I was pleasantly surprised by the varied climbing: chimneys, cracks, corners and endless slabs of course.

One of the highlights being the swim in the river and ice cream in the valley after the long descent. A well deserved treat after a hot day 😁

10/08/2026

Chamonix granite classics with Ashley Brown
An “active rest day” - and we beat the storms.

08/08/2026

South ridge aiguille noire - what an absolutely stunning route.

Another car to car mission, this time with the ever psyched Ashley Brown : some quality pitches and solid rock, and the descent wasn’t nearly as bad as advertised, although it is long…..

It took us 11 hours to summit from the car, and a further 7 to get back. We just about made it before needing the head torches, always satisfying!

Now a little recovery time before the next one 😵‍💫