Onwards to Corsica for this winter’s last mountain tour:

We flew from all corners of the globe – Claudia from Romania, Moritz and Matthias from Munich and Mathias from Geneva – to meet up in the evening with Laetitia in Corsica. As soon as we landed at the airport we were greeted with sunshine and warm temperatures. We took a hire car to Corte, where we were staying, and met up with Sedric our guide to discuss the next three days and to check the equipment.

Day 1: An early start for Monte Rotondo!

As it was so late in the year and already pretty warm, we had to get going quickly before it got too warm for skiing. Although there was still time to wolf down a fresh baguette and a hot coffee before setting off.

We began on foot before switching to skis and then crampons for the final sprint to the summit of Monte Rotondo across the ice. At the end of a tiring day we had climbed 1,000 m and it was definitely the summit that was the highlight, offering a breathtaking view over the Corsican mountains, the sea and even Italy!

An additional delight came shortly afterwards on the way down: thanks to high-quality hire skis we were treated to an unforgettable downhill experience. Mathias really gave it his all, despite all the equipment and his spectacular crash and “flying skills” will never be forgotten!

Day 2: Asco!

We planned a short trip through the spectacular Asco Valley for today, something which after yesterday could only be a good thing. Yet before long we had to abandon our skis and put on our climbing belts and helmets in order to scale the rocks and ice couloir on the way to the summit. In teams of two we climbed upwards. This was by far the best part of the day for me. It was great fun and the view got better the higher we climbed.