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VOC in Europe - Beginner Friendly Camping in the Snow · Sat. Dec. 9th, 2017 - Sun. Dec. 10th, 2017

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Organized by: Tobias Klenze.

Start: Saturday, Dec. 9th, 8:30 am
End: Sunday, Dec. 10th, 4:00 pm

Description:

You have a negative °C sleeping bag, but it's collecting dust? Luxury huts with four-course dinners seem okay, but you prefer sleeping under the stars? You want to go on more VOC trips but they seem far away, on a different continent? No problem, since now we have VOC Europe!

Our first beginner friendly trip will be to Rossstock (2461m), in Zentral Switzerland. It's a really cool summit between the cantons of Schwyz and Uri, with a great view of the surrounding mountains. Here are some ideas for what we will do:

  • Two days, one night.
  • Snowshoeing (possibly ski touring) to the peak.
  • Camping in a tent, under a tarp, in a snow cave, or just bivying under the stars.
  • Staying overnight at some site with an amazing view. We'll sleep at a flat section, roughly 100m below the summit.
  • Cooking yummy meals together (though less than four courses).
  • Warming yourself up by having some fresh Feuerzangenbowle.

Send me an email if you are interested: tobiask [ät] cs.ubc.ca. We already have ~7 VOCers! You can also bring your non-VOC friends.

We meet at Riemenstalden, Chäppeliberg, Switzerland at 8.30am: https://goo.gl/maps/iLqrVsMKHB52 (Note that if you're coming from far away, you might want to bivy somewhere at Sisikon on Friday night and take the morning bus at 7:44. That's what some people will be doing -- contact me for details.)

From there, we either take the gondola to Lidernenhütte, or hike there through the forst, which should take a bit over an hour. The snowshoe trip from the hut to the peak is 750m of elevation gain and should be quite easy. The last part is a bit steeper, but we can do it without the big backpacks, since we will set up camp ~100m below the summit on a flat section. There we can build a snow kitchen, make Feuerzangenbowle and enjoy dinner. The next morning, we can go to the peak again to catch the sunrise, and then descend the same way, with a short detour to Spilauersee where we can have a VOC-style dip in the lake.

Detailed trip description for those traveling from Zurich: Departure from Zurich on Dec 9th at 6.35am, we get to Riemenstalden, Chäppeliberg at 8.29am. On Sunday, the bus back leaves at 3.58pm, arriving in Zurich Dec 10th at 5.51pm.

What to bring: snowshoes (or backcountry skis), plastic bags (e.g., from IKEA) for sledding down, towel (if you want to go for a dip in the lake), winter camping gear. Let me know if you need to rent/borrow something. For the Feuerzangenbowle, we will need a few volunteers who each can carry ~1-2kg extra.

Map that shows bivy spot: https://s.geo.admin.ch/76adcb5f72

Note that this is not a guided trip, and I assume no liability whatsoever. Everyone is responsible for him-/herself.

Posted: 2017-11-02 12:15:33
Last modified: 2017-11-05 11:56:05