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About me

General

This is the artist bio for Dave Butcher and the information here tells you all you could possibly want to know about Dave Butcher and his photography!

Technical Information

For Technical Information visit my dedicated site for videos and illustrated articles on a host of topics, all freely available, DarkroomDave.com.

Trip Logs and Diaries

Over the years I have hiked, skied and snowshoed in many places and usually kept a diary of the trip. I have created web pages for quite a few of these and included a lot of photos, mostly black and white but a few colour ones too. Many of the photos are in the Landscape Galleries but if you see a photo that interests you there will be more background information in these trip logs and diaries. The trip logs and diaries are all at the bottom of this page with Walks and Photo Trips first followed by Ski Mountaineering, Skiing and Snowshoeing.

Photographic Background

Dave Butcher has been selling his darkroom photographs since 1986 and working as a full-time professional photographer, darkroom printer, author and lecturer since 2004.

Now semi-retired but still selling my fine art prints and books.

Author of 6 books:

Supported by Ilford Photo and the parent company Harman Technology.

Member of High Peak Artists between 2005 and 2022 with permanent exhibition space in Gallery in the Gardens in Buxton Pavilion Gardens.

Member of Peak District Artisans from 2005 to 2013, an artists co-operative for designer-makers in the Peak District.

Member of Design Factory from 2005 for many years, an organisation for professional designer-maker artisans across the East Midlands.

Dave is one of 6 Ilford Master Darkroom Printers

Dave passes on his expertise through free tutorials, illustrated articles and demonstrations on his DarkroomDave.com website and DarkroomDave YouTube channel. Unfortunately, he is no longer able to run photography courses, darkroom workshops or give lectures due to ill health.

His work has been used for Image licensing since 1999, including International Graphics Walmsley GmbH for large fine art prints, Hallmark for greetings cards and Trends International for calendars.

Artist Statement

I take photographs on film and print on traditional silver gelatin paper to achieve the highest quality prints currently possible.

Another strong motivation for staying with black and white film, rather than going the popular route of using digital, is the known long lifetime of processed negatives and prints. Film cameras also work at -30°C in the mountains in winter, I’m not sure digital cameras would fare so well because of their reliance on batteries.

Over the years this has built an approach to my photography where I believe every picture I take is part of the historical record for wherever I am taking photographs. They are a blend of record and artistry. Some more record, some more artistry depending on the subject and conditions, especially light and weather. All of them are a part of me.

Who knows, one day my negatives could be as important as those of Francis Frith, a Victorian photographer who comprehensively recorded English towns, villages and life in England.

These web links will take you to more information on equipment and techniques that I have found useful over the years. I hope that you too find them useful.

Equipment for Black and White Photographs

Black and White Darkroom Printing Notes

Hill and Mountain Landscape Photography

Using Digital Cameras for Black and White Photography

We did a few shows in the 1980’s and 1990’s whilst I was working for Ilford Photo but didn’t take it further until after I left (because of my bad back). Having started the business at a low level in 2004 it ramped up considerably from the following year such that between 2005 and 2019 we did many exhibitions and art and craft shows up and down the country from Glasgow and Edinburgh down to Birmingham, London and the Southeast, as well as local shows in the Peak District where we are based. Overall, we did up to 25 shows and exhibitions a year adding up to a several hundred in total over the years. This included many shows at the Birmingham NEC like Focus on Imaging where Ilford Photo gave us stand space to sell courses, books and pictures as long we decorated at least part of their stand with my framed photographs and talked in glowing terms about the Ilford products that I used (and used to work on when I worked for them).

There were also Christmas shows like Crafts for Christmas which despite the name was a lot more than crafts. We also did BBC Good Homes and Grand Designs Live both at the NEC, Ideal Home at London Earls Court and Glasgow SECC, Country Living in Harrogate, Living Crafts at Hatfield House and Battersea Contemporary Art Fair and many others. The best shows for us overall were organised by Crafts in Focus, all exhibitors were vetted as designer makers (nothing bought in) and were very well attended – all based in the southeast.

We also did some trade shows such as Spring Fair at the NEC, British Craft Trade Fair in Harrogate and Surtex Image Licensing show at the Jacob Javits Centre in Manhattan New York.

Here are a few stand photos to give you an idea of what we displayed.

 

I worked for Ilford Photo Ltd. for 21 years, the leading manufacturer of black and white photographic films and papers, as a photographic research scientist, technical service manager, regulatory affairs manager and project management, the last 3 all at the same time! While I was doing that I managed the Ilford photographic printing department and setup and edited some Ilford technical newsletters (I wrote almost 150 technical articles for two publications in 5 years). Unfortunately, I had to leave Ilford in 2002 because of a chronic back injury.

First website December 2003 for my photographic portfolio and my 4th website took over in December 2017. During this time I was generating a lot of new technical information and starting to make technique videos so a new website, DarkroomDave.com, was created in 2014 to keep all of this in one easy to navigate place.

First black and white film – 1970 Kodak Tri-X, processed using solutions that I made from published formulae and raw chemicals (I was working as a technician in a chemical lab. at the time). I used D-76 to process the films and Kodak D-163 developer to make prints and Kodak F-24 as the fixer for both.

First experience of setting up and running a photography and darkroom service 1973 to 1976, for both black and white and colour, while I was working for Unilever Research Ltd. at the Frythe, Welwyn, Hertfordshire. The Frythe labs were being closed and the first thing that they moved was the Photographic Department to Colworth House labs even though we used them on an almost daily basis.

Lectures on my photography from 1988 to 2019, to camera clubs and other organisations, all illustrated with darkroom prints.

 

Photo related posts

UK Photo Imaging Council, Health, Safety and Environment Committee: Chairman 1995 – 1998, Member of this committee, representing Ilford Photo, between 1987 and 2002.

European Photographic Chemical Industry Group: Member representing UK photo industry 1987 – 2002 (based in Brussels, affiliated with CEFIC – European Chemical Industries Association).

Ilford Ltd. Photographic Club: Chairman 1985 – 1987.

Chapel-en-le-Frith Camera Club: Chairman 2002-2003 and 2005-2006.

High Peak Artists: Secretary 2017-2021, Committee Member 2009-2022 (a co-operative of over 40 artists running Gallery in the Gardens in Buxton, Derbyshire).

Camera history

My grandmother gave me my first camera when I was about 5 years old, a Box Brownie and a Kodak Brownie 44A followed in about 1960.

35mm SLR cameras: 1969 Praktica Super TL, 1973 Nikkormat FTn, 1982 Nikon FE, 1992 Nikon FM2, 1998 Ricoh GR1 (for colour slides of ski trips)

Medium format cameras: 1986 Mamiya 645 Super, 1993 Mamiya 6, 2006 Mamiya 7.

Digital: 2014 Panasonic HC-V720 video camera (for making YouTube videos),  2020 Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ-100 (for blog photos)

Influences:

Ansel Adams, the master of creative black and white landscapes of Western America.

Walter Poucher, photographer of UK hills and mountains.

Bradford Washburn, an American photographer of creative mountain landscapes from the air, especially patterns in nature. He also took some spectacular mountain top photographs.

Ilford Photo head printers Mike Walden and Terry Offord, taught me split grade darkroom printing which they developed with Ilford Product Specialist Mike Gristwood. Split grade printing is a good way to print creatively with Ilford Multigrade papers!

Awards

Awards

Ilford Master Darkroom Printer 2005

Associateship of the Royal Photographic Society 1987

Chapel Camera Club 25th Anniversary Exhibition 2010, Best Monochrome Print in Exhibition, Best Print in Exhibition.

Sheffield Art in the Gardens Gold Award 2007

Bakewell Show ‘Open for Business’ Exhibition First Prize 2006

Ilford Photo International Staff Photographic Competition Drake Award for Monochrome Print Quality 1996

Ilford Photo International Staff Photographic Competition First Prize Monochrome Prints 1995

Practical Photography ‘Photographer of the Year’ Competition, Winner Landscapes Round 1995

Chapel Camera Club Black & White Photographer of the year, 10 consecutive years from 1992.

Published works

Work published in books, magazines and used for advertising. Including:

  • Amateur Photographer
  • Artsbeat
  • B&W Photo Lab – Processing and Printing’ a book by Julien Busselle (published by Rotovision)
  • ‘Best of Friends’ monochrome yearbooks (numbers. 5, 7, 8, 9 and 12) published by Creative Monochrome and Arem Publishing
  • Black & White Photography
  • British Journal of Photography
  • Buxton Advertiser
  • Cheshire Life
  • Derby Evening Telegraph
  • Derbyshire magazine
  • Local Life, Cheshire and Staffordshire editions
  • Mono
  • Montage magazine
  • Peak Advertiser
  • Peak District Life
  • ‘Photo1 – An Introduction to the Art of Photography’ a text book by Katie Stern
  • Photo Art International
  • Practical Photography
  • Profile magazine, Sheffield/Derby
  • Pure Buxton
  • The Handmade Photograph

Publications

Scientific Publications:

  • PhD thesis, University of Cambridge, 1981 “Structural studies on the antibiotics Vancomycin, Ristocetin A and Triostin A.”
  • J. American Chemical Society, vol 105, 1983, 1332-1339, D.H. Williams, M.P. Williamson, D.W. Butcher, S.J. Hammond, Detailed binding sites of the antibiotics Vancomycin and Ristocetin A: Determination of intermolecular distances in antibiotic/substrate complexes by use of the time-dependent Nuclear Overhauser Effect (NOE).
  • J. American Chemical Society, vol 103, 1981, 5697-5700, D.H. Williams & D.W. Butcher, Binding site of the antibiotic Vancomycin for a cell-wall peptide analogue.
  • J. Dairy Research, Vol 45, 1978, 197-208, D.F. Darling & D.W. Butcher, Milk-fat globule membrane in homogenized cream.
  • J Dairy Science, Vol 59, 1976, 863-867, D.F. Darling & D.W. Butcher, Quantification of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for analysis of whey proteins.

European Patents:

  • EP207001, 1986, J.A. Clark, A. Adshead, D.W. Butcher, Methods of preparing a hologram.
  • EP 207895, 1986, J.A. Clark, A. Adshead, D.W. Butcher, Methods of preparing a hologram.
  • EP225852, 1986, W.E. Long, D.W. Butcher, Processing holograms
  • EP225853, 1986, J. Doyle, D.W. Butcher, J.A. Clark, Holograms
  • EP230208, 1986, D.W. Butcher, Processing holograms
  • EP272219, 1987, T. Groves, D.W. Butcher, Method of preparing a hologram

USA Patents:

  • USP4720441, 1988, J.A. Clark, A. Adshead, D.W. Butcher, Method of preparing a hologram.
  • USP4748097, 1988, J.A. Clark, A. Adshead, D.W. Butcher, Method of preparing a hologram.
  • USP4769300, 1988, D.W. Butcher, A method of preparing a hologram having an increased replay wavelength and resulting hologram
  • USP4769301, 1988, D.W. Butcher, J.L. Cawse, Method of preparing holograms and the holograms prepared thereby
  • USP4788115, 1988, W.E. Long, D.W. Butcher, Processing holograms
  • USP4816360, 1989, J. Doyle, D.W. Butcher, J.A. Clarke, Multicolor holograms using gelatin as the binder and method for producing the same
  • USP4826745, 1989, T. Groves, D.W. Butcher, Method of preparing a hologram

Work history & Qualifications

Industry Employment:

  • Dave Butcher Photography Fine art black and white landscape photographer and darkroom printer, self-employed from 2004, business partnership with my wife from 2012 (Derbyshire Peak District).
  • Ilford Photo (now Harman Technology), Brentwood (Essex) and Mobberley (Cheshire) 21 years.
  • Unilever Research Ltd, Frythe Labs Welwyn (Hertfordshire) and Colworth House Labs Sharnbrook (Bedfordshire) food research and product development 7 years
  • Building Research Establishment, Garston 15 months (Hertfordshire)
  • W.J. Butcher, 4 High Street Welwyn, Family business with my father building and repairing bicycles (Hertfordshire) 2 years

Colleges:

  • University of Cambridge (Churchill College and University Chemical Laboratories) – PhD
  • Hatfield Polytechnic (now University of Hertfordshire) – HNC Chemistry and Grad RIC Chemistry Degree by day-release while working for Unilever Research
  • Mid-Herts College of Further Education – ONC Chemistry by day-release while working for Unilever Research
  • Welwyn Garden City High School – ‘O’-Levels (GCSE’s) in Chemistry, Geography, Maths, English Grammar and Art

Qualifications:

  • PhD in antibiotic binding site chemistry, 1981, University of Cambridge Department of Organic Chemistry, supervisor the late Professor Dudley Williams, Churchill College.
  • Graduate Royal Institute of Chemistry (Grad RIC) Honours degree in chemistry, 1978, Hatfield Polytechnic (now called University of Hertfordshire).
  • Fellow Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), 2002.
  • Chartered Chemist (CChem), Royal Society of Chemistry, 1982.

Inspiration for the Outdoors:

‘The Open Air is my Hobby’ by Eric Leyland, a book received as a gift in 1966 on hiking, camping, map making and adventures in the hills. Being born and brought up in Welwyn in Hertfordshire just 25 miles north of London, hills and mountains seemed a world away from my local countryside. Read from cover to cover dozens of times. I still have it!

Open Air is my Hobby book cover

‘The Big Walks’ by Ken Wilson and Richard Gilbert, a book received as a gift in 1981 on mountain adventures in the big mountains of Scotland in particular. This indirectly led to climbing all 284 Munro’s of Scotland (the highest mountains in Scotland) and then to mountains further afield around the world. Now I plan my own big walks!

Big Walks book cover

 

Walks, treks, skiing, peaks and photo trips:

Walked, skied and snowshoed in Britain, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Germany, Spain, Norway, Sweden and Greece (including 5 alpine 4000 m peaks and dozens of lower peaks), as well as places like California (including Yosemite), Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Canada and New Zealand.

Walks and Photo Trips

Munro’s 1984-1996: Completed all 277 Munro’s – Scottish mountains over 3000 feet – in June 1996, to become the 1570’th compleatist. The number of Munro’s was changed by the Scottish Mountaineering Council in 1997 to 284. After the changes there were 5 that we hadn’t climbed so we went back to do those too, in the end we walked / climbed 281 and skied 3.

Pennine Way 1974 about 290 miles in 16 days – pub detours added a few miles to the published distance.

Wainwright Coast-to-Coast 1979, 2011 about 190 miles. Hiked twice, started 1979 St Bees Head, finished 2003 Robin Hood’s Bay. Just 24 years, 2 months, 2 weeks and 3 days to complete in 2 trips! Second trek started in 2011 and completed in 3 sections over consecutive years.

Tour of Mont Blanc 1987, 2004, about 110 miles, once in each direction: 1987 – 6.5 days, anti-clockwise and 2004 – 8 days, clockwise.

Zermatt Glacier Trek 1994 – 6 days, including 4000m peaks Breithorn and Signalkuppe on Monte Rosa.

Alpine Pass Route (Via Alpina 1) 2006, 2013 from Sargans to Montreux, 209 miles, completed in 2 sections: 2013 Sargans to Grindelwald, 107 miles, 8 days; 2006 Grindelwald to Montreux, 102 miles, 8 days, 2006.

Glasgow to Cape Wrath 2003-2005 (about 335 miles in 24 days), spread over 3 trips in successive years:
2003 Milngavie (Glasgow) to Fort William: 108 miles and 8 mountains (including Ben Lomond, Ben Lui and part of the Mamores ridge). A modified West Highland Way that took us over several mountains.

2004 Fort William to Ullapool: 129 miles and 13 mountains (including part of the South Glen Shiel ridge, the 5 Sisters of Kintail and Beinn Eighe).

2005 Ullapool to Cape Wrath: 98 miles and 4 mountains (Cul Beag, Suilven, Quinag and Foinaven – what a way to finish!).

A total of 24 days walking and 25 mountains, including 19 Munro’s.

The weather was mostly bad for the first 2 trips but we ended with some much better weather in 2005 so the photos were much improved.

Tongariro Alpine Crossing 2010 in North Island New Zealand, between the volcanoes of Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro. Also climbed Mount Tongariro on a separate occasion.

Pyrenees – Gavarnie 2002 – including Pimene and Le Taillon in France as well as the Ordesa Gorge and Torla village in Spain

Lake District 3000 Foot Mountains 2014, the only 3000 foot mountains in England. An 8 day, 85 miles trek over Scafell, Scafell Pike, Great Gable, Green Gable, High Spy, Maiden Moor, Cat Bells, Skiddaw, Lower Man, High Rigg, Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike, Dollywagon Pike, Old Man of Coniston, Harter Fell.

Snowdonia 3000 foot mountains 2015. We started in Conwy and walked to Llanfairfechan, Bethesda via the Carnedds, Pen y Gwyrd via Tryfan, Beddgelert via Snowdon, Tremadog via Moel Hebog, Blaenau Ffestniog via Cnicht in torrential rain, Capel Curig, Conwy. 97 miles, almost 10,000 metres of ascent over 8 days including 7 of the 3000 foot mountains in Wales; 7 days of rain so very few proper photos with my Mamiya film camera!

Lake District Northwest Trek 2016. My bad back was recovering from a really painful spell from Summer 2015 so good friend Al and I just did a 5 day trek around the Lakes keeping the days as short as possible. Even with my bad back we still managed 50 miles and 11 mountains/hills in 5 days. Several new black and white images to add to my photo library too, unlike Snowdonia last year!

Cumbria Way, Lake District 2017. Jan and I started in the city of Carlisle and finished 8 days and 82 miles later in the small town of Ulverston. Climbed 8 mountains en route so not exactly the official route which doesn’t go over any!

Cotswold Way 2016-2017. This was a bit over 100 miles and Jan and I split it over 2 years and 10 days of walking with good friend Al from Gloucester. The first  part was from Chipping Campden to Stroud in 2016, the second half was from Bath to Stroud in 2017. Not as hilly as we’re used to but quite interesting and lots of good pubs.

Limestone Way 2017.  My wife Jan and I hiked from Ashbourne to Brassington, Youlgreave, Tideswell, Edale and then home to Tunstead Milton in September 2017. The Limestone Way runs from near Ashbourne to Castleton so we followed this for around 3 of the 5 days.

Lake District Northern Wainwrights 2018. This was a 6 day trek starting and finishing at the Horse and Farrier in Threlkeld. In total we walked 71.5 miles and included 15 Wainwrights in the North, East and Central areas.

Norway 2018. A 17 day trip starting by flying to Bergen then using a Hurtigruten ship to visit Alesund and Trondheim before getting off in the Lofoten Islands where we stayed several days in the small village of Reine, climbed Reinebringen mountain for the photos, and walked the local area. Then we caught another Hurtigruten ship to Tromso where we spent just a few hours before heading south on our 3rd Hurtigruten ship finally getting off in Trondheim. We finished with a railway journey to Oslo and a flight home.

Mallorca Photo Trip 2019. This was a 5 day trip which gave us 3 full days on Mallorca, based in the Port of Pollensa, and a travel day on either end. Places visited and photographed included Pollensa, Port of Soller and Cala St Vicenc.

Northumberland Coast Path 2019. Starting in Ellington near Morpeth with Jan and following the coast and beaches north for 75 miles over 6 days to Berwick-Upon-Tweed.

3 Peaks Dales Way 2019. This was a combination of the Dales Way and Yorkshire 3 Peaks and I did it with good friend Al from Gloucester. We started in Ilkley and finished in Bowness on Windermere so both ends were the Dales Way but the middle section from Kettlewell to Dent went over the Yorkshire 3 Peaks of Pen-y-gent, Ingleborough and Whernside. We covered 87 miles in 7 days.

Missing Link Trek, Milngavie (start of West Highland Way) to Kirk Yetholm (end of Pennine Way) 2019 I walked from Milngavie to Kirk Yetholm to join the 2 big UK treks that I have done. It was 143 miles over 10 days, split into two 5 day trips.

Hebden Bridge to Tunstead Milton Trek 2019.  In October 2019 my wife Jan and I walked from Hebden Bridge in the Pennines along the Pennine Way and other tracks and paths to Edale and then home to Tunstead Milton. It was a total of 67 miles in 6 days and there was very little rain but the weather was mostly dull. The trek log is illustrated with colour photos taken on my mobile phone, I didn’t carry my Mamiya 7 film camera.

Lake District Winter Walking 2020. We based ourselves in Penrith and drove out for day walks. There were 13 Wainwright’s: Helvellyn, Latrigg, Lonscale Fell, Carrock Fell, Great Mell Fell, Little Mell Fell, Gowbarrow, Beda Fell, Hallin Fell, Binsey, Dodd, Birks, Arnison Crag

Lake District Trek 2021. This involved a one day walk at either end of a 6 day trek making 8 days in total. For the trek we started from Kirkstile Inn near Loweswater and walked to Ennerdale Bridge, Nether Wasdale, Wasdale Head, Buttermere, Braithwaite and back to Kirkstile Inn. In total we walked 35 Wainwright’s, 24 new ones for me (taking my total to 158 of the 214) and 82 miles, 32,000 feet ascent (9,700m).

Two Moors Way 2022. This is a coast to coast route across Devon from Lynmouth in the north to Wembury Beach in the South. It crosses Exmoor and Dartmoor. I took 9 days to walk the 112 miles.

Top 2 Bottom Trek 2022. In 2018 I was talking to a very good friend about various treks and he asked the question why didn’t I link the end of the Pennine Way in Kirk Yetholm with the start of the West Highland Way in Milngavie (Glasgow). It seemed like a reasonable thing to do so I set about looking for a route. That became what I call my Missing Link Trek of 2019, see above. However, that wasn’t the end of it as I had also walked the Limestone Way linking Edale at one end of the Pennine Way to Ashbourne in 2017, and walked the Cotswold Way which is also roughly north-south. So I decided to fill in the gaps from Ashbourne to the Cotswold Way to Sennen Cove in Cornwall to complete my trek from Cape Wrath in the far northwest of Scotland to the tip of England. By the end of 2019 I had reached Clun at the bottom of the Shropshire Way then Covid-19 delayed me finishing until 2022. Mostly I linked part or all of existing long-distance trails together and a few public paths and roads where none existed.

Lake District Trek 2022. We started in Glenridding and did a 6 day trek stopping overnight in Thirlspot, Stonethwaite, Great Langdale, Grasmere, Glenridding. Over to Howtown to be picked up and taken back to Glenridding for the night and driven back the next day to walk from Howtown to Glenridding. We did a total of 82 miles and 40 Wainwright’s.

Lake District Final Wainwright’s 2023. In 7 days walking and 58 miles we did the final 22 Wainwright’s with both Al and I finishing on Black Fell near Coniston – I chose this because of my passion for all things Black and White!! We stayed 4 nights in Pooley Bridge followed by 4 nights at the Black Bull Hotel in Coniston – my favourite hostelry in the Lake District.

Southern Upland Way 2023. This is a coast to coast national trail from the pretty harbour at Portpatrick in Dumfries and Galloway in the west, through the Scottish Borders to Cockburnspath in Berwickshire near the coast in the east (why didn’t it finish at the pretty fishing village of St Abbs just to the south?). I took 15 days to walk the 218 miles.

ski mountaineering and snowshoe tours, ski photo trips:

Monarch ski area near Salida in Colorado

Trient 1992 a short tour as part of a 6 day course with Peter Cliff starting at the Grand Montet above Argentiere in France and finishing near Trient village in Switzerland, staying at the Argentiere and Trient Huts – my introduction to ski mountaineering in the Alps having already skied 3 Munro’s in Scotland on 3 separate days.

Haute Route 1993 from Argentiere near Chamonix in France to Zermatt in Switzerland, including ascents of Rosablanche and Pigne d’Arolla with mountain guides Brian Hall and Jon de Montjoye, 6.5 days

Otztal Alps 1994 starting in Solden and finishing in Vent with ascents of Linker Fernkogel, Wild Spitz, Hoch Vernagt Spitz, Fluchtkogel and Fineil Spitz, Austria, 6 days

Bernese Oberland traverse 1995 from Junfraujoch (above Wengen) to Reckingen (near Brig) with ascents of 3000m peaks Kranzberg, Gross Wannenhorn, Wyssnollen and Vorder Galmihorn while staying in the Monchjoch, Konkordia and Finsteraarhorn huts, 6 days

Gran Paradiso 1996 tour including ascents of 3000m peaks Pointe de Calabre and Becca Della Traversiere from the Benevolo hut followed by an ascent of the 4000m peak Gran Paradiso from the Chabod hut, 5 days + 1 day heliskiing on Ruitor

Vanoise Alps 1997 – 6 days skiing, 4 peaks – Pelaou Blanc, Pointe de Mean Martin, Grande Aiguille Rousse, Roc des Fonds, France, 6 days

Saas Fee 1998 including 4000m peaks Allalinhorn and Strahlhorn as well as the Fluchthorn, 5 days

Leukerbad, Daubenhorn and Lammeren hut 1999, just one peak in bad weather – Daubenhorn. Tore knee ligaments in crusted snow in a blizzard the following day which finished the trip early for me, 2 days.

Western Bernese Oberland Traverse 2000 from Diablerets to Crans Montana Aminona, with ascents of Wildhorn, Wildstrubel and Schwarzhorn, Also climbed the Aiguille du Tour (overlooking Chamonix valley) on heliski day, 5 days + 1 day heliskiing.

Tour of Monte Rosa 2001 (starting and finishing in Zermatt), no peaks just lots of skiing, with wine and dried donkey (a local variation of Parma Ham) at the Rifugio Guglielmina (destroyed by fire in 2011) above Gressoney / Alagna in Italy, 6 days.

My back injury prevents me doing any more ski mountaineering – uphill kick turns are too painful for my lower back. Thankfully I can still ski downhill but use lifts to gain the height. I also use snowshoes where previously I would have skied off-piste over the mountains.

Tour de Bavon Area 2003 – snowshoeing near the Grand St Bernard Pass in Switzerland. Part of 6 separate days of snowshoeing with Hilary Sharp (wife of Jon de Montjoye with whom I did all of my ski mountaineering, except the Trient tour).

Kitzbuhel and Westendorf Ski Photo Trip 2015. In February 2015 we went skiing to Kitzbuhel and also skied the neighbouring Westendorf area too. Here are the blog posts and all the photos from the trip.

Crans Montana Ski Photo Trip 2015. In early March 2015 Jan and I went to the Crans Montana ski area in Switzerland. Here are my photos and notes.

Zell am See and Kaprun Ski Photo Trip 2018. Photos, photography notes and thoughts on a trip to Zell am See and Kaprun for the skiing.

Obergurgl, Hochgurgl and Solden Ski Photo Trip 2019. Some photos and brief description of our 6 day trip in January 2019 to the Austrian ski areas of Obergurgl, Hochgurgl and Solden, an hour or so from Innbruck.

Schladming Ski Photo Trip 2020. Here are some photos and a few notes from our 6 day trip in January 2020 to Schladming in the Austrian Alps near Salzburg.

Photos