Via Alta BTS

In August 2019 we decided to do some team bonding. The weather looked slightly temperamental but we were banking on a 4 day window to try and blitz the Via Alta Versasca in Ticino, Switzerland.

Needless to say the rain came, the heavens had opened up and dumped two days of bucketing rain on us. The route is an exposed ridge line that crosses the canton, and goes from unmanned hut to hut. Not to be done in any form of wet or low visibility conditions.
In the end we had no regrets huddled down in the refuge. We laughed, played board games, befriended a German couple, shared stories - and enjoyed a freshly picked from the trail porcini mushroom risotto.

Times like these remind us to be patient with mother nature. It's exciting venturing off into the mountains with a dream plan, but it's important to know when to turn around and know there will be other days to come back. It's tough not reaching a summit or not following through on a plan but learning to assess conditions and making responsible choices is a huge part of remote mountain adventure. In the end we still got what we came for - a fun few days spent outdoors with friends.