Taking the photos:
The photography for this project is done by Ruedi Homberger and Kurt Stüwe in about 20 flying days across the Alps from Nice to Wien. We are flying in a Piper Supercub ("Steinbock") based in Bad Ragatz near Chur/Switzerland and shooting with EOS D5 photo equipment and a series of lenses. Kurt's job is navigation and selection of geologically interesting locations. Hombi's job is the flying and the photography. However, often we have two sets of cameras on board and both of us are taking photos. In particular in regions of difficult flying (e.g. underneath the Dachstein south face, in the Mt Blanc cirque or along the Eiger North face) Ruedi concentrates on the flying and Kurt takes photos.
The photography was done between autumn 2008 and summer 2010 in four loops at three days each: 1. Eastern Alps Inner Loop, 2. Western Alps Inner Loop, 3. Eastern Alps Outer Loop and 4. Western Alps Outer Loop. In addition, flights to the Dolomites, to the Tectonic Arena Sardona and several other regions that can be reached within a day from Bed Ragatz were done to complete the coverage. A detailed account of our routes and times is given below.
Eastern Alps inner loop: This first loop was flown in September 2008. From Sargans it took us over the Rätikon (Sulzfluh, Nagelfluh, Schwarzhorn) and through the Engadin to Stams in the Inn valley and to Muttekopf. Then up the Ötztal and Griestal and over the Ötztaler Alpen to the south side of Brenner Pass near Sterzing. Now north over the Brenner to Innsbruck and east along the Inn valley to Wörgl and the Wilde Kaiser. From there northeast into the Leoganger Steinberge, to Steinplatte and then south to Zell am See for refuelling. From there due east along the Salzach passed the Gastein valley to Hochkönig and then to Dachstein and over this to Bad Ischl, Loser and the Salzkammergut. From there south to Grimming into the Enns valley and east along the Enns passed the Gesäuse North faces to Hieflau. Now south to the Erzberg and passed Frauenmauer to the Hochschwab south side and then direcly south to Bruck and along the Mur valley to Graz for the first night. On the second day we flew due east to Riegersburg, Klöch and Gleichenberg and then southwest to the Pohorje Massiv. From there north across the Radlpass and along the east side of Koralpe north to Peggau and south back to Graz. On the third day we flew from Graz over the Koralpe into the Lavanttal and up along the Drau to Klagenfurt and Villach. Around Dobratsch and up the Gailtal to Plöckenpass and and through the Karnische Alpen. From there due north over the Lienzer Dolomiten to Lienz for refuelling. From Lienz due west along the Passeiertal Rieserferner and to the south side of the Ötztaler Alpen at Timmelsjoch and Schneeberger Weisse. From here due West through the Engadin to Sargans and Bag Ragatz.
Above Lago Maggiore
Early morning above the Saastal (Matterhorn at left
and Bietschhorn on the horizon at right.)
Western Alps inner loop: This loop was flown in July 2009. It took us from Sargans up the Rheintal passed Flims to Lukmanier Pass and down into Tessin. Here we explored the Blenio, Misox and Verzasca valleys and went down to Locarno for refuelling. Then over Lago Maggiore and up the Dossola valley to Domodossola, to Zwischenbergen, Monte Leone and over the Simplon Pass to The Aletsch Glacier. From there back into the Rhone valley to Raron for the night. On the 2nd day from here due south up the Saastal to the Mte Rosa East face and passed the Mischabelgroup to the Waliser Berge with Matterhorn, Dent Blanche, Obergabelhorn, Zinadelrothorn etc. and then back down to Raron for refuelling. From here down the Rhone and to Grand Combin and along the south side of Mt Blanc clockwise around Mt Blanc. From here north over the Aiguilles Rouges Massiv to Dent du Midi and across the Rhone to Dent de Morcles. Eastward passed l'Argentine to Diablerets and Wildhorn and then north through the Sanetsch Pass to Saanen-Gstaad for the second night. On the third day from Saanen northeast to the Gastlosen and then south to Wildhorn over the Plain Morte and to Doldenhorn and Gspaltenhorn into the Lauterbrunnental near Grimselwald. Along the Eiger north face and around Wetterhorn and then over the Berner Oberland (Finsteraarhorn, Schreckhorn) to Grimselpass an the Rhone Gletscher. Fom here again northeast to Titlis and over this to Vierwaldstätter See and then northeast to Mythen and along the Walensee back to Sargans.
LEFT: Kurt in the Navigation seat. CENTRE: Hombi
sorting pictures during a break at Locarno airport. RIGHT: Kurt and Hombi in
Noetsch airport planning the flight around Mangart (at back)
Eastern Alps Outer Loop: This three day trip was flown in August 2009. From Sargans it took us on the first day south through Mittelbünden to the Bergell Mountains and across them straight south to the Bergamasker Alpen and to Bergamo for refuelling. From there due east passed Lago di Como, Lago d'Iseo and Lago di Garda to Schio and up the Piave towards Belluno and to Longarone. From there through the Friauler Dolomites to the Tagliamento valley and north along this to Tarvisio and to Nötsch near Villach for refuelling. From there south again to the Julian Alps to Mangart, Jalovec and Triglav and then over Bled and the Karawanken and the Drau valley to the Saualpe and Koralpe and finally to Graz. On the second day we flew from Graz north over the Hochlantsch Massiv to Veitsch, Rax and Schneeberg and the Wienerwald to the Wachau and Melk. From there due west to Ötscher and then along the north side of the Alps to Traun for refuelling. From there across the Salzkammergut due south and over the Tote Gebirge into the Rottenmanner Tauern, then the Gesäuse mountains and to Timmersdorf near Leoben for the night. On the 3rd day we flew from Timmersdorf due West along the Mur valley to the Seetaler Alpen, and to Murau and Hochgolling and Tamsweg. From there due north to Dachstein Massiv and Bischofsmütze and then again due south to the Katschberg. From the Katschberg west into the Tauern window first to Hochalmspitze and then along the principal axis of the hohe Tauern to Sonnblick, Grossglockner, Wiesbachhorn and finally to Zell am See for refuelling. From there just a short hop to Kitzbühel and St Johann for the night. On the 4th day from there to Watzmann and the Berchtsgardener Alpen and along the northern side of the Alps to Wetterstein Gebirge, Karwendel and Allgäuer Alpen up the Lech valley and back to Sargans.
LEFT: Camping on Saanen-Gstaad airport during loop 2.
RIGHT Sorting photos in Kurt's office at Graz university.
Western Alps Outer Loop: The last loop for this project will be flown in late june 2010.