Private Guiding Custom Courses

Trekking
and Hiking

Via Ferratas

Rock Climbing

Ice Climbing

Mountaineering,
Glaciated Peaks

Ski Touring

Family Trips

Private Guiding
Custom Trips

Summer
Mont Blanc
Alpine course

Best around Cortina
Via Ferrata

Best around Cortina
Hikes

Haute Route Trek

Wapta Traverse

Rogers Pass Skiing

Fairy Meadows
Ski Touring Week

Ice Climbing

Avalanche Courses

Fall Newsletter:
(Click here for a list of prior newsletters)
Canmore, Alberta November 21, 2002

Dear Friends & Clients:

First of all-thanks to all of you who made our 2002 season so successful and FUN!! It was yet again the busiest year we've had at OnTop!

Thanks a ton also to our partner agency - Camp 5 in Salt Lake City, UT, a cooperation that will be going into its 4th year now. Unfortunately, our booking agent Adventure Consulting in Crested Butte, CO went out of business over the summer, which also caused some down time on our own web site and e-mail, as both were running on their server. We have now switched everything to a very reliable service here in Alberta and don't anticipate any problems anymore.

Now that we are back home in the cold Canadian Rockies, we have some time to reflect on the summer and get ready for winter. Brrrr… We are also re-creating our website-hopefully it will be finished by Christmas.

We started the summer with a Haute Route Glacier Trek. There was some excitement there when Fred lost his passport and wallet in the Vignette Hut, but luckily a guide brought it back down the next day. The fun didn't stop there because the next day Kevin got everybody's blood going when he stepped into a crevasse. The group managed to pull him out, unfortunately on the wrong side, so he had to jump over it again. The weather was not cooperating for the group, who wanted to do the Mont Blanc, so they went to Italy instead for the Grand Paradiso-a 4000 meter peak just through the Mont Blanc Tunnel in the Aosta Valley.

In between the Haute Route Treks, we went to the Southern corner of the Grand Paradiso Park for some rock-climbing with some longtime clients, Ton and Roos. It was a quiet, beautiful valley that kept us busy climbing for a week with hardly anyone else around except a few ibex, eagles, chamois, and lots of other animals and wildlife.

The second Haute Route trip ended up being a Girls' Party! Bill, Roman and Robert were surrounded by SEVEN women! It was a fun trip. Barb was the group cheerleader and kept everyone's spirit up. The weather was much nicer for those who chose to do the Mont Blanc. Congrats to Sarah, Roman, Robert, and Masha who all summited the Mont Blanc!

While Heather raced the big yellow van back to Heidelberg, Jorg did some rock-climbing with Jim and Kaca from Prague on their second consecutive trip with us.

September found us in the Dolomites for some more rock-climbing and via Ferratas with Kay, her husband Tom (who is a wild rock-climber), and Tom's older brother John. Finally some nice, dependable weather for more climbing in the Dolomites with Roos and Richard. While they were climbing, Richard's wife, Nadine, kept Heather company checking out some towns around Cortina.

Heather took the train back to Heidelberg to pick up the van again and managed to find her way to Munich and the airport to pick up the group for the "Best of Cortina" via Ferrata trip. Unfortunately, Alan Bellinoff broke his foot on the first day and had to go home. The good news was, that the fracture was straight and clean and after 5 weeks in a cast he is up and running again training for his next trip. The rest of the group via ferrated their way up and down mountains and through tunnels. Heather's mom, Margaret, even joined in for a few days of the trip. The trip culminated at Oktoberfest and Bill impressed everyone by blending in with a very special hat. I'm sure everyone thought he was an authentic German.

We wrapped up our European season with a two week climbing extravaganza in Germany and in Southern France with LeRoy, Ton, and Margo joined in for the second part in Provence. The autumn colours were amazing and vivid. The climbing was fun and every evening we enjoyed delicious French food and wine.

In addition to all these trips the Jorg guided himself, we ran about two dozen private guiding trips in the Alps and in Canada. Thanks to all our associate guides for a great, accident free summer season: Diny Harrison (Can), Martin Lippert (D), Larry Dolecki (Can), Norm Winter (Can), Todd Guyn (Can), Christjan Ladurner (I), Gery Unterasinger (A), Rinaldo Borra (CH), Franz (Hasi) Perchtold (D), Hansjoerg Hofer (I), John Falkiner (CH), Neil Hitchings (F), Thia Klebaur (D) and Bernhard Kriner (D).

Thanks again to all of you for a GREAT summer!! There will be some new trips and more pictures on our website in the next few weeks, so check it out!!

Have a wonderful holiday season! Cheers from Canmore,

Heather & Jorg Wilz

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Prior Newsletters:
Newsletter @ December 20th, 2000
Newsletter @February 20th, 2001 (with some nice shots from our house)
Newsletter @October 20th, 2001