Old guidebooks state that the best season for alpine climbing in the Alps is July and August – something that has changed quite drastically in recent years due to climate change. Nowadays, June and September are usually better because it is too hot during July and August (with plus degrees at high altitude, no refreezing at night and dangerous rock falls as a result). But of course it depends on what you want to climb. If it is on rock or glacier. What risks there are on that particular trip. So to help you plan your adventures, I’ve made a calendar for the year with when it’s best to climb the most popular mountains & do the most popular adventures!
JANUARY
Aconcagua
Ojos Del Salado
Ecuador volcanoes
Kilimanjaro
Mt Kenya
Expedition South Pole
Mt Vinsoon
Carstensz Pyramid
Skiing in Japan
Skiing in the Alps & Scandinavia
Patagonia
Ice climbing Scandinavia & the Alps
Ice climbing in Canadian Rockies
Mexico volcanoes
During January it is cold and dark in Scandinavia, it is not unusual for the temperature to drop to -25 degrees on some days. In South America it is high season for mountaineering, same in Antarctica and in Patagonia (although it is extremely windy in this place). In Japan, it’s really good skiing this time of year!
Personally, I guide on Aconcagua during January, which is prime time for an expedition there! Check out my expedition here if you want to join!
FEBRUARY
Ojos Del Salado
Ecuador volcanoes
Kilimanjaro
Carstensz Pyramid
Expedition North Pole
Ski touring central Scandinavia
Mt Toubkal
Skiing in Japan
Skiing in the Alps & Scandinavia
Patagonia
Ice climbing Scandinavia & the Alps
Ice climbing in Canadian Rockies
Mexico volcanoes
The season is coming to an end for Aconcagua while Kilimanjaro has prime time. Skiing in Japan is good until the end of February then it starts to end as well. In Scandinavia it is starting to get a little warmer and brighter during the day. Now you can climb Mt Toubkal without it being too hot outside (but expect some snow on the top).
Personally, I usually come home from South America at the beginning of February and then I take some time off and land at home in Stockholm before I head to the Swedish mountains for my own skiing to get in shape for the ski touring season. But before that I will guide an expedition in Patagonia!
MARCH
Ojos Del Salado
Ecuador volcanoes
Kilimanjaro
Carstensz Pyramid
Expedition North Pole
Everest base camp trek
Lobuche East
Island Peak
Skiing in the Alps & Scandinavia
Haute Route in the Alps
Ski touring northern Scandinavia
White ribbon in Scandinavia
Mt Toubkal
Patagonia
Ice climbing Scandinavia & the Alps
Now the ski touring season really starts in Scandinavia and the Alps with warmer, brighter and longer days. Trekking in Nepal begins and those who will climb Everest begin their expeditions by trekking to base camp at the end of March. Kilimanjaro can basically be climbed all year round and it is still the peak season for it during March.
Personally, I stay in central Sweden during March and guide ski touring courses in various places in Sweden and winter expedition to Sylarna. At the end I go up to Riksgränsen, one of the most northen ski resorts in Scandinavia. Check out my ski touring courses here if you want to join!
APRIL
Expedition North Pole
Everest base camp trek
Everest
Lhotse
Nuptse
Pumori
Makalu
Annapurna
Dhaulagiri
Kanchenjunga
Island Peak
Lobuche East
Mera Peak
Haute Route in the Alps
Ski touring northern Scandinavia
White ribbon in Scandinavia
Mt Toubkal
Greenland
Hvannadalshnjúkur
Ski touring in Canadian Rockies
Now there is high season in Nepal – apart from most of the 8000 meter peaks, there is activity on most of the 6000 m peaks as well such as Island Peak & Lobuche. Ski touring is still big in the Alps & Scandinavia with warmer temperatures and long days. It is now that you can start to enjoy wonderful spring skiing and in some lower-lying ski resorts in the Alps they start to close for the season. Premiere for activities in Greenland and if you want to climb Iceland’s highest mountain (on skis), now is the time to do it!
I spend April in Riksgränsen guiding ski touring & working a lot with Mountain Guide Travel as many of the guides we work with during the year are there then. It is perfect for evaluating the year that has been, working on improving our products and setting new goals for the year. I will also guide a ski touring adventure / course for a week, check it out here!
MAY
Denali
Mt Rainier
Everest base camp trek
Everest
Lhotse
Nuptse
Pumori
Makalu
Dhaulagiri
Kanchenjunga
Island Peak
Lobuche East
Mera Peak
Ski touring northern Scandinavia
Greenland
Bolivia
Nanga Parbat
Snowdonia & UK
Hvannadalshnjúkur
Ski mountaineering in Canadian Rockies
Snow melting in most of Scandinavia but at the north around Riksgränsen and Lyngen there is still lovely spring skiing. The season on Denali is getting underway, as is the alpine climbing in northern United States. The season in Nepal is in full swing but starts to come to an end at the end of May at the same time as the season in Pakistan starts with Nanga Parbat.
Personally, I leave Riksgränsen at the beginning of May to land a little at home in Stockholm and then in the middle of May I drive down the van for the season to the Alps, but since there is still a lot of snow there, I usually devote myself to rock climbing in Italy and southern France as well hiking to get in shape for the summer season.
JUNE
Denali
Mont Blanc
Gran Paradiso
Weissmies
Monte Rosa
4000 m peaks in the Alps
Kilimanjaro
Mt Kenya
Elbrus
Mountaineering Pamir
Peru
Bolivia
Nanga Parbat
K2
Broad Peak
GI & GII
Mt Fuji
Snowdonia & UK
Greenland
Hvannadalshnjúkur
Everest and Nepal are over and Denali is still prime time but the season is quite short and comes to an end in July. Now it’s prime time for Mont Blanc and 4000m peaks in the Alps with glaciers. Mountaineering further east such as in the Pamirs or the Caucasus begins and it is high season for the Karakorum where the K2 expeditions are in full swing. Mt Kenya and mountaineering in Peru are also in high season now! June has proven to be the best month for mountaineering in these places in recent years because there is still a lot of snow on the mountains, which protects against rockfall that comes when it is drier and warmer. The temperatures are still not too high, which means that you have nice refreezing at night.
Personally, I usually spend the first half of June on my own mountaineering projects and the second half I work down in the Alps with mountain guides on Mont Blanc, Gran Paradiso and arrange other exciting expeditions. Check out my trips & expeditions in The Alps here!
JULY
4000 m toppar i Alperna
Matterhorn
Gran Paradiso
Weissmies
Monte Rosa
Kilimanjaro
Tour du Mont Blanc
Hiking in the Alps
Rock climbing in The Alps
Zugspitze
Triglav
The Dolomites
Kebnekaise
Galdhöpiggen
Hiking in Scandinavia
K2
Broad Peak
GI & GII
Elbrus
Mountaineering Pamir
Peru
Snowdonia & UK
The first half of July is usually still OK in the Alps, but the second half it starts to get too hot and too much rock fall and no refreezing at night, so then you want to devote yourself more to rock climbing. But it is high season for hiking in Scandinavia and Kebnekaise. It is also high season in Pakistan where we should see summits on K2 and the other 8000 m peaks (except Nanga Parbat which is further out in the mountain range and is over now). The high season continues on lower peaks in the Alps that are not as susceptible to rockfall and hot temperatures as the Zugspitze. However, it starts to get very hot for hiking towards the end of July, so you can count on 30-35 degrees down in the valley. Bring extra water & fluids!
Now I leave the Alps in the middle of July to guide in northern Scandinavia where it is not as hot. Scandinavia is so beautiful this time of year too. But the fact is that there are both too many tourists and too hot in the Alps during July-August, so I try to avoid being there then. Check out my expedition in Jotunheimen here!
AUGUST
Matterhorn
Kilimanjaro
Tour du Mont Blanc
Hiking in The Alps
Rock climbing in The Alps
Zugspitze
Triglav
The Dolomites
Kebnekaise
Galdhöpiggen
Hiking in Scandinavia
Elbrus
Mountaineering Pamir
Peru
Snowdonia & UK
Now it’s crazy hot down in the Alps so it’s tough to hike and it’s dangerous at high altitude as there is no refreezing and a lot of rockfall. Many glaciers have lost the winter’s snow cover this year and there are large glacier cracks and thin, unstable snow bridges. The Dolomites are a place where it is prime time during August and lower peaks in the Alps such as Triglav and Zugspitze as well as hiking in Scandinavia & Kebnekaise. The season is coming to an end in Pamir & Peru.
Personally, I’m still in northern Scandinavia and guiding at Kebnekaise, among other things! I’m also trying to take a two week summer vacation and road trip around Norway and Sweden do rock climbing / discover new places. Check out my guided trips to Kebnekaise here!
SEPTEMBER
Mont Blanc
4000 m peaks in the Alps
Matterhorn
Gran Paradiso
Weissmies
Monte Rosa
Kilimanjaro
Tour du Mont Blanc
Hiking in the Alps
Rock climbing in The Alps
The Dolomites
Zugspitze
Triglav
Kebnekaise
Galdhöpiggen
Hiking in Scandinavia
Cho Oyo
Manaslu
Mount Olympus
Snowdonia & UK
September is a really nice month for mountaineering in the Alps. Now it’s starting to get colder during the day and minus degrees at night, so we have refreezing again. There are fewer tourists everywhere, which means that it is not as big a problem to get hut bookings either (except for Mont Blanc). It’s comfortable temperatures for hiking and snow-free on all major popular trails (unless there in an unexpected cold front). Lifts & huts are closing mid September in some places in The Alps already (way too early if you ask me) making climbing less accessible. In northern Scandinavia, the season lasts until mid-September with beautiful autumn colors in nature. It is also time to start the autumn’s 8000 m expeditions in Nepal.
Personally, I am returning to the Alps. I think September is the best month in the Alps. I guide hikes such as the Tour du Mont Blanc and in the Dolomites. In between, I try to catch up on some mountain project of my own when the conditions are so nice.
OCTOBER
Kilimanjaro
Rock climbing in southern Europe
Cho Oyo
Manaslu
Island Peak
Lobuche East
Mera Peak
Everest Base Camp trek
Ama Dablam
Mount Olympus
Mt Cook & Mountaineering in New Zealand
Now the season in the Alps is over for the year, even though it can still be nice weather well into October and it is still possible to do things. It is high season in Nepal and in the autumn the afternoons and nights are clearer than in the spring season so it means prime time for trekking to Everest base camp (although there is no camp there this time of the year). Island Peak, Lobuche East and Ama Dablam are also in high season as are other 6000m peaks in Nepal. However, the 8000 m season comes to an end in October. In Europe you can also find great adventures further south in Europe such as in Greece with Mount Olympus.
In October I am going to Nepal to guide trekking to Everest base camp. Autumn is my favorite time in Nepal and that’s where I want to be most of the time. I take the opportunity to stay afterwards and do some project of my own as well. Check out my guided trip to Everest Basecamp here!
NOVEMBER
Ecuador volcanoes
Rock climbing in southern Europe
Island Peak
Lobuche East
Mera Peak
Everest Base Camp trek
Ama Dablam
Mt Cook & Mountaineering in New Zealand
Mexico volcanoes
The trekking season in Nepal is still going strong as well as the ascent of 6000m peaks. The season also starts in Ecuador for their mountaineering and climbing of volcanoes. In Europe, it is almost only the very southernmost parts and islands in the Mediterranean that still have a season. The weather is stormy in the Alps and northern Scandinavia and the darkness is getting bigger. This is perhaps the worst month of the year when you look at what opportunities there are for adventure as it is the season change for winter.
Personally, I’m staying in Nepal for a few more weeks and investing in doing my own expedition there and climbing some mountains before I go home to Stockholm and Sweden where I hold avalanche courses.
DECEMBER
Aconcagua
Ecuador volcanoes
Mt Vinsoon
Expedition South Pole
Patagonia
Ice climbing Scandinavia & the Alps
Skiing in the Alps & Scandinavia
Mexico volcanoes
Mt Cook & Mountaineering in New Zealand
Now it’s winter for real and skiing starts in the Alps and Scandinavia. In the southern part of the world, however, it is time for the summer season and Aconcagua opens on December 1 as well as expeditions to the South Pole with Mt Vinsoon.
December is more avalanche courses at home and training for the next expedition for me.
Please leave a comment if I missed something!
This is great – I’ve been looking for something like this and have slowly been creating is myself – thank you for the complete list. I’m interested in many of the locations you have to offer. I will probably reach out over the next few months to check out some of your future trip options. You list the Kili trek in many different month options – can you share which month would be your first/best choice option. Trying to fit it in next year but not sure which month would be the best – for weather. Thank you – Christy