February 22
Ski outing on the Italian slopes in two groups: the bave ones who adore difficulties (and who arrived exhausted), and the easygoing ones. 

Lunch in fabulous sunshine but cold air in the the restaurant Cime Bianchi above Cervinia. We better forget the food and the lousy service. The ski outing happened in exceptionally favourable snow conditions. 

Back on Swiss soil, the compulsory stop at the Gandegg hut of our friend and member Gervas Perren. Pretense: coffee. Reality: Genepi. For those who don't know yet, the 1 1/2 litre Genepi bottle contains quince alcohol distillated privately by Evelyne and Michel Erb in their garden on lake Geneva, and genepi (wormwood) flowers picked by Gervas, who looked after the maceration process. Gervas actually invites women to help him pick more flowers in August and September, freely lodged and fed at the Gandegg. And an insider tip: the next year's genepi will be based on pear alcolhol, from the same source ! 

The real coffee was taken for some of us still in good shape at Max and Greti's in Zum See. 

August 22/23
Unlike former years, our summer meeting was adjourned from the third to the fourth August Saturday. 

On Friday 22, around noon 14 Yetis gathered at Furri from where they walked under the lead of Beni Graven to the Zmutt dam. Up there, they were welcomed by Jules Biner who guided them through the underground command centre of the Grande Dixence electricity complex. The backfeed was positive, as the visitors were impressed by the enormous size of the structure. 

Towards 16:00, in small groups, 38 Yetis arrived at the Gandegg hut, owned by Gervas and Petra Perren, friends and members of our Club. The terrace was fully animated by reunions of friends who hadn't met for months, and introductions to new relations, all in multilingual sound. While waiting for the dinner inside, the amiable Gandegg staff served snacks and drinks. That was the good moment to start enjoying the champagne and marvellous white wines generously carried up here and offered by Alain Boucheron. Those who planned spending the night in the hut took their quarters. There was an abndance of beds, since the whole hut was resered exclusively for Yetis. At 18:15, our president Roberto Seiler arrived directly from Geneva by helicopter. 

At 19:00 an excellent dinner was served, accompanied by a rare St-Julien from Alain's cellar, followed by the house genepi. Time went by very fast and towards 21:30, the major part of our group wallked down with headlights to take a special cabin at Trockener Steg and return to Zermatt. Those who stayed could admire a fantastically starred night sky and in particular Mars, and chatted on all subjects in an intimate atmosphere around the heating stove. After midnight, they went to sleep. Special thanks go to the staff of the Gandegg who, with devotion and smile, stayed up until we all were asleep. 

Morning of August 23: reveille sound at 6:00 for Richard and Nadine de Tscharner who climbed the Breithorn with Beni Graven. The others could enjoy at 7:00 an exceptionnally majestic sunrise, have breakfast at 8:00 and walk down to the cabin to return to Zermatt for a well deserved hot shower. 

From 11:00 onwards, 38 Yetis gathered on the terrace of the house of Hermann-Josef and Aurelia Biner in Zum See, where they were joined at 12:00 by the de Tscharners returning from the Breithorn.  Daniel and Marianna Lauber and their son were among us. After a somptuous cocktail offered by our hosts, we walked 100 metres to the east to have lunch at Max and Greti's. Again, we were spoiled by an exceptional Médoc, offered by whom ? Guess !

The return to the village started around 16:00. Some groups made intermediate stops, some planned to have dinner together, and many said good-bye in the hope of a similarly pleasant meeting next summer. 

Alain Boucheron, Danièle Ceria

Beni, Alain, Jay

Nadine Sanichlauserin, Hermann-Josef

18:30

Guy, Albert Ziegler, Albert Sommer, Beni, Roberto, Ernst, Jean-Jacques, Christine, René, Hermann-Josef, Isabelle, Emeline, François Ceria (back)

Rimpfischhorn
Our members Regula Wartmann (with Hermann-Josef Biner), Evelyne Erb (with Urs Zumtaugwald) and Pierre Biraben (with Anjan Truffer) climbed the Rimpfischhorn this summer, on different days. Here are some pictures of the ascent. You will notice the cross on the summit, created, carried up there and installed by Viktor Imboden, in memory of his son who tragically died in the mountain. It is one of the most tiresome mountains, because of the long approach march

Our President Roberto Seiler bids welcome to all members present and declares the session open. He asks all participants to sign the register. 34 members were present.

He greets Mr. Miggi Biner, President of the Zermatt Guides, as well as the other members of the Committee, namely Christine Gentinetta, Benedikt Perren, Hermann-Josef Biner and Bernhard Graven. Our Vice-President Daniel Lauber is excused for his absence due to  sickness, but he sends his best greetings to all present. Likewise, John Boles phoned from Philadelphia to extend his best wishes for a Happy New Year to all Yetis

  The President presented the auditors  Hans-Georg Syz and Pierre Biraben. The accounts for 2003 have been controlled by the auditors and found in conformity, with compliments to our cashier Christine Gentinetta. The income surplus is CHF 7'833.60. The members approve the accounts and discharge the auditors. The members also discharge by applause the Committee for its management of the Club during 2003.  

New members entered into the Club in 2003:
Frau Dr. Brankica Gagic
Mr. Clive-Nicholas Morris
Frau Ingrid Pelka
Herr und Frau Max und Marianne Staehelin
M. et Mme Claude et Chantal Werer
Mme et M. Emeline et Jean-Jacques Gauer
Frau Gertrud Egloff

Left the Club in 2003:
Fritz von Ballmoos (deceased on Aug. 29, 2003)
His wife  Karin von Ballmoos
Herr Toni Aufdenblatten
Herr Alex Bugmann
Monsieur Claude Jaccard
Mme Silvia Mosca
Herr Ambros Perren
Monsieur Olivier Verray
Herr Peter Limacher
Mr. Patrick Quirk
Mrs. Jane Quirk
Herr Albert Sommer

The date of the winter meeting has been fixed on Saturday Febr. 28, 2004. There is no definite program, but a suggestion from Miggi Biner is in favour of a funny slalom competition at Riffelberg similar to the one organized 9 years ago.

The summer rallye will be held on Friday/Saturday August 20/21. One tentative plan is to spend the Friday night at Fluhalp, and to walk the next morning via Findelngletscher and the Lost Valley to Riffelalp. Another suggestion from guide and justice of peace of Zermatt, Othmar Kronig, suggests to lead a group over the pass SE of the Matterhorn to Italy, and from there with the cable-car back to Testa Grigia, and a treck over the Theodul glacier to Trockener Steg

The Club then honoured Bernhard Graven, honorary member, for his relentless engagement in favour of the Club since its inception. He formed the founding Committee, and his friend, notary public in Berne, drew up the charter, and most of our members have been received as guests, either individually or collectively, by himself and his charming wife Evi.

The Internet pages of our Club were again mentioned. The address is  http://www.yeticlub.org and access to confidential pages need the ID "yetiyeti"  and the password Gandegg.

Albert Ziegler recalled the friendship convention between the Zermatt guides and those of the Austrian town Sexten. The habitants of Sexten visited Zermatt in October 2003 with a delegation of over 100 people.

Hannes Kessler started the discussion about the massively increased premiums of our policy covering guides’ accident, and the reduced death-capital from CHF 200'000 to 150’000. The discussion continued during the cocktail and dinner. Richard de Tscharner and Hermann-Josef Biner also expressed themselves on the subject. The President reminded that under the circumstances existing end of 2002, the present solution was the only feasible way out, but that other solutions could be found. Hermann-Josef Biner draw the attention to the fact that the potential danger of guides increased during the last year, due to more excursions abroad, the more dangerous glaciers and the increased danger of falling stones due to the warming up of the permafrost. He suggest that we carry on the present arrangement with insurers for another 1-2 years, and that we then take a decision based on experience.

Michel Erb enquired about the motion Marti (in the Swiss Parliament), treating the banning of sports helicopter landings, for the negotiation of which our Club allowed an amount of CHF 5'000 to cover administrative expenses. Miggi Biner explained that the motion was adjourned for a year, and that the outlook was favourable for Zermatt (statu quo), with the exception of landing at Trift. The help prepared by the Club was not used upto now.

The General Assembly ended at 19 :40, and after a cocktail 30 members joined for a common dinner at the Grill of the Hotel Mont-Cervin.