Tour Team: Ida & Rune Fromreide, Håvard & Tore Hagen, Cecilie Schjerven, Rune Rønvik, Jon & Bjørn Lytskjold
Start:
Blatten, Lötschental
Finish:
Reckingen, Goms
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| Berner Oberland 2013 |
Saturday 27 April 2013
Travelling from home to Hotel Breithorn/Blatten (1530)
Jon & Håvard arrive Oslo/OSL from Trondheim with a morning plane, then we leave OSL at 12:20 with SAS for Genève via Copenhagen. SAS charges NOK 250 for a pair of skis. Arriving GVA on schedule, but: Tore’s luggage is missing. Not good for our plan… After a long and slow visit at the Lost Luggage Office we head for the SBB station and buy our tickets to Visp. Before departing at 18:24 we fill up with sandwiches and beer from Migros and the bottle shop at the station. Arriving Visp at 21:00 in pouring rain, were our maxi taxi booked from Zerzugen (www.taxi-zerzuben.ch) is waiting. Around 22:00 we are all well established at Hotel Breithorn in Lötschental. www.hotelbreithorn.ch. Cecilie had already arrived by train from Frankfurt.
Birgitte serving us dinner at Hotel Breithorn, Blatten/Lötschental
Despite our delayed arrival owner Birgitte Lehner-Hasler and chef Antonio keep what they have promised and serve us a fantastic 4 course meal. Bedtime around 23:30.
Sunday 28 April 2013
Hotel Breithorn/Blatten (1530) – Anenhütte (2358) www.anenhuette.ch
4 hours. 830m ascent
Tour Day 1
Breakfast around 08:00. Grey and drizzle outside. Tore calls Genève Aeroport. No luggage arrived yet. Based on this we change our plan: Tore and Håvard will stay in the valley and wait for the luggage, or buy new stuff… The rest of us will head for Anenhütte in stead of Hollandiahütte. At 10:50 we leave Hotel Breithorn then walk a few hundred metres to find the snow.
Skiing through Fafleralp
With skins on ours skies and well equipped packs on our back we ski up the snow covered road through winter closed Fafleralp. From here we follow the right side of the river until we reach the bridge at 1977m. Short lunch stop, then it is across the river to follow stakes & marks leading us to Anenhütte. Wardens Petra & Monica give us a warm welcome, we are the only guests today. The Swiss don’t seem to be out skiing if weather is bad. Anenhütte is more like a small hotel, with soft pillow and duvet, and showers. Dinner is served at 18:00. Very, very good.
Evening at Anenhütte
PS. Tore sends us the SMS we've been hoping for: Luggage arrived at the hotel!
Monday 29 April 2013
Anenhütte (2358) - Hollandiahütte (3240) www.hollandiahuette.ch
3 hours. 880m ascent
Tour Day 2
Breakfast around 07:00. Low cloud cover and rain, so we decide to relax a few more hours before heading on. Bills are paid (credit card accepted). Tore and Håvard report an early start from Hotel Breithorn and hope to catch up with us on the way to Hollandiahütte. When we leave Anenhütte Petra and Monica follow us on the first hundred meters to show us the best way down to Langgletscher. The weather is still on the wet side as climb the glacier in rather poor visibility.
Skiing up Langgletscher. Hollandiahütte waiting on the hilltop.
The downloaded GPS track becomes handy through the crevasse zone just above 2700m. Around 3000m elevation the rain changes to snow, a true improvement. A few kilometres behind us we now spot Tore and Håvard following our track.
Jon & Ida: Perfect tour company!
Close to the pass Lötschenlücke we make a big curve to the left/North to arrive safely at Hollandiahütte at 13:00. Tore & Håvard, plus two Spaniards joining them, arrive just a few minutes later.
Hollandiahütte arrival
Hollandiahütte quickly becomes our favourite place to stay: Hut warden Corinna Maisano and her good helpers Katarina Karlova and Garma give us the warmest Alp welcome ever! If every Alp cabin had a staff like this it would soon be very, very crouded up there in the hills. Our new friends: We love you!
Garma, Corinna Maisano and Katarina Karlova at Hollandiahütte. Impossible to beat!
For lunch we order soup and sausage and beer. Then it is time for a long siesta. Dinner is served at 18:00. Not many guests tonight, only the Spanish duo and us. Outside it’s snowing and blowing. Weather forecast is not good at all. Still we have a fabulous evening thanks to the two energetic and super positive ladies running the cabin.
Tuesday 30 April 2013
Hollandiahütte (3240) - Konkordiahütte (2850) www.konkordiahuette.ch
2.5 hours in soft snow. 150m ascent
Tour Day 3
It’s windy and snowy out there, so we have to cancel our plan climbing Äbeni Flue(3962) north of the cabin. Instead we go for a slow breakfast. And an extra bowl of tea. Hollandiahütte is the best place to get stuck. However, at 10:00 we are ready to move on, even to pay our bill (credit card)...
Katarina & Corinna teaching us about the Alps
Corinna and Katarina join us the first kilometre and point out our next cabin. Then it is time to say goodbye – and start the long and easy ride down the glacier Grosser Aletschfirn, together with the two Spaniards.
Konkordiaplatz
We head for the grand glacier junction I have studied on maps since I was a young man: Konkordiaplatz. The big landscape around us is partly covered in the clouds, giving it a real remote feel. It is really magic finally to be here, ski here. From Konkordiaplatz we navigate towards the steel stairs that will take us to Konkordiahütte. Since this will be the toughest climb today we have our lunch break before going high.
Stairway to... Konkordiahütte
We park the skis carefully below some rocks and start climbing the 450 steel steps up to the “rock shelf” where the hut is sitting. Konkordiahütte is a good place to be for sure, but being still in “Hollandiahütte mood” we find it a bit more impersonal… The hut has a fantastic setting, and a big balcony. Since it is grey and snowy outside we go for a siesta. Great rooms & good beds with duvets. Dinner is served around 18:00.
Enjoying dinner. Konkordiahütte.
We dig in to tasty soup, polenta with meat and dessert. And give the Swiss wine a serious test. Even make some new friends: Mountain guides Uli Mayer and Reinhard Walk. They give us good advices and ideas for our next days. Time to pay the bill (credit card). Bedtime around 22:00, better get into the true Alp rhythm.
Wednesday 1 May 2013
Konkordiahütte (2850) – Mönchsjochhütte (3657) www.moenchsjoch.ch
4 hours. 930m ascent
Tour Day 4
We get up around 07:00 to another snowy day. Could be far worse though: They serve us a real good breakfast at Konkordiahüttte.
Clouds and wind playing around Konkordiahütte
Once more it is a day ment for change of plans. Instead of skiing via the glacier Kranzbergfirn and Louwitor, we go for the safer and more direct route up the glacier with the beautiful name. Ewigschneefäld. Eternal Snow Field. Our Spanish friends are heading for Mönchsjochhütte as well, but will take a different way, skiing up the glacier Jungfraufirn.
The climb down the steel stairs is a bit scary in the wind and snow; we go for it the slow and careful way. Our skis have survived the night just as well as we have. We ski down the moraine area to Konkordiaplatz, put on the skins and start the climb up Ewigschneefäld. No ski tracks to follow today, but we have a
Skiing up towards glacier Ewigschneefäld
good GPS track and visibility as we zigzag up the rather steep snow field to the right of the crevassed areas. Reaching the flatter part – elevation 3100m - the
Focused navigators: Håvard, Jon & Ida
the clouds and snow showers come for us. On the wide glacier it is not easy to keep a steady heading, despite intense use of both GPS and compass. However we get a good hold of it after a while: One of us ski first using the compass, frequently looking back to use the others as guiding marks. Number two keeps a steady eye on the GPS track, then shouting adjustments to the compass man every 3-4 minutes: “A bit more right. A bit more right”. The whiteout is close to
Perfect whiteout on glacier Ewigschneefäld
perfect. The wind is catching up. We head on, steady slow. Very reasuring to ski tour with a group that has handled similar weather before. Getting closer to the pass Obers Mönchsjoch glimpses of the east face of Trugberg ease the navigation. Then it is suddenly there, right above us to the right: Mönchsjoch-
Mönchsjochhütte
hütte. The cabin looks like it’s ready for takeoff in the gale, mounted on steel stilts into the hillside. Walking up the last part on foot, carrying our skis in our hands, we are near real takeoffs. It is for sure blowing up here today.
Windy arrival at Mönchsjochhütte. Rune R close to takeoff.
No Spaniards arriving. They are hopefully safely back at Konkordia.
Mönchsjochhütte is both a mountain hut and a restaurant, situated just a flat 1.5 km walk from the Jungfraujoch train station Sphinxstollen. When we arrive the place is empty. Obviously it has been many days like this during the last weeks: Apart from one brave exception the crew is not welcoming, despite having a nice team like ours visiting. We quickly understand that they need more before cheering up. They need sunny days and plenty of day visitors so they may run their business. The place itself is just fantastic. Excellent rooms & beds. Dining room /restaurant with panorama windows. Dinner is served around 19:00. Then we chat, play card, study maps and read before going to sleep at 22:00.
Cardplayers at Mönchsjochhütte: Cecilie, Jon, Ida, Håvard, Tore & Rune R.
Thursday 2 May 2013
Mönchsjochhütte (3657) - Finsteraarhornhütte (3048)
6 hours, including a detour. 1000m ascent
Tour Day 5
Finally we wake up to sunshine! So good after snowy and grey days. Ready at the breakfast table at 07:00, digging into all the good stuff. Nobody should leave this place half full. The view from our table is really hard to beat, and: The staff is in a far better mood. “Schließlich kommt das schöne Wetter”.
Big morning at Mönchsjochhütte
This is how we like it. After paying our bill (credit card) we are ready for skiing at 08:15, well covered with sunscreen. It is dangerously white and shiny today.
Jon skiing down from Mönchsjoch
The snowy days have left perfect powder, making our long ride down Ewigschneefäld fantastic. Coming down close to 3100m we decide to try a route that Reinhard suggested; skiing via a pass SW of Grünegghorn. Suddenly we spot two guys heading up the glacier. It is the young Spanish men, telling us that yesterday they turned back to Konkordiahütte due navigation problems and wind. We wish them all the best on their sunny ski tour to Mönchsjochhütte.
Leaving the glacier Ewigschneefäld behind
The climb towards the pass is rather steep, but the snow looks and feels perfect. The good weather makes a it a true pleasure to be out touring. But: Arriving at the pass the oldest of us find the descend (the drop!) on the other side too steep and exposed. “Everyone can veto here”, claims Rune R. So we agree on turning back. Nobody complains loudly, at least not when surfing down the big, open slope we just climbed. On perfect snow. And: I got to see my dream place Konkordiaplatz in dream conditions.
Dream conditions. Jon goes for it
Climbing the glacier Grüneggfirn. Jon & Håvard
Skinning up below Konkordiahütte, towards the glacier Grüneggfirn, is an adventure. Jagged, wild, snow covered peaks high look down on us from both sides of the valley. But it is a warm adventure: The May sun has full effect now with all around being so fresh and white. We are steaming! Layer by layer comes off. When reaching the pass Grünhornlücke we are half naked, but still sweating. A nice downhill takes us down to Fieschergletscher. By careful slope picking we manage to "keep the contour line" and slide all the way across the glacier. Like so many Alp cabins there is a serious climb before being safely indoor. We have made a name for such hills: “Der Hüttensteilhang”. Finsteraarhornhütte is nothing but big, beautiful, tasty and friendly: Huge sundeck. 106 good beds. Fantastic rösti with egg and cheese. Cold beer. Vreni & Hans Winterberger-Lohner’s professional and welcoming crew. Definitely a place to stay for several days. We do our best to try it all. Including todays siesta. At 18:00 the three course dinner is served. ”Another bottle of wine, please”. Uli and his group are also guests tonight, making the evening even better.
Rösti & beer on the Finsteraarhornhütte sundeck
We order sandwiches for our next lunch and pay our bill (credit card), then it is bedtime around 22:00. It starts to get a habit.
Friday 3 May 2013
Finsteraarhornhütte (3048) – Oberaarjochhütte (3258)
5 hours, including a peak attempt. 800m ascent
Tour Day 6
When we get up at 07:00 low cloudbanks blow in from SW. After a sturdy breakfast we are ready for a new ski day at 08:20. Between the drifting clouds we spot big pieces of blue sky, so we stick to our plan skiing a peak before heading on to the next cabin. We decide that Wyssnollen (3590) would be the most realistic for us. However, reaching the start of the climb – straight south from the hut – the fog and snow showers capture us. We do make a serious attempt skinning up, but at 3180m snow and wind is so intense that we decide to let go.
The ultimate mountain guide. Cecilie checks out the best advices
Snowy team below Wyssnollen
Visibility below zero. 110% whiteout. Thanks US Ministry of Defense for launching GPS. It is of great help as we backtrack slowly down to the main glacier again; Fieschergletscher. Having seen rather big crevassed areas on our planned we rope in 3 people that ski in front. In this way we manage to ski
Travelling safe. Tore (front) and Jon
downhill across Fieschergletscher in an efficiently. We even avoid the crevasses. More luck than good planning, visibility is still poor. Our most careful navigation is below the smaller peak Rotloch: To the right the glacier is crevassed and bumpy. Above loose boulders wait for making the race of their rocky life. Having crossed this section we take our sandwich break at the foot of Galmigletscher. Now the skins come on and we start our winding climb toward the cabin. Another good exercise for GPS use, following the track downloaded via www.sac.cas.ch and their link to www.gps-tracks.com. Check it out HERE.
Oberaarjochhütte waiting on the cliff
Suddenly Oberaarjochhütte appears in the cloudbank, making us all gasp: Why did they put a cabin there!? And how do we actually get up there! Of all Alp cabins I have visited this is the roughest and toughest setting I’ve seen (sorry Cabane de Bertol). The tiny wood cabin looks like it is glued onto the huge vertical cliff. The access up to it is far from obvious, but it has to be somewhere: After all they are built to receive visitors! The trail and ladders leading up to the cabin are found just north of the Oberaarjoch, the pass itself.
Tricky Oberaarjochhütte arrival. Jon
Being no climber this is a bit over the edge too me, icy and narrow and steep. I’m so happy when I finally may open the door and climb into the small and cozy cabin. Patrizia Kälin – the super friendly and young hut warden – soon is on our list of the very, very best. . We are the only guests tonight. Directly from the wood burning stove Patrizia serves the most delicious stuff: Rösti, cake and a big, big dinner. What have we done to deserve this! We try to pay back a little by shovelling away the snow pack that has buried the view from her kitchen window...
Patrizia serving dinner at Oberaarjochhütte
Dinner is served when we are ready for it. And of course wine & beer. Patrizia serves a traditional stew for main course, perfect for the atmosphere of this “hanging” hut. A memorable evening.
Last evening in the mountains. Before going to sleep around 22:00 we pay our bill (cash only). Duvets and rooms hold the classic Swiss standard. 45 beds in total. Toilets and bathroom are brand new.
Saturday 4 May 2013
Oberaarjochhütte (3258) – Gluringen (1320)/Goms valley
6 hours, including Vorderes Galmihorn. 490m ascent
Tour Day 7
Waking up is just like a dream! Despite that it is 06:30: Sunshine, sunshine!
Morning panorama from Oberaarjochhütte. Matterhorn in the middle.
Thick fog is drifting in the lower valley south and east of us, but up here the sky is as blue as it gets. The view is just BIG, and in the far south Matterhorn sends its greetings. Patrizia is up already serving breakfast with fresh bread and other goodies. It’s just to dig into it. Lunch sandwiches are made, the we have to move on before the snow get too soft: The valley we plan to ski down to Reckingen is rather avalanche exposed. Sharp 08:00 we leave the Oberaarjochhütte and the fantastic warden, promising to be back soon.
The trail and ladders are just as steep as yesterday, but it feels a bit better without the wind and snow. Once more the snow is perfect after the snowy Friday.
Dancing down from Oberaarjoch
It’s almost like dancing when we ski from Oberaarjoch down to Studergletscher. At the southern foot of Oberaarrothorn we put the skins on and start climbing towards the pass named Bächilicke. The climb is rather easy, but the fog suddenly makes navigation challenging again.
Jon posing as sun and fog play with the us arriving the pass Bächilicke.
1.5 hours after leaving the hut, safely in the pass, the fog tries up. Having climbed no peaks on our tour we decide to go for Vorderes Galmihorn, leaving most of our gear in the pass. Snow is perfect. Sun is shining.
Big panorama from Vorderes Galmihorn. Back right: Finsteraarhorn (4274)
Vorderes Galmihorn (3505) offers a view that is both big and thrilling: To the south and east Switzerland is covered by the waving white fog. To the west we pick out peaks we had hoped and dreamt of climbing: Wyssnollen (3590) and Grosser Wannenhorn (3906), as well as the boss in this region: Finsteraarhorn (4274). This is an area I want to visit again for sure.
From the top we now have a thrilling descend of 2250m waiting for us. Skiing back down to the pass is pure joy. We all feel like being close to experts.
Jon racing down from Vorderes Galmihorn.
Cecilie going for the steep drop from the pass Bächilicke
Then it is a steeper drop to get down to Bächigletscher. We take some deep breaths and go for it. One by one. Slowly and focus. Surviving well the steep part is just to start “ski dancing” again; the glacier is wide with a perfect slope.
Bächigletscher
Coming down to 3000m we take our lunch, still being in the sun. Below the fog is waiting for us. Not knowing this glacier we take it very carefully when skiing on into the thick fog. The whiteout is more perfect then ever; the fresh powder snow leaves no details at all. We shift on skiing first, all ending up falling over in the contrast free setting. The balance organ is a limitations! The lower we get the softer the snow. Soon we feel like second class clowns. This is both exhausting and difficult skiing. Below 2500m the valley Bächital is narrow with steep mountain sides, a real avalanche trap.
Carefully down the valley Bächital
We have our “radars” on and carefully pick out places where we may stop and make our pauses. At contour line 2000 we keep left and find the road leading down to Goms (love that name), the main valley below us. And then – at 1800 m – our ski tour/adventure is over. End of snow cover…
Finding spring in Goms valley. Jon
With skies and boots on the packs we walk into the Goms spring: First through the larch forest, then crossing fields and meadows before reaching the road in picturesque Reckingen. This is how we think a Swiss village should look. For the last kilometer to Gluringen we follow the main road, arriving our comfortable Hotel Tenne (www.tenne.ch). Before heading for the rooms and a shower we need beer and food. Hotel Tenne has it all, with service both outside and in the restaurant.
Hotel Tenne, Gluringen treats guests the very best way
If you want excellent food and good rooms Hotel Tenne is the place. A perfect spot to end a mountain tour. The hotel is almost ours alone. The night is ours. We stick to it as long as we manage. At 02:00 it is time for bed though.
Sunday 4 May 2013
Travelling home from Goms/Switzerland
Time for heading home. Unfortunately... Breakfast at Hotel Tenne at 08:00. Train leaves from the small station below the hotel at 09:30 for Brig (1 hours). Time for bruch in Brig. Cecilie kisses goodbye and catch her train to Frankfurt. We hop on a train around 11:00 bound for Genève. On the way we get the brilliant idea to jump of in Lausanne to have an early dinner there. Bingo.
Cecilie documenting Goms attractions
Misplaced skiers in Lausanne: Jon, Bjørn, Rune R, Ida, Rune F, Håvard, Tore (Cecilie had unfortunately left for Frankfurt)
Full summer in Lausanne. We don’t really fit in with our skis and packs, but find excellent pizza at Restaurant le Boccalino, close to the lake side. Then it is back on the train again to move on to Genève Airport.
18:40 it is takeoff with airliner Norwegian, directly to Oslo (2.5 hours).
THANKS FOR A FANTASTIC TRIP!
Once more we went for it - and made it! Despite a lot of snowy days and change of plans: We kept both spirit and positivity. Wind or fog. Thanks to all the good people up in the hills that received us so well. We'll be back soon!
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