Bernese Oberland Traverse with Skis

Private Tour

Day 1: Climb the Mönch 4109m

We meet at Grindelwald Terminal and go together to Jungfraujoch. We hike across the glacier to the base of the SE ridge and deposit our skis. The first part of the climb as far as the pre-summit is in mixed terrain; rock, ice and snow. The last part up to the summit is along an exposed snow ridge. We descend the same way and spend the night at the Mönchsjoch hut.

Day 2: Summit ski tour Jungfrau 4158m

We leave the Mönchsjoch hut and ski via Jungfraujoch to the „spur“ below the Jungfrau. We contour around it and climb a steep snow slope to the top of the spur. We follow a ridge that leads from the top of the spur towards the Rottalsattel. Here we deposit our skis. We put on our crampons and cross over to the south ridge. From here onwards an easy climbing on steeper snow and rock will lead us to the Jungfrau summit. We descend along the same route back to the spur and continue down the Aletsch Glacier as far as the Konkordia hut at 2850m, where we spend our second night.

Day 3: Up the Ewig Schneefeld glacier to the Gross Grünhorn 4043m

We hike up the Ewig Schneefeld and soon find ourselves in impressive glacier terrain. Zig zaging around crevasses and climbing steadily we reach the saddle between the Grünegghorn and the Gross Grünhorn. Easy scrambling leads us to the summit of the Gross Grünhorn. Gigantic views of the surrounding peaks await us. We retrace out steps and return to Konkordiaplatz. Here we put on our skins again and hike up to the Grünhornlücke. After another enjoyable descent and a short re ascent we reach the Finsteraarhorn hut at 3048m.

Day 4: Summit ski tour Finsteraarhorn 4274m

We start out early in the morning. From the hut we start climbing steeply up towards the Hugisattel. Having reached this saddle below the summit, we deposit our skis, put on our crampons and start climbing the beautiful and exposed NW ridge, a mix of snow and solid rock. The summit of the Finsteraarhorn is wellknown for its breathtaking views; the steep north face dropping away below us. Ski descent along the same route.

Day 5: Crossing the Bächilücke 3293m to Reckingen

After a short descent to the Rotloch we put on our skins for one last time and climb up to Bächilücke. The longest descent of the whole week takes us down to Reckingen in the upper Valais. Having arrived down in the valley we sit down to have a bite to eat and maybe even a glass of local white wine while savoring the past week in the beautiful Bernese Alps.

• Guiding from a licenced mountain guide/ aspirant guide
• His or her expenses
• 4 nights in bunk room with half-board
• Tea for the next day
• Summit Certificate

• Your expenses
• Snacks
• Rental equipment
• Costs for a taxi if needed (guests pay for the guides share)

Backpack

• 30-35l

Clothing

• Warm, functional clothing
• Rain jacket
• Rain pants
• Mountaineering or hiking pants
• Sunhat
• Gloves (ideally one thin and one thick pair)
• Beanie or headband
• Extra underwear and socks
• Thermal underwear 

Footwear

• Ski touring boots or snowboard boots

The basics

• Sunglasses (category 3 or 4)
• Sunscreen lotion and lip balm (minimum factor 30, 50 better)
• Thermos flask, drink bottle
• Silk sleeping bag liner
• Headlamp
• Toiletries
• SAC/DAV permit (if you have one)
• GA or Half Fare Travelcard (if you have)
• Earplugs (optional)
• Camera and binoculars (optional)

Technical Equipment

• Harness
• Crampons with anti-snow plates
• Ice axe
• Helmet
• Sling 120cm
• Locking carabiner
• Ski touring skis or splitboard with skins and tele crampons
• Ski poles (preferrably telescopic)
• LVS (avalanche transceiver)
• Avalanche probe
• Avalanche shovel