Chauvin Guides International, Berner Oberland Haute Route

Berner Oberland Haute Route

Schreckhorn from Monchjoch Hut
View from Mönchjoch Hut

The day before we actually start the tour we'll all meet in the Swiss city of Interlaken. Here we will make final preparations, pack, and get organized for the tour. The city has beautiful views to the south of the mountains of the Berner Oberland and there should be some time for a little sightseeing and time to adjust after the flight over from the States. We'll go out to one of the many excellent restaurants in the city to sample some of the traditional Swiss fare for dinner.

Day 1

Aletschhorn rising above clouds, from Jungfraujoch

The first day of the tour we'll leave Interlaken by Swiss rail and travel through some incredible scenery as we wind our way through several valleys to the town of Grindelwald. Here we will change trains to get on to the famous Jungfraujoch Railway which travels along the base of the Eiger to Kleine Scheidegg. From here the train actually travels right through the heart of the Eiger on its way up to the Jungfraujoch. Along the way the train stops long enough to allow a short visit to one of the windows which access the north face of the Eiger. A quick look out onto the north face is enough to convince most people that it's something they would never want to climb! One of the great aspects of this ski tour is that it is accessed by this train which gets us all way up to around 11,200 feet. There's no huge uphill grind to get to the snow and the good skiing. Then it's a quick one-hour tour to the Mönchjoch Hut, which is the highest hut we'll be staying in on this tour at about 11,800 feet. We'll have time to practice and work on our glacier travel, crevasse rescue, and avalanche beacon skills.

Day 2

Trugberg from Koncordia Hut

The second day of the tour begins with a nice downhill run down the glacier which leads us to the eastern slopes of the Trugberg. Conditions permitting we will climb this mountain and ski down it's southern slopes towards the Koncordiaplatz which is the biggest, widest glacial basin in the Alps. From here we travel east, climbing up the Grüneggfirn glacier to the Grünhornlücke (a pass) that is at an elevation of 10,600 feet. We then ski down the east side of this pass crossing the Fieschergletscher to get to our destination, the Finsteraarhorn Hut.

Day 3

This day will be spent climbing either the Agassizhorn or Finsteraarhorn, two excellent ski mountaineering peaks which are close to the hut. Both provide excellent downhill ski runs back to the hut and breathtaking views in all directions. We will be spending a second night at the Finsteraarhorn Hut.

Day 4

Under the Aletschhorn

After two nights at the Finsteraarhorn Hut we continue our journey by heading back west up over the Grünhornlücke and then ski down to the Koncordiaplatz where we will be staying at the Koncordia Hut. Along the way, if we are feeling fit enough we will make a diversion to the north to summit the Grünegghorn which provides another excellent downhill opportunity on the way back. The Koncordia Hut is now 100 vertical meters above the level of the glacier because of the way all the glaciers in the Alps have been receding in the last hundred years or so. The climb up the hundred meter stairway is pretty breathtaking in more ways than one! The hut is in an excellent position to view the Koncordiaplatz and all the surrounding peaks. It, along with the next hut we stay at, are among the finest and best run huts we've stayed at during these ski tours.

Day 5

We continue heading to the west, crossing the huge Koncordiaplatz aiming for the Kranzberg, another classic ski summit in the Berner Oberland. After skiing down the Kranzberg, we climb up the Grosser Aletschfirn to the Hollandia Hut, our last hut of the tour. Along the way we pass directly underneath the impressive north faces of the Dreieckhorn and Aletschhorn with their impressive ice falls and ice routes.

Day 6

Entering Blatten

Our last day of the tour begins with a possible ascent of the Äbeni Flue, an excellent ski mountaineering peak which is also famous for its classic north face ice climbs. The mountain towers above the Lauterbrunnen Valley and the views down into this and across over to the Jungfrau are excellent. From the summit of the Äbeni Flue, which is just under 4000 meters, we ski all way down to the small village of Blatten at 1500 meters. This is a ski descent of 8000 vertical feet! It's a tremendous, long downhill ski run and a great way to end the tour. We ski right through the summer village of Fafleralp and typically are able to ski practically right to our hotel. Blatten is a very small Swiss farming village that appears to be almost exactly as it was a hundred years ago. The village is located in a very deep valley and taking in the views from the patio of the hotel while we enjoy end of tour drinks is an excellent, relaxing way to finish the last day of our tour.

April 29-May 6, 2006
$2000.00 per person for 3
$1800.00 per person for 4

April 29 Arrive in Interlaken no later than today
April 30 Monchjoch Hutte
May 1 Finsteraarhorn Hutte
May 2 Finsteraarhorn Hutte
May 3 Koncordia Hutte
May 4 Hollandia Hutte
May 5 Blatten
May 6 Train back to Interlaken and then on own

This itinerary would require that you fly the evening of April 28 and
fly home no earlier than May 7th.

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