Barrhorn

August 12, 2018 by Pat and Bruno  ‐  7 min read

Difficulty T3+
Numer of Days 3
⇄ Total Distance 24.9 km
↑ Up 1820 m
↓ Down 1880 m
Notable Locations Turtmannhütte SAC, Üssers Barrhorn, Schöllijoch, Gruben
Public Transit Access? Yes

Quick Summary

  • 3 day hike in Turtmanntal in the Wallis (one valley over from Zermatt)
  • We only used public transport to get to and from the Turtmanntal
  • The Üssers Barrhorn (3610m) has become quite renowned in recent years as being one of the highest peaks in the Alps with an officially marked hiking trail

Day 1: Ascent to the Turtmannhütte SAC

Difficulty T2
⇄ Distance 5.6 km
↑ Up 590 m
↓ Down 0 m
Notable Locations Vorder Sänntum, Turtmannsee, Turtmannhütte SAC
Public Transit Access? Yes

Summary

  • Travelled to the Turtmann (Talstation) via public transit
    • Train to Turtmann
    • PostAuto to the cable car station
  • Took the cable car to Oberems and then an alptaxi (part of the standard SBB timetable) to the Vorder Sänntum
  • Hiked along gravel roads to the Turtmannsee
  • From the Turtmannsee, we took the (only) hiking trail leading up to the Turtmannhütte SAC
  • Stayed overnight at the hut to prepare for the next day
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Arrival and Ascent to the Turtmannsee

A view over the town of Turtmann from the view of the cable car.

A look down the Turtmanntal. Most of the path leading to the Turtmannsee consists of gravel roads.

The gravel road leading up to the Turtmannsee (behind the dam near the end of the valley). The large glacier in the center of the image is the Turtmanngletscher.

At the Turtmannsee. The Turtmannhütte (objective for today) can be seen up on the left-hand side of the valley.

Turtmannhütte SAC

Shortly after we got to the Turtmannsee, the path switched over to a regular hiking path. Much of the ascent to the Turtmannhütte goes over the moraine.

The path up to the Turtmannhütte was very well marked.

Some Edelweiss — not a particularly common sight in the mountains.

At the Turtmannhütte SAC looking back towards the Bishorn. The couloir we had to go up on day 2 is one of the gulleys above the scree slope on the left.

The evening sun from the vantage point of the Turtmannhütte looking down the Turtmanntal.

Time for bed; we'd have to get an early start the next day.

Day 2: Üssers Barrhorn

Difficulty T3+
⇄ Distance 9.6 km
↑ Up 1010 m
↓ Down 1010 m
Notable Locations Turtmannhütte SAC, Üssers Barrhorn, Schöllijoch
Public Transit Access? N/A

Summary

  • With this being the most strenuous of the three days, our primary objective for the day was to summit the Üssers Barrhorn
  • The crux of the hike was a short ascent up a somewhat exposed couloir
    • This was secured by a metal wire which acted as a handhold
    • Since it was raining on our descent, this section was quite slippery given the fairly smooth rock
  • The remainder of the hike consists mainly of moraine and scree
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An Early Start up the Gässi

We started the next morning around 4 AM to try and beat the inclimate weather which was scheduled to roll in around lunch time. The crux of the hike (see below) was only about a 30 minute walk from the hut; there was only one officially marked trail that lead to the crux.

The crux of the hike. The ascent up this couloir (known as the Gässi) was secured by a metal wire. It is somewhat exposed, so falling here would be less than ideal.

The crux as seen from above.

Once we were above the Gässi, we had an absolutely incredible view of the alpenglow on the surrounding peaks. The prominent peak in the center is the Bishorn.

Looking back towards the Turtmannspitze.

Ascent to the Üssers Barrhorn

A short scrambling passage about 600m below the summit of the Barrhorn (not visible here).

Bruno making his way through the 'Steiwüesti' ('rock desert'). A good chunk of the ascent consisted of this kind of terrain.

Our first proper view of the Üssers Barrhorn (the peak which is furthest to the left). The word 'Üssers' is Swiss German for 'Äußeres', meaning 'outer'.

While most of the hike is relatively well-marked, there are some sections (like here) that are marked with Steimännli instead of with conventional painted trail markers. This spot is about 200m - 300m below the summit.

Almost at the summit. It's such a strange feeling to be higher than a lot of the other surrounding peaks.

The summit cross. What an incredible view.

The view south-west from the summit. Most of the path up to the Üssers Barrhorn goes over the ridge on the edge of the Brunegggletscher (closest glacier relative to us).

One final view from the summit before heading down to the Schöllijoch. The forecast was predicting that the weather would turn sour around noon, so we wanted to make our way down before the snow and rain rolled in.

Descent to the Schöllijoch

Shortly after leaving the summit. The Inners Barrhorn is the left-most peak, with the Brunegghorn and Bishorn to the right of that.

Nearly at the Schöllijoch; this is the saddle where the yellow-orange rocks are concentrated.

The Üssers Barrhorn as seen from just below the Inners Barrhorn.

Almost at the Schöllijoch; if you look closely, you can see the waypoint on the right-hand-side. The Brunegghorn (peak in the center of the image) is already shrouded in the promised clouds. It's about time we get off this mountain.

Looking back towards the Inners Barrhorn (right) and the Üssers Barrhorn (left). The group that is traversing below the Inners Barrhorn was on their way up to the Üssers Barrhorn. However, when we met them later at the Turtmannhütte, they said that it started snowing once they approached the summit. I guess starting early payed off.

Return to the Turtmannhütte SAC

The descent down from the Schöllijoch. Much of the lower part of the trail goes over one of the moraines.

Some very precariously perched rocks above the hiking trail.

The return over the moraine back to the Turtmannhütte. It began raining shortly after this picture was taken.

Day 3: Return to Gruben

Difficulty T2
⇄ Distance 9.7 km
↑ Up 220 m
↓ Down 870 m
Notable Locations Turtmannhütte SAC, Ämser Schafalpu, Gruben
Public Transit Access? Yes1

Summary

  • A relaxing and comparatively short hike to the previous day
  • From the Turtmannhütte SAC, we followed the hiking path along the upper part of the Turtmanntal
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Hiking Along the Turtmanntal

The view just north of the Turtmannhütte looking northwards down the Turtmanntal. The terrain here is in stark contrast to the rocky moraines we were hiking over the day before.

It was raining on-and-off for much of the day. Spirits were high from the previous day though, so we were happy as can be.

There were several passages like this over loose or otherwise dislocated rock.

Lots of clouds around, but luckily not where we were.

The end of the Turtmanntal shrouded in clouds. We would soon begin our descent down to Gruben from here.

An interesting rockfall/avalanche barrier directly above Gruben (the village of Gruben is down to the left; out of view). We thought it was pretty neat that the hiking trail goes over the ridge of this quasi-dam.

Making our way down to the village through the forest. The trees gave us some respite from the wind. While the weather may have been so-so, this was a great way to end an epic trip.

  1. There was indeed an alp taxi that was part of the standard SBB timetable. However, it drove very infrequently so we decided to charter an alp taxi ride from Gruben back to Oberems. While quite a bit more expensive than the standard alp taxi faire, it was well worth the cost given how many hours of waiting we ended up saving. ↩︎

← Nepali Highway