The Berner Oberland Tour

April/May I will work out your preferred date of the tour

The Berner Oberland Tour Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive in Grindelwald 1034 m., welcomed by your guide and take a train up to the Jungfraujoch 3463 m. We climb the Trugberg 3880 m. and ski down the Ewigschneefeld glacier to the Konkordia hut 2850 m. We climb about 1.5-2 hrs. up and ski 2 hrs. to the hut.

Day 2

Climb up to the Gruenhornpass 3280 m. From there we do a little side trip to ski the Wyssnollen 3590 m. and continue to the Finsteraarhorn hut 3048 m. We climb about 5-6 hrs. and ski to the hut in 1 hr.

Day 3

Climb the Finsteraarhorn 4273 m., a wonderful ski mountain with a dramatic finish up the final ridge. 3-4 class climbing back to the hut. We climb for 5-6 hrs. and ski 1 hr. down.

Day 4

Ski the Gross Wannenhorn 3905 m., the best ski mountain around, continuing to the Oberaarjochhut 3258 m. We climb for 4 hrs. and skin to the hut in 1-2 hrs.

Day 5

From the Oberaarjoch hut we skin over the Scheuzerhorn 3471 m. down to the Lauteraarhorn hut 2395 m. We climb for 4-5 hr. and ski for 3 hr. to the hut.

Day 6

Climb over the Hühnertaelli pass down to the Gaulli glacier and if you feel like it we climb the Hubelhorn 3256 m. or Ewigschneehorn 3206 m. to the Gaulli hut 2213 m. We ski up for 4-6 hrs. and down for 1 hr.

Day 7

Climb up to the Wetterlimi 3254 m. to the Rosenhorn 3691 and down to Rosenlaui 1330 m. where we take a taxi back to Interlaken. We climb up 4-5 hr. and ski down for 2 hr.

All time estimates are for reasonably fit skiers under normal touring conditions. However, changing conditions such as navigation in fog, skiing in heavy crud or breakable crust or trail breaking can add significant time to the tour. Reading for route description and guide book: Alpine Ski Mountaineering: Volume 1 Western Alps by Cicerone Guide.

Costs

Cost: Private Guide CHF 5,450.00 (1 person)

CHF 2,990.00 (per person with 2 person)

Includes: hut fees, 6 breakfasts and 6 dinners, 1 liter of tea, 7 days guiding.

Not included: Travel expenses to and from the meeting place, travel expenses like tram/train/taxi cost during the tour, lunches, drinks, dinners in towns, rental equipment and souvenirs.

Skills Required

This tour is the ultimate steep and rugged ski tour in Switzerland. Carrying only the lightest pack, you cross massive glaciers surrounded by spectacular mountains, eat homemade food and sleep in a real bed in one of the many huts along the route. Maximum comfort in the huts, maximum safety, maximum view, minimum packs: the recipe for an unforgettable experience in the Swiss Alps. This is a strenuous tour and requires a high level of physical fitness. A normal day will be 8-10 hrs. of uphill and downhill skiing in high altitude with a light backpack. I highly recommend doing a level I avalanche class with AIARE (American institute for Avalanche Research and Education) to have some basic Avalanche knowledge, transceiver skills as well as touring experiences. Participants must be strong skiers, PSIA level 9, able to perform strong dynamic parallel turns with ski randonne equipment while carrying a pack in all snow conditions: powder, hard packed and crud snow. I strongly recommend alpine randonne equipment for a trip in Europe. My past experience tells me that even an expert telemark skier will struggle and have difficulty skiing with a backpack and dealing with the always-changing snow conditions. The telemark skier is usually slower in downhill skiing, takes more falls and therefore gets tired more quickly. Advanced steep uphill skiing techniques, experience with ski crampons as well as excellent Euro-uphill kick turns in all conditions are required. Basic mountaineering skills are helpful; we may use a rope, ice axe and crampons. Bring only gear you are used to (brand new, unknown gear not ideal), broken-in ski randonne boots, and the correct full skins. If you have any concerns about your level of skiing, mountaineering skills, please feel free to contact Swiss Guides. All of the above skills have to be solid and will be applied on the trip. Reading for route description and guide book: Alpine Ski Mountaineering: Volume 1 and 2 Western Alps by Cicerone Guide.