The Swiss Alps. Kev Reynolds
On the east side of the Reuss valley the Glarner Alps are subdivided by charming valleys little known to outsiders. A few glaciers and snowfields remain among the highest peaks, but this is a range of mostly easy summits. Best known is the 3614m Tödi, first climbed in 1824, but others with considerable appeal include the Grosse Windgällen, Oberalpstock and Clariden. Ski ascents are not uncommon, and mountain walkers are rewarded with countless opportunities.
7: Silvretta and Rätikon Alps
In the far east of Switzerland these connecting groups share borders with Austria and Liechtenstein, but while the Silvretta is mostly a range of crystalline rock, with small glaciers and snowfields, the Rätikon is limestone and almost completely ice-free. To the northwest the Alpstein massif has the famous 2502m Säntis as its symbolic crown. Low-altitude but high-quality rock climbs can be enjoyed on the nearby Altmann and multi-turreted Kreuzberge. But the best climbing is to be had among the Rätikon’s big walls – Sulzfluh and Kirchlispitzen especially. Reminiscent of the Dolomites, this narrow range bursts from a chaos of boulder and scree, with magnificent rock gardens at their feet. Highest of the Rätikon peaks, the 2964m Schesaplana marks the Swiss-Austrian border. By the normal route it is an easy ascent, while a small glacier is draped on its northwest (Austrian) flank. Larger glaciers remain on the north side of the Silvretta group, where traditional-style ascents and spring ski tours are common. But the range comes into its own for the mountain walker in summer, when tempting hut-to-hut circuits are easy to plan and challenging to put into practice.
The Rätikon is a natural rock garden. Here alpenroses flower below the Kirchlispitzen crags (Chapter 7:3)
PRACTICALITIES
En route to the Carschina Hut in the Rätikon Alps (Chapter 7:3)
When to Go
No season is out of bounds to the lover of mountains, but success in any outdoor activity will largely depend on conditions under foot. So far as general tourist interest is concerned, the months of May and November are off-season in almost every alpine district, when accommodation and facilities are severely limited. Many high road passes are closed by snow from November until June, although tunnels have been created beneath some of the highest to allow year-round travel.
Ski touring/Ski mountaineering takes place between March and the end of May. In popular districts mountain huts will often be manned for a few weeks in order to serve the touring parties who enjoy what is undoubtedly one of the most demanding but rewarding of all mountain pursuits. Naturally an awareness of potential avalanche danger is a prerequisite of all participants.
The precise period for hut-to-hut trekking will depend on the specific route and the height of passes that need to be crossed, but from early July until the end of September these should be snow-free and safe to attempt. As a general rule, the most popular huts are manned from July until late September – but check first as there are numerous variations.
Walking and climbing/mountaineering take place at varying altitudes between June and the end of September or early October, although given the right conditions, the keenest of participants will make the most of every opportunity no matter what the calendar says. However, July is the optimum month for mountaineering, when the glaciers should still retain some snow cover but the highest ridges are usually bare and dry. The weather is often fairly settled, although a heatwave can bring major rockfalls as the glue of permafrost melts. Global warming has resulted in several recent heatwave summers, ruling out any predictability for good conditions on snow and ice faces outside the late winter months.
Winter mountaineering must be the most masochistic of pursuits, sometimes played out in appalling conditions, and those who wish to have any new route recognised will follow the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) ruling that gives the period for alpine winter ascents to be from 21 December until 20 March inclusive.
Downhill skiing usually begins a week or two before Christmas and continues until Easter, although the altitude of the chosen resort, and snow conditions at the time, will have a major impact on facilities available. The best time for snowshoeing usually runs from January until April, but whenever there’s sufficient snowfall it could be worth getting the snowshoes out. The Alps in winter are at their busiest during the Christmas/New Year period, and in February.
National public holidays are listed below, during which virtually all public offices and shops in Switzerland are closed.
1 January – New Year’s Day
March/April – Good Friday and Easter Monday
May – Ascension Day (40 days after Easter)
May/June – Whit Monday (7 weeks after Easter)
1 August – Swiss National Day
25 December – Christmas Day
26 December – St Stephen’s Day (Boxing Day)
In addition several cantons have their own special holidays, and many local cultural events and festivals take place in specific towns and valleys throughout the year.
High season prices in hotels, restaurants and some shops are often considerably greater than in the low season. In summer the high season in most mountain resorts covers July and August, when pressure on accommodation (including mountain huts) is at its greatest. The winter high season coincides with the ski season, although there are fluctuations. For example, prices are highest over Christmas and the New Year, and in February, while January and March are often less crowded and less expensive.
The Mönch, as seen from Mettlenalp (Chapter 5:7)
Weather
Mountains create their own weather patterns, so there’s no surprise to find that Switzerland is home to a variety of local and regional microclimates. For instance, a storm may be isolated on the Matterhorn without affecting the nearby Ober Gabelhorn, and what may appear from Alpiglen to be an innocent cloud on the Eiger could, in fact, be launching a blizzard on the mountain. The north side of the Bernese Alps is notoriously wet, while the Rhône valley which divides those mountains from the Pennine Alps to the south is one of the driest in the country. The Rochers de Naye overlooking Lac Léman in Vaud has 257cm of annual precipitation, while Staldenried, less than 75km away at the junction of the Mattertal and Saastal in Canton Valais, has only 53cm.
Projecting into Italy Canton Ticino, whose mountains belong to the Lepontine and Adula Alps, enjoys the most settled weather, with a Mediterranean climate giving consistently hot and sunny days in summer and comparatively mild winters. Lying in the rain shadow of the Bernese Alps, the Pennine Alps of neighbouring Valais are among the driest.
Although occurring with some frequency in summer, storms in the Bernina and Bregaglia Alps are generally less dangerous than those experienced in the Bernese Alps where they often arrive with little warning and sometimes last for many hours, or even days. At high altitudes bad weather is not only physically uncomfortable for climbers caught mid-route, but rocks can rapidly cover with snow, ice or verglas to turn an otherwise straightforward climb into a real epic. Mist and cloud can also make glacier crossing a hazardous exercise.
The Swiss Alps are affected by unusual seasonal winds; the bise comes from the north and can be bitterly cold, even in summer, with night frosts and generally settled weather providing good climbing conditions. The föhn is a very different wind. This blows from the south or southwest with hot air being sucked from the Mediterranean or even the Sahara. As the air is forced to rise over the Alps, it cools and rain or snow falls on the south side of the mountains, with floods sometimes resulting. Having shed its moisture the föhn is then funnelled through the northern valleys, drying and warming as it does. Snow cover diminishes, and conditions for climbing are bad.
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