Lötschental

Splitboard tours are great experiences. Compared to the ascent with snowshoes, it is as easy as a feather and you don't have to make any compromises on the descent. However, the requirements differ significantly from ski tours, as flat sections are still a lot of fun on the descent and, depending on the conditions and equipment, you may have a little more trouble on the ascent than on skis. Overall, however, technical development has made a huge leap in recent years and splitboarding has become a serious alternative to ski touring.

Every year at carnival time, fur-clad figures make the Lötschental unsafe. The young men dress up as "Tschäggättä", according to an old custom, with fierce larvae (masks) with the intention of scaring schoolchildren and unsuspecting tourists. However, the freeride tour up to Elwertätsch is anything but scary. So it's not at all surprising to see packs of ski tourers heading towards Petersgrat on a beautiful weekend. Nevertheless, the many tour groups should not put you off. You can't complain about a lack of downhill options in the extensive area between the Hockenhorn and the Birghorn.

The Lötschental now enjoys a big fan crowd and yet things are a lot more relaxed here than in many other freeride areas on this and the other side of the Lötschberg, which also forms the cultural border between the Valais and Bernese Oberland. The later in the year you make the pilgrimage here, the fewer freeriders and therefore potential competitors you will encounter. There is a good reason for this, as the varied terrain around the Lauchernalp is mostly south-facing and therefore anything but a powder guarantee in spring. Turning away from the sunny side of the Valais is the Bernese territory: the shadowy world of the deep-cut Gasteretal valley, which hides some of the best and most easily accessible steep descents. However, there is one small drawback to the story; but more on that after the descent...

An easy ski tour in an impressive UNESCO World Heritage landscape took us to the Jungfraujoch in the Bernese Alps in mid-April. So that we could experience the tour without stress and haste, we opted for a 2-day tour with an overnight stay at the Konkordiahütte instead of a day tour. With an easy ascent of just 440 m and a 16 km descent from the Lötschenlücke at 3,170 m to 1,540 m on the second day of the tour, the focus is clearly on the descent.

The advertising slogan proclaimed by the Lötschberg Tourism Association about the Lauchernalp/Lötschental ski resort "An insider tip with guaranteed snow for all those who only want one thing from winter: glitter-soft, sunlit, virgin slopes!" is no longer entirely true. Unfortunately, it is no longer an insider tip...