Wallis

Most of our local mountains are now either stone gray or green, as the snow has now retreated to the glacier regions. We set off for the snowy mountains of Zermatt in the canton of Valais to replace freeride abstinence with trail exhilaration.

Mountaineers consider the Bishorn to be one of the easiest four-thousand-metre peaks in the Alps. However, climbing it by bike is anything but an everyday bike tour. In addition to rope safety, crampons, glaciers and mountaineers, there is still enough room for a proper bike descent. Directly from the summit at 4153 m, of course.

The Galenstock crossing; a very challenging ski tour in the Gotthardt region that really packs a punch. East-facing ascent over the Tiefengletscher with subsequent ridge crossing. From the summit, the route then descends westwards over the very demanding 2000-metre descent into Valais.

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...

The Bishorn is known for the occasional breeze on the summit slope. It must have been blowing extremely hard up here the last few days. The edges of our skis find it difficult to grip and most of the way we are walking over bare ice, so crampons are very useful. Where there is no bare ice, there are oversized Zastrugies, which cause us to break in again and again and make every step twice as strenuous.

The alarm clock rings at half past three in the morning. Nevertheless, we are happy to finally get up, as the loud snoring of our roommates (even though we are equipped with earplugs!) has caused us to toss and turn more than we sleep. After a spartan breakfast, we set off with the first group at half past four in unpleasant temperatures.

A grand finale to an excellent winter. Hardly any other area in the Alps is as suitable for high-alpine ski tours as the Zermatt summit world of Monte Rosa and the peaks around the Saas Valley. Here in the heart of the Valais Alps, the four-thousand-meter peaks are closer together than anywhere else, and thanks to the strong glaciation, many peaks can be reached on skis. Just like last year, we are drawn to the brilliant mountain world of the Upper Valais at the end of the season; this time we opt for the third highest peak in the Mischabel group, the 4199 m high Rimpfischhorn.