The range of what is meant by ski touring is huge. From afternoon strolls suitable for children with skis or a board on your feet to extreme steep faces where you have to move around on all fours, armed with steel teeth. The Spital clearly belongs to the former category. But such tours are also worth having in your repertoire.
There are many reasons why it can sometimes be an easy tour. You don't have much time, but you still want to move your legs a bit. You don't actually have enough time for a tour, but the new equipment needs to be tested before you head out on the Haute Route for a week. The children or the race carver friend want to be initiated into the secrets of the furry ascent. The conditions don't allow for serious tours. Or you simply want to do a midnight snowshoe tour on New Year's Eve (see New Year's Eve special).
Standard route
The Spital is ideal for all these reasons. An easy, easy-to-find ascent with virtually no danger spots or difficulties, it can be reached quickly from the eastern Swiss conurbations and is nevertheless rewarding, scenic and with great views. With an easy ascent of 575 meters in altitude, this ski tour is easy to master in well under two hours and has a very low potential for overtaxing. Thanks to the lack of flat sections, it is also suitable for snowboarders. It also offers great opportunities to turn simple winter hikes on skis into ridge tours or traverses.
The approach is from Einsiedeln in the direction of Ibergeregg. At Gross, turn right towards Obergross and continue past the sawmill - provided the road has been cleared - until you reach a small parking lot with a barbecue hut at the edge of the forest. Here, almost exactly at 1000 m.a.s.l., you can start your hike and yellow hiking signs with red-white-red markings already show the way to the summit. Following the road, you quickly reach the open alpine pastures of the Tries, over which you ascend in gentle curves. At the end of the alpine pastures, turn left towards the east and then climb over two gentle upswings over the ridge to Bögliegg.
Here, above the Mösliwald (yes, that's its name!), is also the only slope with freeride potential, which should often be enjoyed with caution in precarious conditions. If you don't have to do this, it's a good idea to gain momentum on the descent from the Bögliegg summit cross over the ridge, drop into the slope and destroy it with a maximum of two turns. You can be sure of an uncomprehending shake of the head from the other tourers.
From the Bögliegg, follow the ridge and after a small dip, which you can ski down on skins, head up the last few meters to the main hill, the Spital. After the summit photo and entry in the summit book, it is worth leaving the skins on, skiing back down to the dip and only skiing down after the minimal counter-climb to Bögliegg. The descent follows the ascent route, with the alpine meadows inviting you to take a leisurely turn.
Alternatives
There are other beautiful routes to the Spital. The ascent directly from Gross via Rotmoos, Unter Hummel, the Hummel ridge and then to Bögliegg is also very scenic. If you arrive by public transport, the ascent from Steinbach in the direction of Wellchessi via Unter- and Oberschwand and Stäubrig or via Untere and obere Chüeweid is a good alternative that involves less walking along the roads. The ascent from the south directly from the Unteriberg vacation village via Chilenwald and Schatteneggen to the hospital is also recommended. As it is exposed to the south, however, it is less often possible.
If you want to extend the winter hike, the ridge tour via Gschwändstock, Chopf and Amselspitz back to the starting point is an atmospherically beautiful thing: especially as a snowshoe hike. However, if you want to end the tour with a downhill experience, it is advisable to do it the other way round.
The traverse from Gross via Spital, Gschwändstock, Furggelenstock and Brünnelistock down to the small ski area of Ibergeregg is also scenically rewarding. In good snow conditions, you can ski almost as far as Schwyz.
Information
Difficulty (5-level scale): *
Special dangers: none
Average steepness/Maximum steepness: 25°/ 32°
Exposure: NW / N / NE (standard route)
Altitude difference Start and finish: 1000 m | 1.574 m
Altitude difference uphill and downhill: 575 m | 575 m
Duration: 2 h
Best time of year: January - March
How to get there: From Zurich or Zug/Lucerne to Einsiedeln, then in the direction of Ibergeregg. In Gross turn right at the sign "Touristenverpflegung" towards Obergross, turn left at the sawmill and continue to the end of the road
Topographical maps: Swiss Map 25 sheet 1152 "Ibergeregg"
Other recommendations: excellent tour for beginners
