This week we present a two-day tour that can be undertaken from the Disentis ski area without much effort. On the first day, you'll warm up on the way back through the Val Gronda / Val Acletta (optionally through the no less rewarding Val Strem) to the Disentis valley station and then take the Piz Ault T-bar lift and skins up to the Oberalpstock to spend the night at the Cavardiras hut. On the second day, an alpine delicacy is on the program: the Steintalrinne from the Fruttstock. The tour for this follows in the second part as a freeride tour the following week.
Freeride variant through the Val Gronda and Val Acletta
It now seems a little presumptuous to describe Disentis as an insider tip for freeriders. However, the claim that you can still find an untracked descent through Val Gronda and Val Acletta even after days without fresh snow is still not going too far out on a limb. The wide slopes need a few hundred freeriders to be tracked in the first few days. Depending on how you approach the entrance from the Piz Ault drag lift, you can reach quite challenging terrain (>40° steepness) and the almost 1600-metre descent, whose route is easy and unproblematic to find, definitely provides an appropriate warm-up phase. The route description and further variants and information are best taken from the PowderGuide book 'Die Besten Freeride-Gebiete der Alpen' (1st edition, 2010).
Oberalpstocktour - alpine 3000er, exposed summit and a spacious winter room as a reward
Once you've arrived back at the mountain station of the Piz Ault T-bar lift, the skins are first put on. The route takes you comfortably below the summit of the same name to the short via ferrata passage, which is secured with steel bars. For those who are not free from giddiness, a rope can be attached here for safety. On the other side of the ridge, you can then cross to the west or look for a direct route through a few rocks down to the Brunnifirn. Either way, you should not lose too much height, otherwise you will have to climb back up when you ascend under the Stremhörner towards the northwest. In the obvious route, you usually keep to the left, less steep side of the glacier until you cross to the north for the summit ascent and tackle the last few meters to the summit. In normal snow conditions, it is easy and unproblematic to ski up to the summit cross.
The descent follows the ascent line, whereby the entire terrain can be used for wide turns, as most Oberalpstock climbers turn off to the skiers' right at the start of the Val Strem variant and the remaining slopes down to the Brunnifirn are usually spared from downhill tracks. The Brunnifirn should then be traversed in the right third below the Acletta and Brunni passes (watch out for avalanches). However, you can't do without your skins completely if you want to make it to the Cavardiras SAC hut. A spacious winter room (the actual parlor) awaits you there and, in exchange for a few Fränklis, you can enjoy a Calanda or two in the evening - in anticipation of the real highlight the next day: the ascent of the Steintalrinne on the Fruttstock.
Alternative tip: If conditions are good and you are fit enough, we recommend starting early in the morning and climbing the Oberalpstock directly in the morning to ski down through the Val Strem, which is rewarding in terms of both skiing and scenery. The Matterhorn-Gotthard Railway then takes you from Sedrun back to Disentis. The only important thing is to reach the top station of the T-bar lift (4 pm) so that you can get over to Brunnifirn. The traverse to the hut can then be done quite quickly.
Information
Difficulty (5-level scale): ***
Average and maximum gradient: 30°/40°
Exposure: E-SE / SE (descent through Val Gronda and Val Aclette/from Oberalpstock)
Altitude difference start and finish: 2800 m (mountain station) | 2650 m (Cavardiras hut) | 1200 m (valley)
Altitude difference uphill and downhill: 700 m | 850/1600 m (tour/Val Gronda descent)
Duration: approx. 4.5 hours (with warm-up lap)
Best time of year: January to April
Addresses: Bergbahnen Disentis 3000
Topographical maps: National map Swiss-Topo, 1212 Amsteg, 1:25000; National map Swiss-Topo (ski tours), 256 Disentis, 1:50000
