Freeride tour of the week | Pazolastock - Piz Cavradi

Ascent 1 (approx. 700 vertical meters)

Start at the Oberalppasshöhe station (2033 m) of the Matterhorn-Gotthard Railway, opposite the drag lift that leads to the Sedrun ski area. The ascent begins steeply to the south for a short time and then quite comfortably and only occasionally over 30 degrees steeply first over north-east and later east-facing slopes. As the 2739 m high Pazzolastock is easily accessible and correspondingly popular, you will almost always find a more or less visible and well-worn ascent track. At approx. 2530 m, the east ridge is crossed in the direction of the striking hollow below the Pazolastock summit: Caution, steep and avalanche-prone traverse. With minimal altitude loss, head for the hollow below the summit with its military hut (unused in winter).

If you wish, you can continue the ascent via the SW ridge in the direction of Rossbodenstock (2836 m), which makes the tour a little spicier and the descent a little more rewarding. (See photo on the right.)

Descent 1 (approx. 700 vertical meters)

Descend briefly to the south and then descend towards Maighelstal via primarily east-facing slopes with various types of terrain. Depending on your taste and the avalanche situation, there are steeper or flatter downhill variants to choose from; they are actually all beautiful. At some point, you will reach the Rhine, which is still very young here.

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Ascent through the shallow Maighelstal, the marker poles make route finding extremely easy. — Ascent through the shallow Maighelstal valley, the marker poles make finding the route extremely easy.

Alex Schober

Maighelstal, Switzerland

Ascent 2 (approx. 650 vertical meters)

From the valley floor, roughly heading south, follow the ascending valley (marker poles at short intervals) in the direction of the Maighelshütte. As we still have some plans, we don't drink a beer in the beautifully situated SAC Maighelshütte, but pass the hut and climb up the somewhat steep, south-facing slope to Piz Cavradi 2612 m. Caution: the slope is often wet, especially in spring, and should therefore not be tackled too late. Shortly before the end of the ascent, cross into a small hollow exposed to the east and from there you can easily reach the summit.

Descent 2 (approx. 1000 vertical meters)

For the descent, cross the summit in a northerly direction. Shortly turn right into the striking, steep hollow, which can be defused to the right (somewhat flatter) if the avalanche situation is tense.

After the first steep slope, keep skiers left onto the striking ridge. From here, the steep north-facing slope offers countless downhill options over several hundred meters. The earlier you start, the more challenging and risky the descent. If the avalanche situation is tense, it is advisable to ski down the striking, wide and therefore usually pleasant north-facing ridge and then leave it late to the north in the direction of the Rhine. Take the last few flat meters along the still clean Rhine and head for the bridge, ascending the last few meters to the Oberalp Pass road, which is closed in winter.

The key section of ascent 1: the traverse into the hollow below the Pazolastock

Pazolastock, Switzerland

If the sun is shining, which it should be for the tour, you will literally end up on the sun terrace of the Rheinquelle inn. Be sure to have a beer there and say hello from the PG team to the landlord, who is a keen hunter. The train timetable is also posted in the old inn.

If you started from Andermatt, you should take the hourly train and get off at the Oberalp Pass or, even better, at Nätschen station. From there, it was another 500-metre descent over the not too exciting pass road to Andermatt.

Tip

If you like the area and the tranquil Tschamut, you can also stay overnight at the Rheinquelle at reasonable prices. From there, other rewarding tours or a trip to the nearby ski area of Disentis or Sedrun await.

The tour is also well suited if you are stationed in Andermatt for several days and the snow in the ski area is, as almost always, packed.

Information

Difficulty: ** (Depending on route choice on Piz Cavradi up to ****)
Average steepness / maximum steepness: up to a maximum of 35 degrees on the ascent (less with a clever choice of line); 30 to 37 degrees on the descent. Depending on the choice of line on descent 2 also up to 45 degrees.
Exposures: Ascent and descent 1: N-NE
Ascent and descent 2: S-NE-N-NW
Altitude start and finish: Starting point at approx. 2,033 m (Oberalp Pass). Altitude finish 1450 m (Andermatt)
Altitude difference uphill (total): approx. 1350 m
Altitude difference downhill (total) on return to Andermatt: approx. 2300 m.
Duration: 5 to 7 hours
Best time of year: December to April

Directions: From the north, take the A2 via Vierwaldstädtersee (Lucerne) in the direction of Gotthard to Andermatt. Park there (large paid parking lot in front of the train station). Or take the train via Göschenen to Andermatt.
Timetable Matterhorn Gotthard Railway (from p. 60)
Topographical maps: Ski tour map 256 S Disentis / sample from Swisstopo