Tour description
The starting point for our high alpine venture à la ski mountaineering was the Albert Heim hut at 2543 metres. We had undertaken the ascent to the hut the day before as a short warm-up programme and for taking photos. After an initially rather chilly night in the winter room of the SAC hut, the day's tour up to the Galenstock began extremely early - in moonlight and icy morning temperatures. Armed with rope, crampons and ice axe, we headed west towards the Tiefengletscher. Our half-rope was already being used there. At the ski depot at around 3300 metres above sea level, we swapped our touring skis and ski poles for crampons and ice axes on our feet and hands and climbed into the extremely steep 100-metre gully. Via the north ridge on the west side, we finally roped up and continued on a via ferrata towards the summit.
The south-west flank of the Galenstock turned out to be a real downhill treat. Extremely steep and somewhat confusing in places, good skiing technique and line choice were required. However, the steep and challenging terrain over the Galen Glacier to the Rhone Glacier makes for unforgettable powder turns and the fantastic scenery in this area provides enormous photo potential. Finally, the varied and interlinked downhill terrain fulfils every urge to play and move...
Information
Difficulty: 3-4 (according to SAC guide: ZS-)
Special dangers: partial danger of falling, crevasses, high alpine equipment (harness, half rope, crampons, ice axe) required
Altitude metres start/finish: Realp 1550 m or Albert-Heim-Hütte 2543 m / Galenstock 3586 m
Altitude metres uphill/downhill: from the Albert-Heim-Hütte ?1060 metres; to Hotel Belvédère(Furka) ?1310 metres
Duration: from the Albert-Heim-Hütte 4-5 hours
Best time of year: January - April
Accommodation: Albert-Heim-Hütte SAC Uri
Bar / Restaurant: Hotel Restaurant Belvédère, CH - 3999 Belvédère (Tel.: 0041 27 924 38 24, www.gletscher.ch; admin@gletscher.ch)
Addresses: Realp ski lift (Tel.: 0041 41 8870726); Realp municipal administration (Tel.: 0041 41 8871868, www.realp.ch)
How to get there: By car from the Gotthard motorway via Andermatt to Realp. Parking available on the military site behind the railway station. Also easily accessible by train
Topographical maps: Swisstopo 1:50 000; ski tour map 255 S Sustenpas.
Book tip: Willy Auf der Mauer: Alpine Skitouren. Volume 1: Central Switzerland, Ticino. SAC-Verlag 2002.
