Tour description
Depending on the time of year, snow conditions and whether the Furka Pass road is passable, the first day's stage begins in Realp (1538 m) or directly at the Furka Pass (2429 m), followed by an overnight stay at the Albert Heim Hut (2543 m). From there, head west to the Tiefen Glacier and, depending on the snow conditions, bypass the glacier break to the south or north. Then climb through the rock band that leads to the actual summit ridge of the Galenstock.
You can either set up your ski depot below the rock band or hump your skis. The unique descent to the west over the Rhone Glacier is well worth the effort. However, this requires optimum conditions! Even a small snow slide could cause an entire group to disappear somewhere in the depths of the extremely steep summit slope. The next danger zone is the Rhone Glacier with its crevasses.
In general, a good sense of orientation is essential for this descent variation! Depending on the starting point (Realp or Furka Pass), you can hitchhike from the Hotel Belvedere at the end of the Rhone Glacier back to the Furka Pass. The second option, if the pass road has not yet been cleared, leads further down to Oberwald. In this case, you can expect a total of over 2200 metres of descent with views of Valais and some of the highest mountains in the Alps. From Oberwald, you can take a leisurely train ride through the Furka tunnel back to Realp.
We have chosen the second option.
We already had the best conditions in January - even though the Galenstock crossing is actually predestined as a spring tour and even the old master Walter Pause described it a few years ago as "inaccessible in winter"...
And so, as the only girl among three highly motivated boys, I experienced my first big ski mountaineering experience:
We undertook this ski tour in the Gotthard region on a weekend in mid-January. We set off at a leisurely pace on Saturday morning. It took us four hours to reach the hut instead of the estimated three. The reason for this was the many photo stops we made to capture our signatures on one or two of the slopes - my track was meanly obliterated by a small avalanche of loose snow. Maybe that's why this trip will stay in my memory forever...
At the hut, a freezing cold winter room (-2°C) awaited me at first, but it was heated up by manpower. To my regret, however, this was done in different ways - on the one hand via the conventional, romantic fire in the iron cooker. On the other hand, in an absolutely unromantic way based on biogas... In the end, I lay wrapped up in my sleeping bag at a cosy 20°C and fell into a deep sleep while the boys continued to bomb each other in the fresh air.
Early morning ascent
After a few cups of tea and muesli, we set off early the next morning, shortly after sunrise, to tackle the Galenstock in comfort. After just under half an hour, we reached the glacier region. The first thing we had to do was strap in and rope up. As the first person on the rope, I set the pace without a turbocharger. That was good, because the boys had to adapt to my pace and I was able to walk in the fresh air.
But now the real exertions began - just as well that we took it easy... The summer trail leads through an insured rock band. In winter, however, this is so filled with drift snow that it would be too risky to climb through. So we decided to climb the steep gully on the left, which is over 40 degrees and about 100 metres long.
So put your crampons on your feet...
and the skis onto the backpack and the ice axe in my hand. The pressed snow cover was pleasantly compact and easy to track - but still hellishly strenuous. As we secured the steep gully with rope for safety, it took us some time to reach the actual summit ridge. Now only a good 150 metres separated me from the summit of the Galenstock. Thank God I was more concerned with the cold and not getting my crampons tangled in the rope (Olav had strictly forbidden me to step on the rope with them - huh, I wonder why?), so I only vaguely realised the steeply sloping walls on either side. Slowly, we secured ourselves metre by metre towards the summit.
After almost 5 hours of ascent
We finally reached the summit - yeah...! After all the exertion and the cold, I was looking forward to the descent and, above all, to finally being able to show off a bit. But the first slope was anything but easy to ski - after all, I didn't know where to go. Because of the steepness, you couldn't even see where this first section of the descent was taking us. Nevertheless, we cautiously ventured down one by one and were rewarded - with mega adrenaline in our blood and unique lines.
Now all that separated us from taking off our ski boots was the crossing of the Rhone Glacier...
... after nine hours. However, the glacier crossing turned out to be another hurdle that should not be underestimated, because we knew that the glacier tongue was actually quite full of crevasses. Totti, the guinea pig with a good nose for a clean and safe tracks, finally ventured the "first descent" over the flattest part of the glacier and thus saved us another ascent over safe terrain. We eagerly followed his line. "Just don't slow down, just don't stop, Totti": that was all I was thinking at that moment! ... OK, he'd done it - I weigh less than him - so I can do it too! ... Yeah, without any problems but with even more adrenaline in my blood than before! The final turns and the subsequent descent over the snow-covered pass road to the train station in Oberwald, where the train back to Realp was already waiting for us, were pure pleasure: panoramic views in a breathtaking mountain region and a beautiful mountain backdrop of the Valais 4000 metres on the horizon, enhanced by the purple sunset...
In the evening I wasn't even able to drive…
…the three-hour journey home behind the wheel of my car - thanks Olav, for driving! ... Thanks guys, for a unique weekend! ... Thanks Baschi for the great photos! This was an unforgettable experience!
More information about the tour:
The Galenstock crossing not only requires good physical condition, but also good orientation, a realistic assessment of the objective dangers and the basic repertoire of belaying techniques are indispensable companions! Alpine equipment is a must: Rope, crampons, ice axe, safety equipment... and of course avalanche beacons & Co!
Tour guide and map Ski tour guide: Alpine ski tours Central Switzerland - Ticino. SAC Map: SLK 255 S - Sustenpass - SWISSTOPO
Hütte Albert-Heim Hütte (2543 m) The hut is "serviced" in winter, i.e. catered for on request. The winter room is open all season. Tel: 0041 41 887 17 45 (Claudia Rey) www.albert-heim-huette-sac.ch
Train journey: The trains run every hour on the 44th minute from Oberwald to Realp and cost just under 12.50.- SFr
Geography: The Galenstock is the fourth-highest mountain in the Uri Alps and lies on the border between the Swiss cantons of Uri and Valais.
History: The Galenstock was first discovered on 18 August 1845 by Eduard Descartes. It was first climbed on 18 August 1845 by Eduard Desor, Daniel Dollfuß and his son, led by the local mountain guides H. Währen, M. Bannholzer, P. Brigger and H. Jaun. Text: Hanna Finkel
