Skiers Haute Route
The Skiers Haute Route from Andermatt to Engelberg is the ultimate Haute Route for those who like long and steep powder runs.
Trip Dates
Difficulty:
Accomodation:
simple: Hut / bunks
This hut-to-hut skitraverse connects the two premier Central Swiss freeride resorts Andermatt and Engelberg. It crosses the remote and snow-rich backcountry of the Urner Alps in the Canton of Uri, linking southfacing ascents and brilliant steep northfacing descents, which often guard fantastic powder. That's why it is also referred to as Skier's Haute Route and an absolute must - do for all avid skiers.
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Itinerary
Day 1: We'll meet at 10 am in Dallenwil near Stans. The Guide will do a briefing and kit check. We'll stash a car there for the way back and continue to Realp, where we start the Skiers Haute Route with an ascent to the cosy Albert Heim Hütte (2543 m). We'll do the 1000 meters of skinning in a gentle pace to save our energy for the good skiing to come in the next 4 days.
If you are arriving the day before please let us know, we'll be happy to assist with accomodation and the travel itinerary.
Vertical ↑ 1000 ↓ 0
Day 2: After a short descent we'll put on the skins and climb up to Winterlücke. We switch to crampons and bootpacking to reach Lochberg (3074 m). The summit rewards us with a 1200 meters run on northeast facing 30 degree slopes down to Göscheneralpsee (1792 m) which are made for skiing! If spirits are still high, we can reascend a bit towards Feldseeschijn to get in a few more hundred meters of powderskiing!!! Finally we ski on the closed road. Tasty food and a hot shower will be highly welcome after this big skiday in Gasthaus Göscheneralp, a genuine swiss hostel.
Vertical ↑ bis 1200 ↓ bis 2100
Day 3: Early start for another long and varied day with some alpine action and a huge northeast facing run. We skin back up to dammed lake where we take a turn right and pass by the closed Bergsee Hut. Eventually after some bootpacking we gain a small col near the summit of Schinstock (3161 m) which can be climbed in good conditions. from here we access wide perfectly angled slopes down to Voralphütte (2126 m). They are protected from the wind and often yield fantastic snow.
Vertical ↑ 1300 - 1700 ↓ 900 - 1300
Day 4: The highest point of the Skiers Haute Route is on today! Via a long ascent we climb up to a col called Chelenalplücke. From the col we slant left towards Sustenlimi. Skins on again and after a further 500 meter climb we summit the heavily glaciated Sustenhorn (3503 m). Our descent takes as over wide slopes inviting for some fast big turns and later through a spectacular ice fall. Our destination for the day is Hotel Steingletscher (1865 m) which is located at the closed pass road of Sustenpass. Ready to enjoy a beer on the terrace and a hot shower.
Vertical ↑ 1500 ↓ 1700
5. Tag: Grande finale crossing Fünffingerstock (2994 m) and Grassen (2945 m) on the way to Engelberg. First ascent takes us through the beautiful Obertal to the summit of Fünffingerstöcke. The direct descent to Wendengletscher is the crux of the route with some 45 deg terrain to ski. If conditions are good, the steep skiing highlight of the route. If not, there is a slightly longer deviation to the east. In any case we will sooner or later hit the famous Titlis Circuit with the renowned Grassen ski descent, the classical freetouring route of Engelberg. After a decent celebration meal we'll take bus back to go get the cars that we've left in Realp and the valley entrance.
Vertical ↑ 1200 - 1500 ↓ 1900 - 2200
Prerequisites
- good cardiovascular fitness: stamina for 6 hours of ascent (up to 1600 meters vertical), overall time of exercise 10-12 hours;
- good off-piste ski technique, controlled skiing in all types of snow, including crusts and slopes up to 35+ dg,
- solid ski mountaineering skills: kickturns, ascending with ski crampons, climbing 45 dg snow with piolet and boot crampons
- proficient use of avalanche safety equipment
- no pre-acclimatisation required
Getting There
The nearest Airports are Bern and Zürich. From there frequent train service is available to Andermatt. We discuss the details of transportation with you.
Accommodation & Food
You will stay on alpine mountain huts. They have a big dining room and dormitories with usually 4–12 bunks. Sometimes the dormitories have up to 20 bunks. The sanitary conditions are basic with common toilets, washing rooms and commonly without showers. On very high huts there might not even be running available.
The accommodation is with half board. A lean breakfast with bread, jam, butter and, depending on the region, cereals are served along with coffee or tea. Dinner consists of 3 to 4 courses: starter (soup, pasta in Italy), sometimes salad, main course with some meat, desert. Vegetarian or other dietary requirements are accounted for.
You can order non-alcoholic drinks, beer and wine. Likewise, snacks and lunch can be purchased. On the higher huts there is no potable water and you will have to buy bottled water.
Please don't hesitate to contact us in case of questions.
Gear
Skitouring skis and -skins. Avalanche safety equipment. Full glacier travel kit.
Included
- Organization and guiding by a IFMGA licensed Mountain Guide
- Rental gear: glacier travel and avalanche safety
- All guide's expenses
Excluded
- 4 x Nights with half board on mountain huts approx. 65 CHF/Night (alpine club members)
- Train transfers about 30 CHF.
- Lunch and drinks on the huts. (lunch for take away can be ordered the day before)
- personal insurance covering mountain rescue.
Specials
for this trip
Flexibility: joint risk of bad (weather) conditions.
Flexibility is our working method - not a slick marketing slogan. We budget 1-2 extra days in the planning of many of our trips to factor in adverse weather conditions. The days can for example be used to move the trip a day or two as to use the best weather window for the summit bid.
Of course you only pay the actual guiding days. We'd rather achieve your goal than insist on doing a poor alternative.
Personal communication rather than follower and likes.
Lets face it: social media is a mere marketing tool for many businesses. To us this way of connecting with the audience is somewhat superficial. That's not our style. We prefer the direct contact to our clients - even beyond 'business'.
What does that mean for you? If you are planning a trip to the mountains on your own, get in touch, we are happy to recommend on a summit, region or provide information on the conditions. You need advice on gear? Need a second opinion on the avalanche situation? We are fostering a long term exchange, often on a very personal level, with many of our clients. We are taking the time, because its fun to chat or talk shop with like-minded people!
Climate protection: less babble.
Environmental protection must not be misused for mere image cultivation. Businesses who earn their money with air travel should not pat themselves on the back because they use recycled paper and green electricity. This is not credible. We clearly acknowledge the undeniable environmental damage our activities cause, and we try to at least partly offset them by the following actions, without too many words:
We encourage you to travel by train. If possible we give you a lift from the train station. We help to reduce your luggage by providing you all the technical gear required for your trip. Given a sufficient number of participants, we cover up to 50% of your train ticket.
We compensate our own as well as the CO2 emissions of our clients travelling by car without any additional cost in a transparent and comprehensive way. Of course, you are also invited to contribute. Get in touch if there are any questions!
