Engelhörner
The Engelhörner is a huge area of bizarre limestone peaks offering many long alpine routes with some excellent multi pitch sport routes mixed in. The small Engelhörner hut at the foot of the peaks makes an excellent base for the routes, with a warm welcome and friendly hosts. The area is complex and can be a bit confusing on the first visit. There are a large number of peaks, the most popular ones being those that circle around the Ochsetal that leads up from the hut. In a clockwise direction these are klein Simeler, gross Simeler, Vorderspitze, Kingspitze, Tannenspitz and Rosenlauistock.
Routes vary from classic scrambling to the top of the peaks, to some desperate modern classics. The rock on the popular routes is usually very good, although the gullies and descents have a lot of loose rubble. Helmets are strongly recommended, if not essential. In recent years many of the classic routes have been cleaned up and well bolted, however it is worth carrying a rack of gear on most routes.
From Meiringen drive South taking the road to the Grimsel pass and turn right after 1km onto Schwendistrasse. Follow this for about 7 km, where the road crosses the river at Gschwandtenmaad (bus stop) and shortly after there is a left turn over the Rhychenbach onto a gravel track. Turn sharp left and follow this track for about 1km to park just below the Rhychenbachalp farmhouse. There is a charge for parking here, please do not avoid paying this to prevent future access problems.
Walk through the farmhouse and follow the footpath to the warm and friendly Engelhörner hut. About an hour from the farmhouse.
The Engelhörner Hütte is situated at 1900m, and about an hour's walk from the road. It has 50 sleeping places in dormitory style. The hut is right next to the climbs, is manned from June to September and offers an excellent vantage point as well as comfortable, friendly accomodation.
web site: http://www.aacb.ch/engelhorn.php
Telephone : +41 (0) 33 971 47 26
Crags in this region:
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Engelhörner Kingspitze | It looks like a friendly Swiss crag, but Kingspitze is actually a major Alpine undertaking. |
| Engelhörner Simelistock and Vorderspitze | At the left hand side of the cirque of cliffs surrounding the Ochsel valley are three impressive peaks. Klein Simeler, gross Simeler and Vorderspitze are connected by a long ridge climb and several modern classics taking direct lines to the summits. All of the hard routes are well protected with bolts, some backup wires and friends useful. |