Switzerland - Central

A relatively easy, but nevertheless interesting, scenic and enjoyable tour. Chli Bielenhorn is a popular destination, and with good reason. Realp is easily accessible by road or train, and the summit is accessible as a one day tour. It can also be used as part of a multi day tour with overnight stops in either the SAC Albert Heim hütte or the more comfortable, but still very reasonable Tiefenbach hotel. The rock architecture and views from the summit are superb. It is not too difficult or dangerous, but at the same time challenging enough.

Engelberg is one of the best resorts in the alps for off piste ski routes, with many excellent and long itineraries. Amongst them the Laub, Titlis, Galtiberg, Sulzi and Wendenstock-Lücke all offer excellent sport on long, steep, beautiful runs. They require little uphill work, but the risk of crevasses, avalanches, route finding or sliding off a cliff mean that they are for experienced off piste skiers only, and should be treated with respect. There have been fatalities on many of the routes described here.

A pleasant tour from a very popular starting location. The climb to the top of Fürstein offers superb views, especially when the Hochnebel is present in the valleys.There are no real difficulties or dangers, and the tour makes for a very nice day out.

Galenstock is the highest mountain in central Switzerland, and offers a superb ski tour with a moderately difficult mountaineering finish. Situated at the top of the Tiefengletscher, which itself is ringed by half a dozen impressive peaks, Galenstock towers above all of them and offers views over practically the whole of Switzerland.

The smooth mountain with a beautiful powder descent. Glatten overlooks Klausenpass but is best reached on skis from the end of Muotothal. A relatively easy, gradual ascent is followed by a slightly steeper variation that lies in the shadow and in good conditions offers perfect powder.

Hengst is the highest point of Schrattenfluh, a unique ridge of limestone pavements. In the summer and autumn, the geology of this is fascinating. In winter it is covered with snow and provides a wonderful area for ski touring, that is neither difficult nor dangerous. Beware early and late season though, some of the cracks in the pavement are deep, and have not been pointed very well! In good weather there are excellent views of the Eiger and the Bernese Oberland.

An attractive and challenging mountain; what Blümberg lacks in size, it makes up for in quality. The mountain is accessible from the delightful Lidernenhütte,  but does not give itself up easily, with a challenging traverse, and the last few meters on foot. If conditions are not good it is best left for another day due to the risk of avalanche and difficult navigation in poor visibility. The descents however are beautiful, whether back to Käppeliberg, as described here, or all the way down to Muotathal. There is often insufficient snow for the latter early and late in the season.

The Lidernenhütte is an excellent base for ski touring, with half a dozen summits easily accessible from the hut. Here three are described. One, two or all three summits are possible within one day from the top of the Käppeliberg gondola, with an overnight stay at the hut as an option. The tour offers fine views of central Switzerland, without any great difficulty or danger.

A nice tour, easily accessible from Oberalppass. From the summit, if conditions allow it is possible to ski back to Andermatt, or continue to reach the SAC Maighels hütte, from where more tours are possible. Maighelshütte is one of the sources of the Rhine, where the river starts its 1200km journey to the North Sea at Rotterdam. On its way it will pass through Switerland, Germany, France and Holland. The Rhine is the second longest river in Europe after the Danube.

A beautiful ski mountain, accessible from either Sustenpass or Göschenen.

A popular and very worthwhile tour from Melchsee Frutt. A not too long ascent, beautiful views from the summit and a long descent combine to make this a great day out. Melchsee Frutt is a busy ski resort, and queues in the morning can be long, but the village itself with its lakes, mountain views and traditional atmosphere show the reason why. Once you start the tour though, the crowds are soon left behind. The route itself is not too steep, with just one tricky section on the uphill reaching the col before the summit.

An impressive and popular peak, Sustenhorn is the largest mountain above Sustenpass and glaciated on both sides. The glacier has many crevasses, both on the steeper lower section, and the upper section. Care is needed, particularly in early winter when the crevasses are not fully filled with snow, Many parties choose not to rope up, but anyone who has been there in summer and seen the number and depth of the crevasses will probably want to!

Situated on the corner of Kantons Berne, Uri and Obwalden, Grassen falls just short of 3000m. It has stunning views of the walls of Titlis and the nearby glaciers, as well as one of the most significant ski descents in Central Switzerland.