UKC

Does anyone have thoughts / opinions on a straightforward peaks/s to climb in Switzerland during July/ August.  I was last here about 25 years ago and realise global warming has changed things.  I’d be climbing with my 13 yr child, some something simple, but a good tick.  Don’t mind if it’s a bit remote.

For 4000m peaks, Breithorn, Allalinhorn are both easy snow plods and short due to high lift access. Strahlhorn is a longer snow pod necessitating a night in a hut.

Bishorn might be another candidate but I haven’t done that so you’d want to double check.

The above assumes a party comfortable with glacier travel and dealing with crevasse danger. Edit: i.e. probably not one adult and one child.

If you want to avoid glacier travel then you’d want to look to 3000m peaks.

What about the  Pigne d'Arolla. Climbed it with my kids a couple years ago. I think my younger one was 12 at thr time. Really nice peak, about 3800 IIRC.

Rocky ones, or including the white stuff?

It's quite a lot cheaper to approach some like Breithorn from the Italian side – a bit more of a plod, even without doing the whole nicer traverse from the east, but the Italian lift gets you nearly to the same altitude as the Swiss one, at a fraction of the cost, though you'd then have to cross the piste on foot as well, which makes it longer.

And for some other easy snow plods at altitude with kids, Grossvenediger also comes to mind. The main route from the east side is really easy (just a boring glacier plod, pretty safe in the summer), though you can make it a tiny bit more interesting by going to all the sub‑summits of the whole plateau (some might include a bergschrund or two, though).

The Lagginhorn normal route gets you up a 4,000 metre peak with no glacier crossing (you can choose to use crampons to cross a snow field or you can avoid it by staying on the rocky ridge in which case in summer you wouldn't need crampons at all in august) , only moderate ground (PD, tiny amount of scrambling at the top), little objective danger. Super route to do with a keen child.

https://www.summitpost.org/lagginhorn/150308

You can take the cable car to pretty close to the hut but walking up to the hut from the valley takes maybe 5 hours and makes it a better trip and saves money.

If you are happy to pay the cost of the swiss hut then it would be worth staying two nights (they are relaxed about people bringing their own food and it has a lovely terrace for eating on) and the following day doing the Via Ferrata on the Jegihorn:

https://www.sac-cas.ch/en/huts-and-tours/sac-route-portal/7799/via_ferrata/...

And then for the descent you walk down to the cable car mid-station and rent a 'monster scooter' each to ride back down to the valley:

https://www.swissactivities.com/en-ch/monster-scooter/saas-grund-monstertro...

youtube.com/watch?v=1cCh3-2hz-0&

Depending on experience and assuming you're happy with glaciated approaches there are a few good options near Arolla

Southeast Ridge via Luette Glacier (F+)   is straight forward but a nice outing from the really good Dix Hut. Could be done in a long day from Arolla

Southeast flank (F)  is a straight forward route on a great peak from the Vignettes hut.

North-northwest Ridge (PD) from the Moiry Hut.

Northeast Ridge (PD+) feels slightly more serious but another great peak without any technical difficulties. Also from the Moiry hut.

This would be my suggestion too. The Dix hut is a good first day with the ladders for a bit of excitement. Looking across to Dent Blanche and the Matterhorn makes those mornings special even on those very easy routes.

The Jegihorn has a straightforward walking ascent, fantastic views and a hut not too far below for refreshments both ways.

https://www.sac-cas.ch/en/huts-and-tours/sac-route-portal/jegihorn-saas-gru...

We did the Ulrichshorn and Weissmies a couple of years ago, from Saas Grund. I'd consider either/both suitable objectives for a 13 year old with some experience of scrambling, axe and crampons.

Another vote for the Lagginhorn. Very straightforward if snow free. I once flippantly suggested on these forums that you could do it in trainers (and got told off!). Relative lack of difficulty and objective danger aside , it's a great summit and should be very manageable with a youngster.

I disagree for the following reasons…

The glacier crossing on the way to Ulrichshorn forces you to walk parallel to the general pattern of crevasses. This strikes me as being considerably more dangerous than walking perpendicular to the crevasses.

The Weissmies ordinary route from Honsass has high objective crevasse and serac danger. The route from Amagelar Hut while objectively safe isn’t imho particularly easy in descent so possibly isn’t what the OP is looking for.

I think you may have got it on a good day and I got it on a bad day… From my outing on I couldn’t imagine it’s the easy time the OP is looking for.

Yes. Virtually snow free when we did it. I can see it would be different in more wintery conditions.

I agree with you on both the Ulrichshorn and Weissmies. 

The day I got, the summit cone was a steep very exposed snow slope.

Mostly exposed rock with a dusting of snow when we did it. We did put crampons on for the final haul to the summit, but sparks were flying fairly frequently. 

Photo from our ascent - this is just below the summit.

Summit.

There were some deaths a few years ago just below the summit. Not to be underestimated.

Jegihorn also has a good ferrata plus some lower grade sport routes.However the op hasn’t said what sort of ascent they are interested in.

Descending 1000m or so from most of the other suggestions, how about some of the less well known peaks in Glarus:

From memory (of the early-mid 90s) all the following were great days out, mostly walking but with some scrambling and occasional snow patches. No ropes. 

Chli Windgallen (2986)

Schächentaler Windgallen (2764)  - lots of scrambling

Gross Rüchen (3138) - long walk-in.

Murtschenstock (2441) - lots of scrambling

Falknis (2562) 

Bös Fulen (2802). 

Karpf (2794 m)



 

Indeed. With any hill over 4000m you have anticipate an unexpected dump of snow at any time of year. It's impossible to categorically state in Jan you won't need crampons on X hill in July. You might even be able to dodge old snow and ice rock hopping scrambling up, but that's much harder descending. 

I don't recognise either of those issues from when we did them a couple of years ago. The ascent of the Ulrischorn was probably as stress free a day as I've had on a snowy peak, ditto the Weissmeiss (though via the SSE ridge from the Almagelleralp hut) There were many parties of all abilities and experience levels on both. 

Another vote for Arolla as a base, and another easy route/Peak is Pointe de Vouasson 3490m (F). Straightforward day up to the Cabanes des Aiguilles Rouge Hut at 2800m, then a glacier crossing and simple climb up a couple of rock steps. Great views over to at least 8 4000m Peaks including Dent Blanche, Matterhorn and Dent D'Herens.Pointe de Vouasson summit (summit)

Has your child any previous experience with glacier travel and/or higher mountains requiring acclimatisation? Is she/he generally fit? It’s hard to recommend anything without knowing the basics.

The ascent of Weissmies via the Triftgrat route feels fairly serious. The seracs that loom over the glacier approach collapsed a couple of weeks after we did the route.

There are no seracs - or indeed glaciers - on the ascent by the SSE ridge. Just a nice rocky scramble and then a 100m horizontal snow ridge to the summit.

Yes. I kind of wish we'd done that route. The approach is certainly a lot prettier. Another time!

Yes but that's not the route being discussed above!!  I think it is reasonable to highlight the serac danger on a route that until a few years ago was much safer and also has the shortest approach and is thus attractive to those with limited experience/stamina.

Pointe de Vouasson is a good one. We were in the Aiguille Rouge hut and did that as an acclimatisation route with a friend who was rather worried about the whole thing. An easy hill and gentle walk from Arolla with Lac Blue for a swim on the way down. 

I'm losing the will to live here! When I suggested the Weissmeis, it was by the route that I'd done; I should have been more explicit, and in later posts I was.

And I still think the SSE ridge is a 'fun', safe 4000m peak. 

Think the OP has also lost the will ...

Climate change? This was 7th Sep. 2002, perfectly straightforward.

Na, just weather. Over the years I’ve seen the snow come and go over the course of two week holidays.

I´m signing off after this post. We have no idea of the experience of your child, and there´s nothing on your profile to indicate yours. 30 odd people have given advice, and we´ve had no reaction from you.

There´s been a lot of talk of 4000ers here; "easy" and "safe" 4000ers are a very relative thing. We have no idea of what sort of climbing you and your child would be safely capable of, so it´s impossible to give appropriate advice.

I took my then 12 year old son up the Wildspitze (3768m) on his first alpine holiday; much of the route was snow and glacier. We´d spent a couple of days on lower peaks, done some practising of walking with crampons, basic ice axe arrest and so on. He coped fine with the climb and we had a great day, but anything higher or more difficult would have been too much. He was physically very fit, had been taken for a 16 year old in the hut, but he was completely whacked after the tour and we descended to the valley the next day to hit the cafés and the swimming pool. What I´m saying is: what could be easy and safe for you could be anything but that for a teenager.

Would be nice to get some feedback from you; maybe then we could give more helpful advice.

Mebbes aye, mebbes naw, as Kenny would say. My photo was late summer, with no recent snowfall.

Is the Alphubel summit cross showing a bit more than it was in 2012?