UKC

Hi! I'm going to be in the Saas Fee area for a week's climbing in early July - just wondered if anyone had any recommendations for a few warm up/acclimatisation outings?

Will be staying in Saas Grund for the first few days so I can take advantage of free lift passes.

Any thoughts would be gratefully received! Thanks in advance

In reply to dylan_the_fox:

Mittaghorn & Jeggihorn are 3000m peaks which are usually snow free in July. By thier easiest routes they are just a walk similar to doing Scottish Munro. Both however have Via Ferratta if you want to add intrest and Jeggihorn has some long (300m) easy bolted rock climbs.

Jeggihorn is the nicer of the two.

In reply to dylan_the_fox: Try one of the bolted rock route on the Jegihorn, mostly around UK V Diff from memory and 300m long with a great view from the top.

In reply to dylan_the_fox:

It all depends - one team's warm up is another's epic climax! Our first week there a few years ago we walked up to about 2500 m first day, did allalinhorn by normal route (F) as a day trip, then traverse of the Weissmies staying at almageller hut (PD thoroughly recommended) then Nadelhorn by normal route staying at michabel hut (PD). No problems with acclimatisation. Descent from Michabel is a knee wrecker - take trainers and poles!

Having also been in Chamonix, Bernina, Italian side of Monte Rosa and Arolla, I think Sass Fee/Grund is my fave valley base. Just don't expect any nightlife. Have fun

In reply to dylan_the_fox: We have the Balfrin at the head of the valley planed for a warm up, straightforward PD/F traverse and up to 3796m, with a bit of a hut grunt beforehand, but nothing very technical.

It is said to command an excellent view of the Zermatt peaks, also the Bernese Oberland to the North, which hopefully you will have a bit more time to savour than on some of the bigger peaks.

In reply to dylan_the_fox:

Walk up to the Almagellar (sp?) Hut, do the classic AD traverse of the Dri Horlini (pure rock traverse of a ridge with three "horns" - superb in its own right), which is about 10 mins from the hut and maybe do some of the bolted climbs up the side of the ridge. Then do the traverse of the weismiss and come down the other side.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far! Looking forward to a first visit to the valley after previous trips down to Zermatt, the Oberland and Monte Rosa.

We'll be looking at making the Weissmies traverse, and also the Allalinhorn via the Hohlaubgrat (conditions allowing!) - the Jegihorn sounds like a good no-snow day too.

Any suggestions for a couple of day rambles in case the clag is in?

In reply to dylan_the_fox: The Path between Saas Fee and Grachen is great. If you get tried you can decend midway and the is a little cabel car that takes you to the road ( in fact I am in said cabel car at the monent.

Just bear in mind the there is still a hell of a lot of snow around. If the warm weather keeps up in a couple of weeks things should be doable ( according to my neighbour). Lots of people heading out ski touring today in Saas.

In reply to Blinder:

"in fact I am in said cabel car at the monent."

Amazing!

In reply to dylan_the_fox: There are some fun bolted climbs (single and multi pitch lines) on the face of the Dri Hornli ridge right by the Almageller hut. http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=3077
Beautiful walk up to the hut from Saas Almagell too. The traverse of the Dri Hornli ridge is a good outing. The hut is one of the nicest in the area with a really helpful guardian who has brilliant English (he bolted the crag), they sell good colour topos of the bolted routes for a few Swiss Francs. Worth staying a few days, doing the ridge, a few bolted routes, then traversing across the Weissmies down to Hohsaas or the Weissmies hut from there you can do routes on the Lagginhorn, Fletschorn (Alpine) and Jegihorn (bolted rock, scrambly walk or Via Ferrata).

In reply to The Ivanator:

I'm glad you agreed with my post

In reply to Skyfall: Just giving it the hard sell ...good time guaranteed

In reply to dylan_the_fox:

Up to almageller hut, over pass next day to Italian and stay at Andolla hut next day (great bar), next day up via Ferrara back to Switzerland and almageller hut. Then either down to valley or stay and do some peaks.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions - more than enough for a month!

Will definitely be aiming for the Almageller hut!

Conditions seem to shaping up so hopefully the weather will smile on us in a couple of weeks' time - I will come back and let you know what we did!

Thanks again - it's been really useful

In reply to dylan_the_fox: From the Almageller you do a straightforward ascent of the Weissmies, either traversing the mountain by descending via the voi normalle to the Weissmies hut or going back to the same hut. There is no crevasse exposure following the South South East ridge up and down from the Almageller up and down, the descent back to the valley from the Almageller is however grinding!

In reply to The Ivanator: I would not like to have been trying the Dreieselwand when that picture was taken.

In reply to Simon4: We were keen to try the "Donkey Wall" on Lenspitze, but as you can see conditions dictated otherwise...

In reply to The Ivanator:

That was one of the options for this Summer. I managed to persuade/get agreement from my partner that we would NOT try it, but would do the East North East Ridge - Lenzjoch - Nadelhorn South East ridge, on the basis that that circuit should provide more interesting climbing than 500m of the same movements, on uniform 50 degree ice.

He assured me that he agrees to this strategy, not fully convinced how genuine the agreement is as he has never been on an ice-wall like that and might want to try the experience. I on the other hand, do not as I have found them quite tedious.