UKC

Hi all. I’m looking to cross the Theodul Glacier in the Swiss Alps whilst hiking the Tour de Monte Rosà in mid July. Has anyone had experience of doing this at this time of year? I’ve heard it is a very safe crossing, with most of the hiking route crossing a summer ski piste, hence my intention is to take no special equipment. Does anyone know what the conditions are likely to be like? Thank you 

Crevasses criss cross the pisted area. I went knee deep into one in the centre of the piste and you can see many crack lines across what are obviously vast crevasses. It's definitely worth bearing in mind that the surface pressure exerted by a skiier is less than that of a walker.

When the pisted area is busy traffic may force you off piste where the snow bridges are less compact.

Saying all that I have crossed it without a rope but on my third trip up there in a two week period with four crossings in a short time before. Depends on your own assessment but it's not safe because it's a piste.

Thank you. What's the crossing part that's not on the piste like? I've heard it's icy - but is that the bigger danger zone for crevasses?

You haven't said which direction you are going - clock or anti-clock? It doesn't make a lot of difference other than the time of day you'll be doing it and whether you are in ascent or descent. Assuming clockwise...

The glacier from the Theodul hut to Trockenersteg is probably one of the safest glacier 'crossings' you are likely to find. After a steepening near the hut it's almost flat and is therefore not so subjected to breaking up over hidden rocky obstacles beneath the ice and so crevasses, whilst still there, tend to be minimal. It's also continually used by piste machines to maintain it as a descent for Zermatt based skiers and as such is well compacted. It is often snow free in it's lower part in which case the machines try to break up the ice to make it skiable. If you stay at Theodul hut you'll be able to descend early when it's frozen to further minimise any danger.

However, your route is not so much a crossing but rather a descent, following the piste - you can follow it all the way to Trockenersteg - you'll encounter some unpleasant muddy sections at the end, but this is perhaps the safest of your two options. The other option is of course to head across to the rocks on the eastern side of the glacier when about halfway down the piste, and follow these to the Gandegg hut, which is far more scenic, but this requires a short section off the piste where the piste machines/skiers don't go and so you should maybe only do this if the glacier is dry or very well frozen (assuming you are not equipped). 

I've occasionally used crampons for this descent but equally have often done it in just approach shoes - a compromise of course would be to take a pair of mini spikes. I've done it roped up but often unroped - but like atthedropofahat I have once put my foot down a small crevasse. All the above are my opinions/observations and it's of course entirely your decision whether to go equipped or not.

Note: if you're not going to Theodul , but take the lift to Testa Grigia then bear in mind there is more likely to be snow covering and the steepening more likely to have crevasses in it, though I've never had a problem here either. Higher up however - not that it will affect you - on the piste between Klein Matterhorn and Testa Grigia, there are some impressive crevasses across the piste even though it's piste machined incessantly…!

Thanks Jon. We're actually going anti-clockwise following the route in the Tour de Monte Rosa guidebook. But that does mean getting to the glacier late in the day. Realistically mid to late afternoon, and then likely spending the night in the Theodul hut. 

Honestly I have no experience of glacier crossing or using safety equipment myself and for this reason am reluctant to rope up - if one of us falls down a crevasse when roped, we'll just likely both end up falling down. So the decision is whether to cross in hiking boots and walking poles (I can at least poke the snow in front of me!) OR we don't do the route at all. 

I am aware that runners doing the Ultra Tour de Monte Rosa cross the glacier without any safety equipment and sometimes in misty weather during early September. This is what's making me think there's a minimal risk of crossing without safety equipment. 

We crossed from klein matterhorn to testa grigia on our route as we took the lift up from Zermatt and also took the lift from testa grigia to the first stop at partenza tracciato. We usex the lifts as we were fleeing an approaching bad weather front moving in and didn't want yo get trapped in Zermatt. The crossing from Klein matterhorn to tezta grigia was fine, we had a guide with us but we didn't rope up or even use crampons/mini spikes. The guide pointed out a few 'holes' as we walked.

As Hilary discusses on page 58 of the book there are pros and cons for both directions but she obviously had to opt for one, not having the space to describe both! This year she's going clockwise...

In that case you could spend the night in Zermatt and take the first lift to Trockenersteg and therefore be there when the snow is harder. If however you are not planning on using the lift and walking up and therefore risk being late up there then another option to get an early start is to spend the night at Gandegg. Having said that, I've walked up from Trockenersteg to Testa Grigia twice late afternoon/evening and had no problems - other than the mud at the start and dodging piste machines! Certainly going via the Theodul hut/pass, whether staying there or not, minimises your exposure to the glacier and also makes it more likely that the part you have to travel on is dry (dry = snow free and therefore safe from hidden crevasses) and therefore less affected by temperature than snow. Looking at the webcam however it does seem to be entirely snow at the moment: https://www.zermatt.ch/en/Webcams/Trockener-Steg-2-939-m A couple more weeks and some will have melted but I'd say it's unlikely to be snow free all the way.

Misty conditions - pretty easy navigation especially with piste markers! Getting up to Theodul - my recollection is that it's easier to walk past it, staying on the glacier then double back on a track leading to it rather than trying to get directly to it.

Walking poles and boots are probably adequate - my opinion. As I said above mini spikes are a good idea but probably not essential. An ice axe - again my opinion - would be rather superfluous… 

That's very helpful thank you - also good to have the webcam link and nice to know there's a hut option below the Glacier. 

The Testa Grigia to Klein Matterhorn is the route I was speaking about.

Ah, OK. I've walked down that way from the last KM lift a few times to see a bulldozer shovelling tons and tons of snow into big (and getting bigger) holes on that piste - just on the TG side of the short tunnel. All the skiing is in the morning so I guess they expect it to be safe due to the overnight freeze.

The tunnel disappeared 5+ years ago  

You mention they only ski in the morning - is this because the snow and ice thaw too much in the afternoon, making it dangerous on the glacier?

No, it's because skiing in porridge isn't much fun.

No one is quite going to say "you'll be fine, it's safe" , because it is a glacier and you can never be quite certain. But each year 100s (1000s?) of people cross it with no problem. 

Well sort of, but it's more that the snow gets so wet that it's unpleasant to ski on. The summer ski area is used by lots of countries' ski teams to race train on and skiing that fast on soft wet snow is dangerous. Recreational skiers don't want to ski on it either so it all stops around midday to early afternoon. Also the snow melts quicker if skiers churn it up when it's wet. Proper grooming however prolongs its life.

Martin: did it really?! Here's where it was, though I always had the impression it was nearer to Klein Matterhorn. https://www.google.fr/maps/place/3920+Zermatt,+Switzerland/@45.926877,7.721... However, it does show the horrendous terrain the pistes are prepared on and the amount of work it requires to keep them open!

Two years ago there was a tunnel on the pistes. Slightly closer to Klein Matterhorn. It was above that that I plunged a knee. Mind you it was after the last lift and late season. 

Interesting.  Maybe it's seasonal.  Definitely hasn't been there in April for a few years.

You ski so fast Martin that you missed it

The tunnel was definitely there last summer.