the Eiger Trek

2008 DATES Click Dates To Book.... Week 33: 9 Aug - 16 Aug Full Summer Programme Click Here COURSE DURATION 6 days, 7 nights ALL INCLUSIVE PRICE £920 Your course price covers: • Guiding + guides expenses • Full board + accommodation • All picnic lunches/snack food • All course transportation • All mechanical uplift • Loan of technical equipment Click here for Full Details RATIO 7:1 COURSE GRADE Difficulty: 2 Fitness: 4 Click Here for Grading Details

This is perhaps the most challenging of our High Alpine Treks, having steep and exposed 'via ferrata' sections in the first part of the week and strenuous hiking through the wildest terrain of the Oberland in the second. The first two days traverse just north of the main Oberland peaks of the Jungfrau, Mönch, Eiger and Schreckhorn, with stunning views out over these peaks. The rest of the week traverses through little-frequented ground on the eastern end of the Oberland massif.

The first section of the trek is at an ideal height for acclimatisation and takes in an ascent of the impressive Schwartzhorn before dropping down to the charming hamlet of Rosenlaui where we stay at an historically interesting hotel. The second section gives continuously interesting 'technical' trekking, with much scrambling and glacier travel, and links three friendly (and rarely busy) alpine club huts. This is a fantastic mountain journey for trekkers who enjoy challenging terrain – and who have a good head for heights!

Day by day itinerary

day 1: Meet in Leysin
Your guide will meet you in the lounge of the Grand Hotel in Leysin at 7.00pm for a thorough briefing before dinner.

day 2: Lauterbrunnen and along the Eiger Trail to Grindelwald
From Leysin we drive via the picturesque Simmental to Interlaken and then turn south into the spectacular Lauterbrunnen valley, which is lined with massive cliffs with cascading waterfalls and has the Jungfrau (4158m) towering 3000m above. We take the Jungfraujoch railway to Eigergletscher station, situated at 2320m below the West Flank of the Eiger. From here we follow the 'Eiger Trail' which runs directly beneath the north face of the Eiger - an opportunity to pick out the classic 1938 route on the infamous Nordwand. Finally we drop down into Grindelwald where we spend the night at a hotel.

day 3: over the Schwartzhorn to Rosenlaui
We begin this exciting and challenging day by taking the chairlift up to First (2167m). From here a hiking trail leads up to Schilt at 2258m and we continue to the rocky ridge leading to the summit of the Schwartzhorn (2928m). This is equipped as a 'via ferrata' and gives an exhilarating climb, with fixed ladders and cables on all the steepest sections and a rope for complete security. The summit of the Schwartzhorn is a tremendous vantage point for the Eiger and other famous Oberland peaks like the Wetterhorn. We descend towards Grosse Scheidegg and take a good track leading down into the valley and an historic mountain hotel at Rosenlaui. As we descend we now have views of the impressively abrupt limestone peaks of the Englehörner range and the Wellhorn, which we will pass behind tomorrow.

day 4: steep ascent to the Dossen Hut
The Dossen hut is visible from the Rosenlaui hotel – perched high on the ridge below the peak of Dossen. We can start off by walking up through an incredible narrow gorge, worn in the limestone by the outflow of the Rosenlaui glacier. The path then leads up and contours above the glacier, heading for a seemingly impassable rock wall. The path zigzags on up through this with cables and ladders to help on the steepest sections. Eventually we gain the ridge and follow this with much rocky scrambling to the hut. The hut is small and cosy and has more incredible views over the rugged peaks of the Engelhörner range. After a cup of tea or two we will have a training session on the use of crampons, axe and rope on the glacier beside the hut, in readiness for the following day.

day 5: traversing several summits and glaciers to the Gauli Hut
Much of this day is on snow and ice and we will make an early (dawn) start to get the best conditions. We put crampons on more or less straight away to ascend the steep glacial slopes below the summit of Dossen (3138m). These slopes take us to a small col, from where a tiny and exposed track leads around on a narrow ledge below the summit and onto a huge glacial plateau below the Ränfenhorn. We cross this plateau and ascend easy snow slope to the summit at 3259m. The summit is quite broad and is an ideal lunch spot in good weather, with panoramic views of the peaks of the Eastern Oberland. We descend the far side of the peak, also on easy snow slopes, until they peter out into boulder and moraine fields. We have to pick our way down over this, heading for the broad and flat Gauli glacier below. Once we gain this the going is easier again, down the gently descending glacier until a small track leads up off it and then descends through rocks and alpine meadows to the beautifully situated Gauli hut. The Gauli is a recently extended and comfortable hut with a very friendly atmosphere.

day 6: the long and serious wilderness trek into the Bächlital
We make an early start again as this is also a big day, much of it on glacial ground. It is also very remote country – typically we don’t see a single other person until we get to the Bächlital hut! We start by descending to the stream that flows out of the Gauli glacier and following this back up, with an interesting steep section on a mini ‘via ferrata’, until a small cable bridge allows us to cross the stream and gain the valley below the Hiendertellti. This is wild and rugged ground which has only the vaguest of tracks, which we follow upwards, over a couple of rocky bluffs, to gain the glacier. This leads up more easily until a steep section above the final bergschrund and a rocky scramble (with a cable for assistance) brings us to the pass, called the Ober Bächlilicken. A steep ladder takes us down onto the Bächli glacier and we descend this more easily until a short track takes us to the hut. This is also a very pleasant hut, popular with rock climbers who come to climb on the excellent cliffs just beside it.

day 7: out of the Oberland to the granite valleys of the Grimsel Pass
A pleasant track leads down from hut to an impressive viewpoint over the granite slabs and jagged peaks of the Handegg valley. We drop down steeply into this valley and then follow a lovely track which descends the valley to meet our transport back to Leysin at the Handegg hotel.

day 8: Depart from Leysin after breakfast at Le Grand Chalet.

Maps: Berner Oberland 5004, Gotthard 5001 (1:50,000)

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