Rottällihorn, Gross Leckihorn, descent Witenwasserenpass-Oberwald

Day 1
Realp - Rottällihorn - Rotondohütte
1400m ascent, 350m descent, 4h45, PD

The weather is perfect and skiers have come to Realp by the dozens to take advantage of the conditions.

Around Höhenbiel, the "summer route" is passable on skis as well, with the exception of the debris of one avalanche, which needs to be crossed on foot.

Conditions are excellent on the east ridge of the Rottällihorn. I only have to go on foot in one spot, and with some manoeuvring, it would even have been possible to do the entire ridge on skis. In average conditions, you will have to do most of the ridge on foot (as marked on the map).

The descent from the Rottällipass to the Rotondohütte is short but offers some brilliant unspoiled powder.

The Rotondohütte is almost fully booked. The atmosphere is good and the food is tasty. Unfortunately, the bunk beds on the upper floor are only suitable for people shorter than 1m70... (Check the website to know if the guardians of the hut are present, or if only the winter room is open.)

Day 2
Rotondohütte - Gross Leckihorn - Witenwasserenpass - Geretal - Oberwald
750m ascent, 2000m descent, 4h30, PD

The advantage of a relaxed start is that most of the ascent towards the Leckipass is already in the sun.

The Gross Leckihorn is a popular destination. About half of the visitors today leave their skis at ca. 2960m and do the rest of the ascent on foot. The other half continue on skis until ca. 20m below the summit. The summit cross is then reached by some easy scrambling. The actual summit pinnacle is not normally climbed in winter.

After a short downhill, we put the skins on the skis again to reach the Witenwasserenpass via the Witenwasserengletscher. On the other side of the pass is the remote, scenic Geretal. This descent should only be attempted in good conditions! The descent itself is not steep at all, but the steep slopes on either side of the narrow valley are very prone to avalanches. Indeed, large avalanche debris fields are all over the valley. From ca. 1700m downwards, the valley becomes too flat to obtain any speed and there are repeated short uphills demanding some physical effort. Down in Oberwald, it is possible to use the cross country piste to get a little closer to the railway station.

We take the train through the tunnel back to Realp, where it's even busier than the day before. Cars are parked along the main road over a distance of more than a kilometer, as far as Steinbergen. But who can blame them? Perfect snow, perfect weather, perfect weekend.