Schächentaler Windgällen

With a sprained ankle, the wise decision would be to let it rest and recover all weekend. But with an opportunity to climb the spectacular Schächentaler Windgällen in perfect autumn conditions, I was never going to stay down in the fog in Zürich. So I told my ankle: "you better get well by Saturday, because I'm going up whether you like it or not". Thankfully, that worked well enough for a relatively painless day out.

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From Untere Balm on the Klausenpassstrasse, we climb along marked hiking paths to Ruosalper Chulm. From here, we follow an unmaked but clear path along the ridge to the eastern walls of the Läged Windgallen. Two coloirs, split by a marked rock tower, could be clearly seen already from the path near Chli Geissberg. Cains lead the way to the left-hand (western) couloir. The scramble up the 50m tall couloir is the first crux of the tour (T4+ / I; easier than it looks). This brings us onto the Läged Windgällen NE slopes near P. 2520. The NE slopes have a gentle incline, but the terrain is wild nonetheless, and treacherous rime on the rocks makes this passage rather tricky. After traversing for a while, the Läged Windgällen summit is reached from the NNW.

From Läged Windgällen, we walk along the ridge to P. 2537 and further directly towards the monumental Höch/Schächentaler Windgällen. The 200m of ascent to the summit is a great scrambling route which is very clearly marked with yellow paint. The crux consists of two successive chimneys in the upper part of the route. The difficulties don't exceed T5 / II, the exposure is not as bad as it seems from a distance, and fixed cables and pegs provide plenty of help on the more difficult sections. The only real seriousness of the route is the fact that you have to climb down the same way; hence the overall grade of T5+ (helmet recommended). More details can be found e.g. in the photos of Sputnik's report or in a recent report by basodino. As can be expected from such a distinct peak, the summit of the Höch Windgällen provides spectacular views over the Zentralschweiz and the Glarner Alpen, with a blanket of Hochnebel around 1500m adding to the magic. There is a log book inside the large summit cairn. Unfortunately the log book is wet and we are not able to write a message.

We descend along the same way back to P. 2537. From the cairn here, a clearly visible path through scree descends onto the Unter Band. On the map, the Unter Band does not look like a very pleasant route, but in fact the trail here is surprisingly pleasant and offers stunning views (T4). Recommended, especially in descent.

We reach Mettener Butzli, where you could drive by car on condition of paying for a 10 CHF permit at Hotel Posthaus in Urigen. After a pathless short-cut, we join the Schächentaler Höhenweg and disappear into the fog, which has risen quickly through the day. (A small depression at high altitude was "sucking up" the fog; so said the weather man later on the radio.) The walk back to Untere Balm is now easy and grey, and therefore drags on a little.

We drive up to the Klausenpass, where we enjoy a drink and 30 more minutes of sun, before also the pass is swallowed by the rising clouds.

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The Höch Windgällen is often graded as T6, but we found it a little easier than expected. It's a very rewarding route on an awe-inspiring mountain!