Tschuggen + Lauberhorn

I joined Sputnik for a hike onto the Tschuggen, of which he already published his own report. Different from Sputnik, I also explored the Tschuggen south ridge and added and ascent of the Lauberhorn to my day.

The ascent of the Tschuggen via P. 2333 (nice photo spot) and the east ridge is relatively straight-forward. There mostly is a visible path along the east ridge, though currently this is partially hidden under the snow. Near the summit, one short steeper section over flaky rock requires some extra care (T3+), but this crux is conquered very quickly.

The difficulty of the Tschuggen south ridge was put into question by albinbachi, but for me a grade of T4 fits quite well. It's a mix of Schrofen and easy scrambling on brittle rock. Not the most pleasant terrain, but not really difficult either. The middle part of the ridge between Tschuggen and Lauberhorn is a nice grass ridge. Since a direct ascent of the Lauberhorn is impossible, I descend through the east face back towards the hiking path, a quick descent over a nice, supporting layer of snow.

After saying goodbye to Sputnik, I tackle the Lauberhorn, taking a slightly more direct line than the hiking path. The ice axe comes in handy on these steeper slopes which still have some more snow on them. I share the summit with a ski-paraglider, who uses the summit slopes to lift off for a gliding descent towards Grindelwald. No other hikers can be seen. The ski slopes down below (mostly artificial strips of white in the grass) are considerably busier... A slightly surreal situation. I happily make use of the fact that the bar at the Lauberhornschulter is open for the skiers, and I join them with a beer in a relax chair, enjoying the warm sunshine.