Mürtschenstock Ruchen

When driving below on the A3, the Mürtschenstock doesn't look like a mountain that can be scrambled up. Yet while the full ridge traverse is indeed a highly regarded undertaking for climbers, the normal route onto the highest summit (Ruchen) is actually within reach of alpine hikers. The starting point of Talalp can be reached by car from Filzbach (don't forget to buy a parking ticket at the machine when driving out of Filzbach).

After the long approach walk along the Talalpsee and the Spanneggsee, we reach the scree slope at Chüetel. By sticking to the grass as much as possible, the ascent of the scree slope turns out to be easier than we feared. At ca. 1900m, the terrain narrows into a steep gully. The best route up through the gully is not always obvious. Currently, there is still a significant amount of snow in the middle of the gully. Since we've come equipped with crampons and ice axe, we happily make use of the snow, rather than trying to find a way up next to the snow. Just before reaching the Ruchen south ridge at ca. 2240m, the steepest part of the gully is secured with a fixed cable. Along the south ridge, the traces on the ground are slightly more obvious. The route first makes some diversions through the east face, then briefly uses a ledge in the west face, before it sticks to the top of the ridge for the final stretch to the summit.

The SAC Alpinwandern/Gipfelziele guidebook grades the route as T6, here on Hikr T6- and T5+ seem more common. Indeed, the individual technical difficulties never really reach T6 (thanks to the fixed cable in the crux). However, it should also be considered that this is a long tour, requiring a good eye for the best route in the continuously demanding terrain from the 1900m contour onward until the summit. There are no quick escape options and there is no easier way down from the summit.