I only have Saturday morning available for a hike, but plenty motivation for a decent tour. The result: a 3.20am alarm and a 5.10am start at the end of the Chlital (Isenthal). A large traffic sign lists the times when the Postauto uses the narrow road from Bauen to Isenthal. It might be advisable to wait a couple of minutes,...

The Trosweg onto the Rautispitz saw a couple of Hikr ascents in 2015 after PStraub first wrote about it. Since then, things have gotten quiet again about this route. The Trosweg had stayed on my ToDo-list, though. When looking for a route not too far from Zürich and preferably shadowy for a hot summer day, this north-sided...

With the weather forecast predicting good weather on Saturday, but thunderstorms all day on Sunday, we went looking for a hut that could be reached within a couple of hours from Zürich already on Friday afternoon. Our choice fell on the Sidelenhütte. My idea for Saturday would have been the Galenstock SE spur, but my rope...

"Möglichst lange oben bleiben, wo die Aussicht am schönsten ist. Mit spektakulären Tief- und Weitblicken zu beiden Seiten." So says t2star in the latest "4-seasons" Transa magazine. It might as well have been the motto of this 3-day Vorarlberg trek. Not only did we complete the sublime Walserkamm, we then crossed the Furkajoch...

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...

"Of all the excellent viewpoints in this guidebook, the Pizzo Forno might be the number one," writes SAC Alpinwandern/Gipfelziele Gotthard. "The ascent is best left for an autumn day with clear weather." Check and check. Or so we thought, until a cloud came out of nowhere to reach the summit Pizzo Forno summit at exactly the same...

Nach der doch herausfordernden Tour vom Vortag - bei besten Wetterbedingungen - sowie einem gelungen Auftakt zum Hikr-Treffen im Posthuis, erwartet uns heute morgen auf Melchsee-Frutt, nicht unerwartet, eher trübes Wetter; wir beschliessen, noch vor dem „Briefing“ mit den im Clubhaus Bergfrieden versammelten Hikrn, einen...

Der Fondueflüsterer Damit keine Missverständnisse entstehen: ich bin nicht der Typ, der sich mit falschen Titeln schmückt. Das überlasse ich prominenten Politikern. Es war Prof. Dr. Hikronimus Wopo persönlich, der die Universität Flachlandhausen beauftragt hat, mir diesen Titel zu verleihen. Voraussichtlich werde ich...

Das Wetter ist derart schön, dass wir bereits früh nach Melchsee-Frutt anreisen, und uns noch vor dem Hikr-Treffen auf eine (für mich neue) klassische Grat-Alpinwanderroute begeben. Am malerischen, verträumt in der Hochebene liegenden, Blausee vorbei steuern wir dem Hochstollen zu, und machen uns auf, das doch...

I have already been a fan of the "Schweiz 3000" and "Ostalpen 3000" books published by Rother Selection. When I noticed the new "Gratwandern Schweiz" guidebook by some of the same authors (congratz Pit, t2star and Omega3), I did not hesitate. There are plenty of great hiking ideas in there. Many routes were already known to me,...

36km, 3500m ascent, 2900m descent, some 20 summits, 16h45, following the spine of the Brienzer Rothorn massif, including some of the best grass ridges in the Alps. Preface There's a fun exchange of comments in another Hikr report:   Übernachtet habe ich im Hotel Rothorn-Kulm, wie das wohl alle tun (Nik...

The Nadelhorn: not a bad goal for my first 4000m peak :). Day 1 Gasenried - Bordierhütte 4h15, 1250m ascent, 50m descent, T4 The ascent from Gasenried to the Bordierhütte("Bordier" pronounced in a French way)is relatively long but pleasantly varied. The path first goes up through the forrest, then through a fascinating...

For the second day in a row, I'm venturing into the Uri Alps. And for the second day running, though by total coincidence, I'm going in parinacota's footsteps... This time, our common goal is the Bälmeten. Yesterday we were surprised by the incredible amounts of snow on the Chaiserstock. Today, it's equally astonishing how little...

The Fruttstägä via ferrata is two years old but is yet to see it's first Hikr ascent. It's a short route that can be done in half a day, or it can be the start of a longer tour in the Chaiserstock massif. We go for the second option. From Biel/Kinzig, signposts show the way to the start of the Fruttstägä via ferrata (K4-)....

Finally I have managed to do another after-work sunset hike. They never disappoint! The mix of clouds and the setting sun created some amazing light. On Hikr, the Lauiberg is often visited as part of a longer and more challenging Sihltal round, but the mountain is also a very worthwhile objective on its own. ---- I park...

Mount Brandon is the highest point on the Dingle peninsula and the highest Irish mountain outside of MacGillycuddy's Reeks. The most popular ascent is the "Pilgrims path" which passes below the Faha ridge. The Cicerone guidebook "The Ridges of England, Wales and Ireland" describes two more challenging routes in the Brandon range:...

The Causeway Coast Way is a 2-3 day hiking trail from Ballycastle to Portstewart along the spectacular Antrim coastline in Nothern Ireland. Bus lines 172 and 402 (journey planner) provide a good service along most of the path, making it possible for me to do the core section of the Causeway Coast Way as a linear day hike. I...

Mweelrea is the highest mountain in the Irish province of Connach. The most interesting popular ascent starts at the northern end of Doo Lough, goes up into the cirque of Glencullin (which even has some proper moraines) and follows a bigramp up the edge of the cirque to a saddle south of the secondary summit of Ben Bury. Though...

The Raaberg, the easternmost summit of the Mattstock massiv, is only rarely climbed. When it is visited, then usually by either 360 or carpintero, it seems. The Raaberg has an east summit (P. 1723) and a west summit (P. 1779). Only the east summit is named on the map and described in the SAC Clubführer. Strange, because the west...

With the weather forecast predicting dry weather only in north-eastern Switzerland, the Gonzen seemed like a good option. Initially, I had the Leiterliweg ("ladder path") in mind, but checking the SAC Alpinwandern/Gipfelziele guidebook the night before, I discovered the Follaplatten route as a more challenging alternative. We...