Gletscherhorn

Overview

Gletscherhorn 3107m is a mountain in the eastern part of Switzerland, in the Swiss canton Grisons (Graubünden). It is located in the Platta Group of the Rhaetian Alps. The 30km long Avers valley branches off afrom the Hinterrhein main valley at Andeer and runs in mainly SE direction until Juf, the highest village of Switzerland. The Avers valley has several side valley that branch off to the south. The last of these side valleys before Juf is Bergalga valley that start at Juppa (2004m) and that builds the main access to Gletscherhorn. Gletscherhorn can be climbed from there in a pleasant and not too long daytrip.

This is mainly done as a ski tour in spring. Juf (2124m) is a basis for many beautiful ski tours in spring time.

The little valley south of Gletscherhorn is Duana valley (Val da la Duana). This a very lonely spot as the access from the next village Casaccia in Bregaglia valley is long and strenious.

remark: don't mix up:
- Bergalga valley - little side valley north of Gletscherhorn
- Bregaglia valley - main valley from Engadin to Chiavenna in Italy

Physically very fit climbers may combine Gletscherhorn with the nearby peaks Piz Piot (3053m) or Piz Duan (3130m).

The area around Gletscherhorn is rather lonely and especially the summertime you will likely be alone on the mountain.

Route & Difficulty

Summer route:

The most favorable way:

Best start in village Juf 2124m at the station "Podestatsch Hus". On a hiking trail on goes into Bergalga valley to the "Olta Stofel 2074m" and continuing to the point "Masügg 2593m" - the trail ends there. Now the route is pathless. One goes to the point 2987m and over northeast side to the summit of Gletscherhorn 3107m.

Difficulty: L (F) or T4


Winter/Spring route with ski:

With ski one goes the same route as in the summer. See above. the first part of the trip is very flat and has a scree road. So for a ski tour in spring as soon as the valley is free of snow (app. mid May) it is a good option to use a bike there.

Difficulty: ZS (AD) ¦ Route: 415 ¦ 1130 metres in altitude



Online maps for Switzerland:

www.mapplus.ch

Map Search - Online Maps

Getting There

By public transport:

With the RHB-railway from Chur to Thusis. Than with the yellow post bus to villages Ausserferrera and Juf 2124m

Online train schedule (public transport Switzerland): SBB schedule


By car:

Avers valley: Chur - Thusis - Andeer - Innerferrera - Cresta - Juf 2124m

Online Route scheduler: route scheduler in english and TCS.ch

Accommodations

Avers valley:

- Hotel Bergalga >Link: Bergalga

For further accommodations see here: www.tourism-switzerland.ch

Weather, climate and snow conditions in Switzerland

Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology

Weather SFDRS

Meteo News.ch

Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research Davos: www.slf.ch

Links

Switzerland tourism: www.myswitzerland.com

Gisons tourism: www.graubünden.ch

Good and favorable accommodations: www.rooms.ch

In Memory of Cyrill Rüegger

Cyrill Rüegger, creator of this page, died on June 13th 2009 in an avalanche on the summit ridge of Piz Palü together with his wife Tanja and a common friend. They were swept down by the avalanche into a couloir underneath the east summit and died instantly. Their bodies were retrieved from the Palü Glacier by helicopter a day after the accident.

Cyrill joined SP in March 2006 and soon was one of the most prolific contributors on the site with almost 70 mountain and 5 range pages to his profile. He was an accomplished climber, bagging almost 1000 summits in not quite seven years. Among them are 35 4000ers and 272 3000ers, almost all of them in his home country Switzerland.

While contributing a lot on SP, Cyrill's real internet home was www.hikr.org where he contributed 585 mountain profiles and reports in his native language German. Cyrill also posted on www.bergsteigen.at and other climbing sites, often under his real name but also under the pseudonym Digitalis. He was a botanist by profession and also contributed his knowledge about medical plants to different websites. Cyrill will be greatly missed by all.

This page will be kept in honour of Cyrill, one of SP's most prolific members and most active mountaineers.

Images

View Gletscherhorn Image Gallery - 12 Images