Gelmerhörner Traverse,  Bernese Oberland

My friend Ido and I had talked about this route a while ago. We finally had the chance to do it few weeks ago. On our drive there we could spot the two summits from a distance. The one hour hike up the hill is quite pretty.  There are many colourful flowers, streams, waterfalls and the turquoise lake. After you have walked for a while, the granite towers we were going to climb come into view.

As we left the main trail the route gets more serious and it has an alpine character. To get to the notch, we had to scramble and climb up a diagonal ramp. It’s a mix of rock climbing and hiking in exposed terrain. There are hardly any bolts and it is essential to know how place trad gear for protection.  Good rope skills and route finding are also important for this route.

Once we reached the notch the climbing on the ridge starts. The climbing is on fantastic granite. We also got treated to stunning views of the mountains, glaciers and the lakes. After we climbed over two towers we reached the summit.

The descent is really time-consuming. We had to make sure not to rappel off the wrong anchor. Most of the descent was down climbing on grassy ledges and rock sections. Once you’re back at the flat, it is a relaxed hike back to the car.

Thanks, Ido for the awesome trip

Monika @ Alpine Dreams