The alarm goes off at 4.45 as we are catching the 6.05 train from Champéry to Aigle. The train is full of sleepy commuters and we feel out of place with our skis and ice axes but we are meeting our guide, Stephane, at Aigle before catching the train to Les Diablerets to start a ski tour in the Bernese Oberland. The last time we went touring was four years ago in 2019 so it's great to be out in the wilds again. After a long climb through wooded valleys the train arrives at the still sleepy resort and we switch to the bus to the Glacier 3000 lift. Keen locals are waiting for the first lift at 9 as we buy rather expensive one-way tickets to the top. Soon we are leaving the glacier run and cutting cross country on a thin layer of powder towards the Sannetch Pass which connects Gstaad and Sion in the summer. Our first target, the Arpelistock (3036m) is ahead of us - see above.
Top of first ridge, steep climbing on the ridge, summit of the Arpelistock
It hasn't snowed for weeks so the coverage is patchy and often the surface is hard or icy. We start to climb up on skins stopping to put on ski crampons. After about 300m we tie the skis onto our sacks and continue to the ridge on foot. Great views and a snack stop. We continue on foot up an exposed ridge with big drops (above middle). Eventually we reach another ridge (above left) and put our skis back on for more long traverses as our legs begin to tire. "Time for more practice" says Stephane and we switch to crampons, ice axes and a short rope and head straight up. We are all very please to see the summit!
Heading down from the summit, the Gentenhütte
One of the joys of ski touring is taking off your skins and skiing down through the powder to the next valley. Sadly after the first few turns the snow conditions are terrible - 'creme brulée' as Stephane calls it - where your skis break through the crust on every turn. We look for spring snow in vain and arrive at the Geltenhutte with very wobbly legs. We soon recover as the hut is bright and modern and even has running water! After a hearty meal we settle into our pits under double duvets as the room is so cold!
Kick turns in the couloir and the slope above
7am start (well 7.10 for Tommy) and we are soon skinning up a small ridge with patchy snow. Beyond this we cross a drained lake under impressive cliffs - a 'Klettergarten' in summer - before heading up a couloir which narrows and steepens. Soon we are traversing out onto the left wall to do kick turns which take us to a resting spot, and then more couloir to a top where we snack and take photos. There is then a big climb up the North face of the Wildhord with great views and exposure. We finally reach a shoulder in strong winds. We shelter in some rocks while Stephane scouts out the route.
David on the Wildhorn
Skis back on and we make a very exposed traverse followed by a walk over a big drop before reaching less steep ground. Stephane works up towards a ridge where the ground flattens for a while towards the final slope to the summit. "We are in the grit phase" says Tommy as we have been climbing for over 6 hours and really having to push it to get to the top. We pass a cross on a lower, rocky summit and then leave our skis to walk up the last 20m. The views are stunning - the whole sweep of the Pennine Alps to the South of us from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn and beyond. The sun is still shining although we can see bad weather approaching from the North. We have decided to cancel our plan to head on to the Wildhorn hut and instead descend to the Cabane des Audannes in much better snow than yesterday.
Summit of the Wildhorn with Pennine Alps in background
Cosy Cabanne des Audannes, breakfast, heading out into the snow
The gardienne of the hut, Karine, cooks us a huge rösti when we arrive. We have a lot in common as she loves Nepal and sponsors schools there and is also into big walks having completed the Transalpina from Menton to Trieste in 2021 in 3 months. Makes our 4 weeks on the GR5 look pretty puny! The weather is closing in and Karine is likely to be alone for the next week as this hut is dangerous to reach in fresh snow.
It's snowing lightly as we leave the cabanne the next day. Stephane has not done this route before but succeeds in finding our way down in poor viz. This includes some interesting side slipping as we make our way under some cliffs. An obstacle course through a boulder field then takes us to the edge of the resort of Anzere. We had been looking forward to a coffee stop but everything is closed because of the weather so we wait for 40 mins until a taxi arrives to take us back to civilisation. After three days without seeing another person on the mountain Stephane reminds us that he is hired for another day so let's make a plan for tomorrow...
At 8.30 on Thursday morning we pick up Stephane from the Migros carpark in Sembranché. There has been a lot of snow in the night settling above 1700m. Stephane reckons that we should head for the Col Grand St Bernard where we should be able to skin up in good snow on safe terrain. We leave the car at the parking where the old road goes up to the monastery in the Summer. As we skin up the road we pass the vents to the road tunnel underneath us. Just before the road starts winding up we go left heading up into a wide valley - the combe de Barasson. We are the first up so Stephane is working hard to put in the track.
Tunnel vent by the old road, heading up the combe de Barasson
We are all a bit nervous about avalanches with all the fresh snow but in fact Stephane has chosen a very safe route. It is only when the slope steepens a bit that he gets us all to keep 50m apart. A couple of guys pass us and then ask us where to go. Stephane looks cross - "these guys hired a guide..." he says, unimpressed that they are wandering around without a map or route.
Steeper slope as we approach the col
Stephane points the others in the right direction and they take over making the track. After a few zigzags on the steeper slope we are up. Fantastic views of Mt Blanc and the Grandes Jorasses to our right and the Italian Alps spread out in front of us. We finally get the chance to ski a bit of good powder as we return back towards the car. After some nice wiggles we do a short climb to get access to another great powder field as well as a great view of the monastery with a backdrop of mountains.
We celebrate the end of the touring with lunch at La Catogne hotel near Orsieres. Steak from local Herens cattle and a good place to thank Stephane for a great four days. It's a shame that we couldn't do the 4 days that we had planned in the Bernese Oberland but you can't control the weather. David thinks climbing mountains is much harder now that we are four years older but I think he has just forgotten how painful it was last time!
Tommy on the top with the Grandes Jorasses, end-on, at far right
David enjoys the powder
St Bernard Monastery with spectacular backdrop
| Distance | Ascent | ||
| Day 1 | Diablerets to Geltenhutte | 18.6km | 1018m |
| Day 2 | Geltenhutte to Cabanne des Aubannes | 16km | 1560m |
| Day 3 | Cabanne des Aubannes to Les Rousses | 9.2km | 120m |
| Day 4 | Combe de Barasson | 12.4km | 730m |