Last year, I made the promise to write about a winter hike during this season, but as the winter of 2022/2023 was going down in history as one of the poorest, I thought for a long time that I would fail again. :) Having a weekend off work at the beginning of February however, I checked the weekend trips that were available and found a two days excursion with Berg + Tal to the Rotondo hut. The weather looked good and there still was space available, so the decision to join in and lace up my snowshoes for the first time since quite a while was an easy one. :) Unfortunately, the forecast turned from pretty good to pretty bad after I made the booking and in the end I didn’t know if the trip was about to happen until the Friday before. Even though the weather wasn’t going to be the best, our guide decided that we would give it a try anyway. That was perfectly fine with me and so I made my way to Realp on a grey Saturday morning. Getting off the train at the railway station, I met my first two companions of the weekend, Ingo and Andi. The rest of the group arrived about 15 minutes later and before long I was shaking hands with Sabine, Livia, Ines, Helge, Steffen and Toni, our guide. After a short introduction, we packed our stuff, put on the avalanche transceiver and walked on foot to the outskirts of Realp. There we tightened our snowshoes to our feet and started to follow the steam railway line. As expected, the sky was full of clouds and our view was rather limited, nevertheless we were all in a good mood and were excited to see what the weekend had to offer. :)
Walking along the railway line for about 10 minutes, we crossed over a bridge at the first junction and started to ascend. The area around the Rotondo hut is known to be a “snowhole”, meaning that there is always enough snow, no matter how poor the winter is and that was confirmed in the beginning already, as there was plenty of powder to walk on, even though we weren’t that high up in the mountains yet.
Before long, we had found our rhythm and everyone was walking steadily upwards until we had reached a first turnoff and took a short break. Moving on after a few minutes, we descended for a couple hundred meters, before a steeper ascending slope was waiting to be conquered. Unfortunately, not everyone made it to the end of that slope, as Andi started to lag behind somewhere in the middle of it. As we had another 800 meters of altitude difference ahead of us and because he had brought the wrong snowshoes as well, there was no other choice for Toni to send him back to Realp. That was a pity, as he seemed to be a nice guy, but the decision was certainly the right one. Continuing our trip with one person less, we headed further upwards and straight into the clouds. For the next couple hours it felt like we were in a whiteout, as all we could see were a couple nearby barns and sometimes the outlines of a mountain, while otherwise the surroundings remained as white as possible. :)
The only other exception were the signposts, of which there were more than plenty and together with all the traces in the snow, I assume it would have been possible to reach the hut on our own as well.
In general, the ascent wasn’t too difficult, as the only challenges we faced were a couple steep slopes and a few places with not enough or simply too much snow. So, all in all, we made good way and about three hours after leaving the outskirts of Realp, we eventually were able to see the Rotondo hut.
The steepest slope of course was waiting at the very end, but with the goal in sight and our ever-steady pace, we brought the final ascent behind us without any major difficulties.
Entering the Rotondo hut, we checked into our room, occupied our designated beds and had a change of clothes. It had been cold outside and the warmth that the stove in the common room was emitting, was a very welcoming present. :) Of course, not only the stove kept us warm, but also a couple drinks, the good food and the fun chats, while we were getting to know each other a little bit better. :) The time flew by and before long it was time to go to bed, each of us hoping that the weather would improve overnight. And improve it did indeed. :) Getting up at 6 o’clock for breakfast, the sky was perfectly clear and when we stepped outside an hour later to put on our snowshoes, there still were no clouds in the sky. The sun announced itself behind the mountains towards the East and after the first couple hundred meters of walking, there already was so much light that we didn’t need our headlamps anymore.
Keeping the altitude, we headed straight towards the Leckipass, with 2891 meters the highest point of the whole weekend. Our going was a bit slower than the day before, not because we were tired, but because we had to turn around frequently to enjoy the magnificent sunrise. :) Not only the sunrise was spectacular however, but also the surrounding scenery. Stunning mountains wherever we looked and everyone was relieved that at last we saw something of our environment. :)
There still was some "work" ahead of us though and the closer we got to the Leckipass, the steeper the slopes became. Fortunately, whenever a steep ascent was behind us, there also was a plateau to catch our breath, giving us the opportunity and time to enjoy the panorama to the fullest. Only the wind was a minor nuisance, as it blew pretty fierce straight into our faces. Turning around right when the wind was at its fastest, we saw the sun appearing from behind the mountains and if there ever was a struggle, it was forgotten in that very instant. :)
About an hour after we left the Rotondo hut, we had reached the Leckipass, but didn’t remain there very long as the wind was just too strong. Deciding to take the originally planned route after a short discussion, we started to descend on the other side of the pass and faced the most challenging part of the weekend. There were more rocks than snow for the first 100 meters and so we primarily had to use our hands and butts instead of our snowshoes. :) Once we had left that part behind however, we descended super fast through the deep snow and before long had reached a big plateau that was surrounded by some beautiful mountains. By now, it was a pleasant walk, also because the wind wasn't as strong anymore and we eventually were able to take a proper break.
For going back to Realp we had two choices: either to descend into a valley right after the plateau, or to cross over to the other side of that valley and walk along a ridge to descend back to Realp at the very end of it. The evening before we had considered both options, but as there was fog in the valley below, we decided to take the ridge to get some more sunshine on our skin. :) That choice however, meant ascending again and that wasn't the only challenge, as we also had to do a traverse across a steep slope. To be on the safe side, Toni told us to keep 10 meters distance between each of us, so as to avoid putting too much pressure on the snow.
Well, that worked out perfectly fine and at the end of the slope we were back in the sunshine and enjoyed some gorgeous views back to where we were coming from.
Starting to follow the ridge, our joy about the sunshine was unfortunately pretty short-lived, as the fog from the valley suddenly reached higher and began to block out the sun and the scenery. Luckily, every now and then, the fog dissipated and we made good use of those weather windows, enjoying the still magnificent outlook over the Alps of Uri.
The farther along the ridge we got however, the foggier it became and the clouds eventually lifted for a final time to reveal the Stotzigen Firsten, a mountain that is pretty popular among backcountry skiers.
Shortly afterwards, some of them passed us on their way upwards and that encounter basically marked the start of our descent and the moment when we were enveloped by the fog for good. :) It went down gently for a while and except for the occasional stop for Toni to check our position, we still made good way. The further down we got, the steeper became the slopes, but at least we didn't have to climb them like all the skiers that passed us. :) Besides the many people that turned the trail into a highway at times, the fog remained the biggest nuisance, as it even was thicker than yesterday and we couldn’t see a thing for the best part of an hour. When we eventually made it out of the clouds, Realp appeared in the distance and with our goal in sight, the descent suddenly wasn’t that arduous anymore. :)
Heading down along the official hiking path for a while, we ended up on the trail we had used the day before and retraced our steps back to Realp. As we were on time for some of our group to catch the train, we said our goodbyes, before the rest of us sat down in a nearby restaurant for a hot soup and a well deserved drink. :) 45 minutes later we were on our way home as well, agreeing that this had been a great weekend, even though the weather could have been a little bit better. But for sure the good memories will outweigh the “bad” ones and I’m already looking forward to the next snowshoe trip in the upcoming winter. :)
Highlights of the weekend: the magnificent sunrise and the mountain panorama
This hike is for you if:
- you want to stay overnight in a mountain hut during the winter season
- you’re looking for a gorgeous scenery
- you don’t mind joining a guided tour
- you always wanted to catch a sunrise in the mountains :)
This hike is not for you if:
- you mind changeable weather conditions
- you’ve never used snowshoes before
- you don’t have the proper gear for such a hike
As an exception, there will be no map this time. If you want to do this hike and you know your way around the mountains in winter, I’m sure you will figure out by yourself where we went through. :) If you have no or limited experience however, I strongly recommend using one of the guided tours. Berg + Tal (https://www.bergundtal.ch/) was the one I used and they offer this tour every winter (at least as far as I know :)). The organization was perfectly fine and Toni a knowledgeable and super friendly guide. In my opinion, my money was well spent and I definitely will consider Berg + Tal again in the years to come. :)
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