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Trip

Bernese Oberland Ski Traverse

Overview

Ski touring and ski mountaineering in the Bernese Oberland is the quintessential Swiss Alps experience. Pro Guiding Service has guided on the Konkordia glacier, the Jungfrau and the Finsteraarhorn region for well over 20 years in many variations. We have many local connections there and speak the local language. The area south of the Jungfraujoch is the most glaciated zone in the Alps.

$2,550 Per Person
6 Days
Difficulty
Ratio:
2:1

Trip Information

$2,550
Price based on 3 skiers per guide. Please contact us directly for private trips. 425-888-6397 x2 | info@proguiding.com

Ski touring and ski mountaineering in the Bernese Oberland is the quintessential Swiss Alps experience. Pro Guiding Service has guided on the Konkordia glacier, Jungfrau and the Finsteraarhorn region for well over 20 weeks in many variations. We have many local connections there and speak the local language. The area south of the Jungfraujoch is the most glaciated zone in the Alps. If weather and conditions allow, you will summit iconic peaks such as the Monch, the Jungfrau and the Finsteraarhorn, which involves some ski mountaineering.

Starting in the famous resort of Grindelwald, we will take the trams up to the Kleine Scheidegg, through the Eiger Tunnels and on to the Jungfrau Joch at 11,000 feet. From here we will work our way south to the Valais over the next six days. You will be touring on the biggest glaciers in the Alps, skiing in the immediate vicinity of the Eiger, Moench and Jungfrau and hopefully summit a couple more 4000 meter peaks in the vicinity. For a week you will be surrounded by rock and ice in the most alpine environment of Europe. Unlike many other ski traverses, you will do some climbing on easy, but exposed ridges and get introduced to the beauty of ski mountaineering. Conditions allowing, you will summit a peak almost every day.

 

Duration: 6
Ratio: 2:1
Difficulty Level:
Click here to learn more about difficulty ratings.

Overall Difficulty Level: Difficult to very difficult.

Skills Required: Advanced skiing ability and prior ski touring experience. Prior use of crampons recommended. 

Fitness Level: Very Strenuous due to climbing and ski touring at high altitude.


Private Trips Available

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Itinerary

Day 1: From Grindelwald we will take the train directly beneath the North Face of the Eiger to the alpine village of Kleine Scheidegg, the viewing place for all the escapades on the Nord Wand. The next train tunnels right into the heart of the mountain, to the Eiger Wall Station, where an observation window allows us to look out onto the Nord Wand. Finally we will reach the Jungfraujoch and Sphinx Observatory at 3500 meter. From here, options abound. Most likely we will ski down to the Konkordia hut (2850 meters) via the Lowitor and the Kranzberg or the Trugberg. This will get us our first taste of the high altitude, but we will still sleep relatively low in the comfortable Konkordia hut.

Day 2: The Wyssnollen (3590 meters) is a great objective along the way to the Finsteraarhornhut. In order to get there, we have to tour over the Grunhornluecke, ski down to the Fieschergletscher and then ascend the gentle slopes of the Wyssnollen. After the descent back to the Fieschergletscher, we have to tour up the short distance to the Finsteraarhornhut at 3048 meters. This day consists of several ascents and descents, which add up to about 4000 feet of vertical gain.

Day 3: Perhaps the most impressive peak on the trip and also the highest peak in the Bernese Oberland, the Finsteraarhorn (4274 meters) ends with a short but fairly exposed ridge climbing section to reach the summit. The pre-dawn start begins with a steep ascent of slopes right above the hut. From there we reach one of the tributary glaciers coming off the Finsteraarhorn. It takes about 2 hours to get to the so-called Fruehstuecksplatz (breakfast spot) at about 3600 meters. Here a short but exposed traverse on skins gets us onto the final slope to the Hugisattel at 4088 meters where we will depot our skis, put on crampons, rope up and climb the easy but exposed terrain to the summit. Round trip time from the ski depot to the summit and back is about 2 hours. The very direct descent brings us back down to the hut where we will spend another night.

Day 4: There are many options for the day, one option is that we tour up the Fieschergletscher across the Fiescherlucke and down to the Ewig Schneefeld. This involves again an early start. If conditions and time allow, we should have a good chance to summit one of the Fiescherhoerner. The descent off the Fieschersattel can be tricky depending on snow conditions, but once this is done, all we have to do is tour up the seemingly endless Ewigschneefeld back to the Monchsjochhut at 3624 meters. This is the highest hut we sleep in this week, but generally, being the 4th night, nobody seems to have a problem with the altitude anymore.

 

Day 5: We have to get to the Hollandiahut today. This takes us below the famous Jungfrau (4158meters), on to the Louwitor.  The following spectacular descent down to the Grosser Aletschgletscher gets us to within 1.5 hours of our final hut: the beautiful Hollandia hut at 3164 meters.

Day 6: We are now in an excellent position for one of the best ski descents that we offer in the Alps. From the hut, we will tour  up to the Mittaghorn at 3892 meters and then ski all the way down to Blatten at 1540 meters (that is a 7500 foot drop) in the beautiful Loetschental. What a finish. A short bus ride from Blatten will get us back to the train station in Goppenstein.

Private Trips

Pro Guiding Service proudly offers the most diverse ski touring and ski mountaineering programs of any guiding service in the Northwest. Smaller, more intimate custom itineraries or instructional tours are available for any of our destinations. Tell us what you want to do, and we can create a customized plan for you.
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Pricing

$2,550
per person
Price based on 3 skiers per guide. Please contact us directly for private trips. 425-888-6397 x2 | info@proguiding.com
View Dates & Availability
Payment Policy
If booking a domestic trip that is over 60 days away or an international trip that is over 90 days away, you can book your trip by paying a 20% deposit.  View Full Policy
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel for any reason 60 or more days before domestic trips or 90 or more days before international and Alaska trips, we will refund everything you have paid minus half of your deposit. No refunds will be provided if you cancel your trip for ANY REASON (this includes but is not limited to illness including CoVid-19, injury, or work-related issues) within 60 days of the start of domestic trips or 90 days of international and Alaska based trips.  View Full Policy

Equipment List

Clothing
Base Layer
  • 1-2 Lightweight or midweight tops (avoid cotton)
  • Lightweight or midweight long underwear bottoms
  • 2 pairs warm ski socks
  • 2 pairs liner socks
  • non cotton underwear
Mid Layer
  • Fleece or wool or similar warmth layer
  • Wind shirt or soft shell jacket - wind & water resistant, breathable
Outerwear
  • Waterproof/breathable jacket with hood
  • Soft shell ski pants
  • Waterproof/breathable pants
  • Down or synthetic puffy-type jacket
  • Warm hat - should cover ears
  • Sun hat - baseball type or visor
  • Lightweight gloves
  • Ski gloves or mittens
Personal Gear
  • Day pack – large enough to fit everything inside (around 30-40 liters) - dedicated shovel pocket preferred
  • Water bottles - enough for a full day - wide mouth best to prevent freezing shut
  • Sunglasses - adequate for snow travel
  • Goggles
  • Sunscreen - SPF 25+, waterproof
  • Lip Balm - SPF 15+
  • Headlamp - lightweight LED recommended
  • Face mask/covering - for when close contact is unavoidable
  • Hand sanitizer (there is no running water in the huts)
  • Earplugs - essential for sleeping
  • Personal toiletries - keep it simple: toothbrush, tiny toothpaste, bath wipes
  • Small personal first aid kit - just the basics: blister care, ibuprofin, prescription meds, etc.; your guides will have a substantial group first aid kit
Technical Gear

Snow Travel Gear

  • Snow travel equipment - alpine touring or telemark skis or splitboard
  • Boots - touring ski boots or snowboard boots
  • Poles - adjustable poles are ideal so you can adjust the length when going uphill/downhill
  • Climbing skins
  • Ski brakes or removable ski leashes
  • Ski or splitboard crampons - ensure they are compatible with your bindings and ski/board width

Safety Gear

  • Avalanche Beacon
  • Shovel - compact, lightweight, metal blade preferred
  • Probe - dedicated probe only (240cm or longer strongly recommended)

Technical Gear

  • Ice Axe - lightweight, 55-70cm is fine
  • Boot Crampons – ensure they fit your boots (steel required for Bernese Oberland and Monte Rosa, all other trips aluminum okay)
  • Anti-ball plates for crampons
  • Climbing Harness - lightweight, (no padding; ex: Petzl Altitude, Black Diamond Couloir)
  • Glacier Travel Kit:
    • 2 Locking Carabiners - at least 1 large HMS style and 1 regular locker
    • 2 Non-locking Carabiners - any style, we recommend wire gates
    • 1 Single Length Dyneema/Dynex Runner/Sling (60cm/24in diameter loop)
    • 1 Double Length Dyneema/Dynex Runner/Sling (120cm/48in diameter loop)
    • 1 Cordelette - 6 mm cord, 6 meter length

 

Optional Items
  • Notebook and writing utensil
  • Compass - adjustable declination a must
  • Altimeter watch
  • Helmet - recommended (not required)
  • Maps - contact guiding office for appropriate quadrangles
  • Map case - large Ziploc bags work well
  • Camera
  • Skin wax
  • Sleep sack - lightweight silk or cotton
  • warm socks - to sleep in
  • Thermos - vacuum type is best
Equipment Sales & Rental

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FAQs

Why choose Pro Guiding Service?

Two of the guides (Rinaldo and Martin) are Swiss guides and Rinaldo lives in Grindelwald. We know the area as well as anyone. We know the hut-keepers and have guided in this area for 20 years. We speak the local language, and have entered and exited the area from every possible direction and variation.

What city should I fly into?

You can fly into Geneva or Zurich. Zurich is a bit closer, but Geneva works fine as well.

What is the best way to get from the airport to Grindelwald?

Both of the airports feature state of the art train stations right by the airports. Trains leave in every direction every hour. From Geneva, you would have to catch a train to Bern, from there to Interlaken and from there to Grindelwald. From Zurich, you would take the train to Bern, from there to Interlaken and from there to Grindelwald. Travel time from the airport to the hotel in Grindelwald is about 3 to 4 hours with transfers.

Where do we stay the night before the trip?

We will have reservations for you at an amazing B & B which is owned by very good friends of ours. You will be informed of the particular location well in advance. If the trip starts on a Monday, then a hotel room will be reserved for you on the Sunday before.

How does this trip differ from the Haute Route or the Ortler Traverse?

The key words are ski mountaineering. If conditions are on our side, we will be summiting a peak every day and most of them involve a bit of basic mixed, roped climbing with crampons. You are also roaming in a smaller geographic area than on the Haute Route, but will summit more peaks at a higher elevation.

Do I have to have prior mountaineering experience?

Mountaineering experience is not required, but we recommend having some basic mountaineering experience. Make sure you are fit, are a good skier, and have solid ski touring experience.

Should I tip my guide?

Although tipping is not a requirement, it is considered standard practice in the guiding industry and is appreciated by our guides. We generally recommend roughly 10%-15% of your course or trip cost or a flat amount that you are comfortable with.

Why Book With Us? 

Certified Professional Guides & All Access
All of our guides have the highest quality training and certification in the industry, and you can be sure that we have the permits, licenses and insurance in every location we operate.
Safe, Well-Planned Tour Design
Every tour has a carefully thought-out guide-to-customer ratio. You always get a safe, high-quality trip or learning environment with us.
Pioneers In The Industry
You will travel and learn from experts. We've pioneered several alpine climbing routes, ski descents, and traverses and we've written books on skills and routes in the industry. 
Read Our story
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