Daily Archives: 8 July 2016

July 8th

Itinerary:  Gargellen cable car upper station – Gafier Joch – St. Antönier Joch – Riedchopf, 2530 m – Plasseggenpass – Gruobenpass – Tilisuna Hut – Sulzfluh, 2817 m – Gemschtobel – Carschina Hut

Distance: 24,4 km
Time:  7 hours 35 minutes (plus 1 hour 50 for the stops)
Vertical distance:  1945 m uphill; 1835 m downhill

Good weather at first, then clouds slowly building up. Late start with Christoph after a good breakfast and taking the cable car at 8.30 a.m.  We climbed up to the Gafier Col we reached yesterday, then went north along the ridge and marked paths to the St. Antönier Col, where we arrived just before a large group coming up directly from the cable car.  Then on directly to the Riedchopf summit, where we were able to eat, drink and take photographs and leave just before the large group arrived.  We had to drop down over 500 m before being able to climb up again to the Plasseggenpass, then skirt around the amazing limestone rock formations of the Schijenflue, with a lot of up and down, before reaching the Tilisuna Hut for soup and beer.

We left the hut again at 3 p.m. for the Sulzfluh summit, mainly walking on limestone slabs and scree, and finally on snow, leaving our rucksacks about 20 minutes before the summit.  We were the last on the summit that day.  We went down the fairly steep snow couloirs and scree of the Gemschtobel – Christoph said it was the most enjoyable and least tiring descent he had experienced for a long time.  The sole of his freshly glued boot had held well all day.  Finally, we traversed under the imposing south face of the Sulzfluh to the Carschina Hut, reached in time for supper.

Photos:

1.  Christoph on Riedchopf
2.  Schijenflue
3.  Dancing across a snow field