SSW Ridge

Approach

As indicated on the Main Page, the route begins at the Egginerjoch, a small saddle located at the midpoint of the track connecting Felskinn and the Britannia Hut. On leaving the cable car at Felskinn, follow signs for "Britannia Hut" and "Felskinn" to exit the station onto a broad, snow-covered track. The Egginer can be seen clearly above and to the left, with the SSW Ridge forming the right-hand skyline (see photo). Follow the track for 15-20 minutes to reach the Egginerjoch and descend about 50m over gravel slopes to reach the start of the ridge. From this vantage point the ridge looks quite intimidating and the preferred ascent route is not obvious.

Route Description

Ascent via SSW Ridge -- 3-5 hrs

The following is a description of the route climbed by myself and Matt Bialowas on August 28, 2002. A number of variations exist, ranging in difficulty from IV to V+. Details are available at the Guides' Office in Saas Fee or from the photo/topo at the Britannia Hut.

From the start of the ridge, move around to the right side and scramble up over easy Class 3 terrain to avoid the first steep section on the ridge. On reaching a relatively flat, gravel-filled area, climb up left over blocks and then descend slightly to cross to the left side of the ridge. It is a good idea to rope up and establish a belay at this point.

Pitch#1 -- From the belay, scramble upwards to pass an obvious notch which could be used to cross back to the right side of the ridge. Ignore this and continue climbing up left past tight, blocky overhangs for 15m (IV). There are two fixed pins in this section. After this, the climbing becomes much easier and a belay can be arranged.

Pitch #2 -- This pitch scrambles upwards for about 40m more without any great difficulty, still keeping close to the ridge crest, but always on its left side. Eventually, a ledge is reached which serves as a convenient belay point. A large, left-facing corner is visible above.

Pitch #3 -- The ground steepens again here and it is tempting to stray out left onto the face to avoid the steep section above. Instead, continue upwards, keeping right to climb past more blocky overhangs (III+), passing a bolt. Continue upwards to enter the left-facing corner and climb easily up slabby terrain in the corner for 10m (III). Traverse left 2.5m to reach another large ledge below and left of more fixed slings.

Pitch #4 -- Move back right to the corner and climb upwards for 10m (IV), finally exiting left (strenuous) to reach easier ground. There is a smaller, right-facing corner (capped by a roof) directly above the belay which seems appealing from below, but is actually quite difficult. After exiting the corner, continue upwards until a convenient belay point is reached.

Pitch #5 -- Scramble up easily from the belay and soon reach what the guidebook describes as a "large, gravel-strewn niche." "Large" is the key word here and "basin of rubble" is a more accurate description. Struggle upwards over the very loose ground passing several islands of fixed rock. Belay from one of these islands. A prominent saddle can be seen on the ridge above and to the left.

Continue up over the rubble (no belays needed) and take the easiest path towards the saddle above. Scramble up easily to the saddle and continue on the ridge for about 30m to the summit of Pt 3,242m. Descend to the snow saddle beyond with the main summit of the Egginer directly ahead. This snow saddle marks the top of the almost non-existent Egginer Glacier, which can be descended to reach the cable car mid-station at Maste 4 (see description below). The route to the summit climbs steeply from this snow saddle (III), first on the left side of the ridge, then crossing to the right, and eventually back left to climb a chimney to the top of a step. Scramble up easily from here to reach the summit.

Descent via NNW Flank of Pt 3,242m -- 2 hrs

From the snow saddle between Pt 3,242m and the summit, descend steeply down the slopes of the tiny Egginer glacier for approx 100m. Depending on snow conditions, an ice axe and crampons may be helpful. Trend slightly left to reach the talus slopes below and then traverse back right over large slabs and boulders to more snow. Below this point, the glacial basin is split by a moraine crest and a decision must be made to move to the right or left of this crest. Move to the left and descend over very loose terrain (steep), soon crossing a glacial stream. Continue downwards on the left side of the stream, avoiding those areas which are especially loose. After about 500m of tedious descent, flatter ground is reached and the mid-station of the Metro Alpin (Maste 4) can be seen less than a mile away. Continue down over nearly-flat gravel slopes, avoiding the wet and muddy areas, to reach the cable car station.

Descent via NNW Flank of NNE Ridge -- 4 hrs

Locate the top of a big chimney on the east side of the summit and rappel down onto a terrace. Follow the terrace north to gain the crest of the NNE Ridge. Continue along the ridge towards the Mittaghorn, crossing over the gendarme of Pt 3,189m. Shortly after the gendarme, leave the ridge and head down left to reach the upper edge of the Ritz glacier. Slant down over snow and then moraine slopes, aiming towards a prominent point on the NW Ridge of the Mittaghorn (Pt 2,687m). Before reaching this, a rough path is encountered which zig-zags down the grassy combe to intersect a prominent trail at 2,332m. Turn left on this trail to reach the cable car station at Maste 4, or right to return to Saas Fee.

Essential Gear

1) Rock Protection -- A standard rack of cams, stoppers, and shoulder-length slings. We took BD Camalots 0.1-3 and a set of stoppers. I found the small cams especially helpful.

2) Helmet -- There is significant rockfall danger on this route.

3) Ice Axe and Crampons -- Probably not needed but helpful for a descent of the Egginer glacier and WNW Flank route. We encountered icy conditions on the descent and used crampons for a short section.

4) Rope -- A 60m rope of 9.5mm or similar is ideal, since the full rope-length can be utilized between belays, thereby reducing the number of pitches involved.

Miscellaneous Info

If you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.

Images

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