From Rotenboden via the Gornergletscher | Mountain hiking | Swiss Alpine Club SAC
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From Rotenboden via the Gornergletscher (Normal route) Monte-Rosa-Hütte SAC 2883 m

  • Difficulty
    T4
  • Ascent
    3:30–4 h, 540 m
  • Descent
    470 m

The second half of the normal approach to the Monte Rosa hut SAC is not a normal alpine hike, but a glacier tour: crampons, harness, rope and ice axe are essential. The approach is well marked white-blue-white, bars are placed on the glacier. With glacier shrinkage, the transition to the glacier and the route over it varies from year to year. In summer 2019 a new route, the "Panoramaweg Monte Rosa Hütte", was added, which is about half an hour shorter.

Route description

Rotenboden - Viewpoint Gornerglescher P. 2649
The station at Rotenboden (2815 m) can be reached with the Gornergratbahn (railway) or on foot from Zermatt. Follow the marked hiking path to the south, which crosses eastwards under the south flank of the Gornergrat to P. 2694. (up to here T2).
Viewpoint Gornerglescher P. 2649 - old path - Monte-Rosa-Hütte
Continue over screes and follow ladders southwards down onto the Gorner Glacier, which is reached at about 2560 m A wooden bridge is used to cross the glacial stream, which is always powerful in mid-summer. The route over the glacier is marked, the route can change depending on the season. Crampons are required, as the Gorner glacier is usually very bad early in the summer. In fresh snow or poor visibility, a rope must be used. After a few hundred meters on the glacier, turn left (SE) following markings and tracks through the moraine field to meet the Gornersee. Finally weave your way up through rock bands and glacier polished slabs to the Monte Rosa hut.
"Panoramaweg Monte-Rosa-Hütte"
The "Panoramaweg" was established in June 2019 with the help of the Civil Protection. This route leads over the northern arm of the Gornergletscher to the Monte Rosa hut with less loss of altitude. If the glacier is not completely snow-free, glacier equipment and a rope is recommended. Leave the hut trail just before P. 2649 and head east onto the northern arm of the Gornergletscher. One climbs on the glacier between two crevasse zones up to approx. 2860 m, there turn southwards. Now the path leads through scree and over slabs, finally westwards to the Monte Rosa Hut. Marked white-blue-white, T4.
Variant: On foot to Rotenboden.
From Zermatt you can walk via Winkelmatten, Moos, Riffelalp and Riffelberg to Rotenboden (3½ hours).

Additional information

Departure point

Rotenboden (2815 m)

Information about the cable car Zermatt - Rotenboden: www.gornergratbahn.ch/de/sommer/bahninformationen/

Difficulty / Material

Im zweiten Teil Gletschertour (Schwierigkeit L): Steigeisen, Pickel, Seil und Anseilgurt gehören zur Grundausrüstung!

Author

Bernhard Rudolf Banzhaf

Bernhard Rudolf Banzhaf has climbed countless peaks at home and abroad, including all 4000ers of the Valais Alps. He has been organizing trekking trips in the Himalayas and in Europe since the early 1980s. He was a member of the SAC's central committee between 1995 and 2003.

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