To the Lammeren Hut

To get to this start point, you go up the Gemmi Pass, see the previous page. The hut is at the top of the Lammerenboden, a muddy delta of the Lammerendalu stream. The path crosses to the North at the head & a few zigzags bring you to the hut. This is now a modern, traditional hut. (When I did this in 1974, there was a space-age metal hut which temporarily replaced a stone lean-to). Stay the night & be prepared psychologically for the warden to wake you at 4 the next morning.

Climbing the Wildstrubel 3243.5m

The path from the hut leads West onto the glacier. I went up the left (South) side of the little ice-fall ahead & onto a gently sloping section, then headed WSW to go up the middle of the second ice-fall, Then the route rises West for half a kilometre & WNW for a kilometre to the stony summit. There should be a great view South (We did not get it). West is the Wildhorn & East, the Altels, Balmhorn & Bietschorn.

To traverse the peak, now turn SW and make your way down the rubbishy rock to the Plaine Morte Glacier. This is a weird place 2km wide & 4km long. Cross it SW to the cable car station by the Tothorn. (It was cloud-filled when I did it but the trip across is ok on a compass bearing). The glacier had clearly lost a lot of thickness when I next saw it in 2005. Either take the path or cable car down to the Violettes Hut, refreshments, & continue to Montana. (We cable car-ed to the hut & walked down in 1974. Mistake, as the path is constantly subverted by ski runs, which are hard to walk down. It would be better to walk down to the hut & get the string railway down from there, although one would miss the bizarre limestone scenery just below the Violettes Hut. I walked up the section from the Violettes Hut to the Plaine Morte in 2005. The path is very good & easy but the effect of global warming on the Plaine Morte was obvious).

The Sex Morte & the easy path down from the Plaine Morte

The bottom part of the path to the Violettes Hut

The Wildstrubel & Plaine Morte Glacier, much lower (thinner) in 2005

There are plenty of places to stay in Montana. French is spoken there. There is another way to walk to Montana from the Cross Swiss Route, via the Rawil Pass.

The Haute Route to Leukerbad

One kilometre out on the road to the East from Montana, a side road goes left up to Plumachit. (I managed to scrounge a lift for this bit, as it is a long day). The road dies 1/2km after Plumachit & the Haute Route begins. This heads roughly NE to a valley called Le Sex (none on offer...), where it turns SE for 2km, becomes the Höhenweg and tends East to come out above the Dala Valley, with Leukerbad now visible, quite long way up. The path gradually descends to the village.