It is anything but easy for us to leave the cozy breakfast room of the Wasenalp mountain inn with its breathtaking view and venture out into the cold February air for our snowshoe tour to the Hohture. The panorama is too impressive, the breakfast with fresh rolls too tempting, and the landscape too shady this morning.
The day before, we ascended from the Simplon Pass road on snowshoes and completed the entertaining, approximately one-hour climb to Wasenalp in bright sunshine. The inn, located at 1,960 m and in existence since 1960, serves as a welcome base for snowshoe and ski tours to the Hohture, Wasenhorn, and Mäderhorn. It is also ideal for the transition from Wasmer and Mäderlicke when traveling from Monte Leone or the Breithorn.
The ascent initially follows a marked winter hiking trail and takes us gently uphill for half an hour until the actual climb begins in pathless terrain. Loose shrubbery lines the path, and the parallel ski slope doesn't bother us in the slightest. It's still early in the day, and the small, family-friendly ski resort Rothwald seems pleasantly sleepy. We are completely alone on the trail. Only the soft crunching of our snowshoes and our relaxed conversations break the morning silence.
Unlike the surrounding ski resorts such as Zermatt, Saas Fee, the Aletsch region, or Bellwald, Rothwald does not try to attract attention with a lot of fanfare. Around 25 km of slopes, two T-bar lifts, and a manageable infrastructure with just a few restaurants appeal primarily to connoisseurs. However, the area scores points for its guaranteed snow. Thanks to its high altitude and north-facing orientation, the conditions here are different and usually better than in many smaller and lower-lying ski resorts.
We have now covered quite a few meters of altitude and are approaching a prominent point on the Hohture ridge, which runs almost exactly north. Despite the bitter cold, our group stops here briefly and puzzles over the massive steel structures to the east of us, which at first glance do not seem to make much sense as avalanche barriers. However, we do not lose ourselves in speculation for too long. The morning air is too fresh, and the warming sun is still nowhere to be seen.
Ahead of us, the forbidding north faces of the Wasenhorn, over three thousand meters high, rise impressively. They act as a huge barrier, preventing the sun from sending its rays our way early in the morning.
We are still about 200 meters below our destination. The ascent is technically easy but by no means boring, leading over the northern ridge of the Hohture. With good track conditions, the tour can be undertaken responsibly even in less favorable avalanche conditions and is an excellent alternative destination when the higher peaks in the region are not feasible.
However, one short passage demands our full attention. Wind action has created a meter-high, almost vertical wall of snow. We carefully balance our way through this white obstacle on a narrow path. The key section is only a few meters long, but it gets our pulses racing. Soon we are back on wider ground, breathe a sigh of relief, and look directly at the impressive 3,193-meter-high Bortelhorn. Windblown slopes all around urge caution and remind us never to underestimate the complex wind and avalanche conditions in the Simplon region.
At 2,409 meters, the Hohture is certainly no giant, but its height is more than enough for an entertaining panoramic view. The view sweeps over the northern side of the Rhone Valley and on to the striking Weisshorn in the Matter Valley. A panorama that is well worth seeing.
We look longingly for the warming rays of sunshine, which are still slow to appear. With a cold wind and correspondingly frosty temperatures, our break at the summit is short. So we strap our snowshoes back on and begin the descent, which takes us back down to the valley along the same route.
During the descent, after the first few rather hard and windblown meters at the summit, there are repeated passages of fantastic powder snow. Amid loud laughter and cheerful shouts, we quickly lose altitude and gain warmth as we finally reach the sunlit areas. As we are participating in an avalanche course for snowshoers today, we take the opportunity to dig a snow profile to deepen our understanding of snowpack structure.
Soon we reach the ski area and the winter hiking trail again and head for Wasenalp. Its inviting sun terrace offers the perfect setting to relax and end the day. From here, the marked and groomed trail leads down to the pass road and the bus stop in about half an hour, from where the bus takes us comfortably back to Brig.
