Fletschhorn

Fletschhorn from the southwest, from Jegihorn

The Fletschhorn is a glaciated peaks of the Valais Alps between the Saas Valley and the Simplon Pass. It is in the main Alpine ridge and reaches a height of 3,984, 5 m above sea level. M.. The first ascent succeeded on August 28, 1854 pastor Michael Amherdt from talking shop, today Simplon, with leaders John Zumkemmi and Friedrich Clausen. The Fletschhorn is after the four-thousand Lagginhorn ( 4,010 m above sea level. M. ) and white Mies ( 4'017 m above sea level. M. ) the third highest peak in the White Mies group. These two four-thousand is not far away, it is seen a well-known triumvirate, especially from the opposite Mischabelgruppe from.

Beginning of the 20th century, when the Fletschhorn was still attests a height of 4001 m, the importance of the summit was greater: the northern part of today's White Mies Group, including the White Mies himself was referred to as Fletschhorngruppe. The Lagginhorn at that time was also called South Fletschhorn, today, northern Fletschhorn was also named Ross bottom horn.

The Fletschhorn and the 4000 -meter mark

Karl Blodig, who first reached in 1911 the goal is to climb all four peaks of the Alps, had climbed this in 1900 and the Fletschhorn. After view at that time, the Fletschhorn one of them. Had the land surveyor still determined at the beginning of the 20th century a height of 4001 m, it was recorded on almost all cards from the 1950s with only 3993 m. Erosion, consumable Eiskuppen and last but not least accurate measurement methods were probably responsible for this loss of height.

In February 1988, the municipality of Saas reason put a planning application of the Construction Committee of the Canton of Valais in front in order to " produce original height of the mountain ," the. The former mayor had the village politicians convinced of his plan to top up the lying around near the pinnacle of rock material at the highest point in the form of a dry stone wall, so that the Fletschhorn would come back to the earlier maps registered in height. The project probably came because of its singularity in the international press, for example, the issue of the Chicago Tribune and the Russian Izvestia was took up. The response was tremendous, few were enthusiastic about the idea, most opposed, some on religious grounds. The mayor defended his plan also highlighted the environmentally friendly design. On October 22, 1990, the project was finally rejected by Baude Partment the canton of Valais.

For many years, the Fletschhorn now with an altitude of 3'993 m above sea level. M. listed. Recent photometric measurements showed only 3982 m for the Gipfelkalotte at the intersection of southwest and northeast ridge. Well, the trigonometric fixed point in the south-west ridge with 3,984, 5 m above sea level. M. obviously represents the highest point

Location

The Fletschhorn is the northernmost of the highest peaks of the White Mies group, it is only slightly more than a kilometer north of the Lagginhorns, from which it is separated by the Fletschjoch ( 3'688 m above sea level. M. ).

The summit has dispatched several ridges. The glaciated upper western flank is bordered by the northwest ridge überfirnten and the rocky southwest ridge. In the course of Nordwestgrats is the Senggchuppa ( 3'607 m above sea level. M. ), just 1 ½ miles from the Fletschhorn. Approximately half a kilometer east of the main summit is the east summit ( 3'927 m above sea level. M. ), through the snow saddle ( 3'898 m above sea level. M. ) separately from the main summit. From the eastern summit go three more ridges from: The Northeast Ridge, also known as Breitloibgrat, the actual alias Sibilufluegrat east ridge and the ridge, which is also called Hosaasgrat.

In the area of ​​Fletschhorns there are numerous smaller glaciers. The largest are the Ross soil and the pit glaciers, which cover both an area of ​​2.5 km ². The latter, also called Grüebugletscher, located west of the summit. In the area below its glacier tongue, in which there is also a big rock glaciers and much loose moraine, water collects in various glaciers and thermokarst lakes. These represent a threat to Saas Balen, located on the alluvial fan of the Fällbachs, drained by the glaciers. Various historical floods and mudslides were caused.

North of the Fletschhorns, nestled between southwest ridge and Breitloibgrat, is the Ross soil glacier. This extends to the summit area of ​​the Fletschhorns. There, on the morning of March 19, 1901, the largest known combined Fels-/Schnee-/Eislawine the Alps occurred, she took from the northwest ridge at an altitude of 3788 their output. The excavated volume was 2.5 to 3 million cubic meters and the deposits covered an area of ​​approximately 70 ha Avalanche overcame a height difference of 2300 m and had a seven- kilometer-long run-out distance.

To the east Bodmer glacier between Breitloibgrat and Sibilufluegrat, the Sibilufluegletscher between Sibilufluegrat and Hosaasgrat and Holutriftgletscher located south of the Hosaasgrat. To the south of the summit is the Fletschhorngletscher, whose origin lies in the area of ​​east summit.

Climbing history

On August 28, 1854 reached Rev. Michael Amherdt from Simplon under the leadership of John Zumkemmi and Friedrich Clausen first to the summit of Fletschhorns, which was then usually called Ross bottom horn. You got there on the floor Ross Glacier and the northeast ridge, more is not known about this first ascent. It is also known ascents by a federal tax collector by the name of Vergerer on 5 September 1868. Moreover, is described by 1888 and in the Alpine Journal from 1887 a ride up in the yearbook of the Swiss Alpine Club, the English tourists Topham and Rendall, together with the mountain guide Aloys Supersaxo took on 16 July 1887. They reached the Horn of Saas over the southwest. The first exceedance of Roßbodenhorns about the Fletschjoch over to Lagginhorn, then usually called Laquinhorn, led the English theologian William Augustus Brevoort Coolidge and the guides Christian Almer and Ulrich made ​​on 27 July 1887.

The Fletschhorn North Face was on 25 July 1928 rose for the first time. ER Blanchet and its leader Oskar Supersaxo and Kaspar Mooser required for the commission of the wall 5 ½ hours for the ascent of the Simplon, however, a further 6 hours. The second ascent of the north wall only took place on July 21, 1948 by Hans Oertli under the leadership of Alexander Taugwalder, starting point was also Simplon. With the third ascent of the north wall on July 17, 1960 Erich Vanis opened with his Viennese colleagues Egbert Eidher, Günther Godai, Karl Mach, Pasul Pernitsch, Heinz Regele and Wilfried Wehrle the so-called "Vienna route" that leads through the right side of the wall.

Routes

The normal route is by far the most popular trail route to the summit and leads from the Weissmieshütte ( 2'726 m above sea level. M. ) on the upper western flank and the uppermost part of Nordwestgrats to the summit. The upper part of the pit glacier is crossed. The difficulty is specified with WS. Not infrequently, the ascent of Fletschhorns is combined with that of the Lagginhorns, the Fletschhorn is exceeded. It is first achieved via the normal route and then descended to Fletschjoch.

Committed far more rare variants that increase from east. One of them, the northeast ridge ( Breitloibgrat ) represents a far more difficult, but quite popular tour through the north wall, the so-called "Vienna route". This has about 600 meters wall height is 50 ° steep, just before the exit to the uppermost part of the northwest ridge in places, a little steeper. Until reaching the ridge it is a pure ice route. As S is expressed difficulty. The starting point is usually the northeast of the Senggchuppa on the ridge between Ross soil and Griessernugletscher lying Biwakschachtel Piero de Zen ( also Fletschhorn bivouac, 3'014 m above sea level. M. ). About the north face is also worn with skis, a simpler ski run over the glaciers pit to Saas Baalen.