28th to 31st 4000 m summits22 May 2023 · Bernese Oberland
A ski tour through the Oberland to pick 4000ers with Seb
on skisThe track
Distance and elevation gain from the Strava tracks; profile drawn from the GPS. Hover over the map or the profile to locate a point along the track.
The figures
From 21 May (start 09:00) to 23 May 2023 (finish 16:08) · 2 nights — Mönchsjochhütte, Finsteraarhornhütte
Summits & route
The summits
Day by day
- D1Jungfraujoch > attempt on the Jungfrau and Mönch > Mönchsjochhütte
- D2Gross Grünhorn > Grosses Fiescherhorn > Hinteres Fiescherhorn > Finsteraarhornhütte
- D3Finsteraarhorn > Grünhornlücke > Fiescheralp
Climbing partner
Click a name to see their map.
Topos & references
The story
Sunday 21 May 2023 was a day that had not lived up to its promise in terms of reaching our goals and the two summits we had targeted. But it was a day to be marked in letters of gold in the diary of my life, and one that would leave a lasting mark on the rest of my quest.
That day, I met Anthony and Marc-Henri. It was the first time this merry quartet had come together. We didn't know it yet, but that day marked the birth of several great, great new friendships.
D1 – The players are ready (but the weather isn't)
Seb and I are off on a 3-day ski tour in the Bernese Oberland! In our sights: 6 × 4000ers. Morale was sky-high for this first day; the weather, on the other hand, not at all.
An attempt on the Jungfrau (4158 m), but we turned back after several difficult hours in total fog. Visibility would stay at zero until the end of the day, also dashing our hopes of climbing the Mönch (4106 m).
A bit of a shame to have got up in the middle of the night and taken 6 trains (!) to be there so early, but luckily a really lovely evening and some great encounters made it all worthwhile at the hut!
All the more ready for the next 2 days — it's going to be epic.
D2 – Good things come in threes
Splendid conditions for this second day in the Bernese Oberland! A fairly full day, with three ascents in a row: Gross Grünhorn (4043 m), Gross Fiescherhorn (4049 m) and Hinter Fiescherhorn (4025 m). Three summits with superb lines, fantastic skiing, magnificent snow/rock ridges, grandiose panoramas, immense and almost deserted expanses of glacier...
But above all, a rope team that works wonderfully and a top-notch companion.
D3 – Delusions of grandeur
Third and final day of our tour in the Bernese Alps, with a fairly ambitious programme: ascent of the Finsteraarhorn (4274 m, the highest point of the massif) and descent of the Aletsch Glacier to return to civilisation.
A very long day, with many transitions and a tight schedule given the afternoon weather forecast. A few trickier moments, fatigue making itself felt, but a rope team that stays focused and doesn't waver. We finally reach the calm of the lowlands, and come back starry-eyed from these 3 fantastic days. Thank you, Seb, for all these wonderful memories!