40th to 41st 4000 m summits20 August 2023 · Bernese Oberland
Along the crest of the 4000ers: the Schreckhorn – Lauteraarhorn traverse
The 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 19 August (start 10:02) to 20 August 2023 (finish 21:19) · 1 night — Schreckhornhütte
Summits & route
The summits
Day by day
- D1Grindelwald > Schreckhornhütte
- D2Schreckhorn > Lauteraarhorn > Grindelwald
Climbing partner
Click a name to see their map.
Topos & references
The story
Another dream come true... A major route — demanding, long and committing — shared with Félix in exceptional conditions.
Exactly two years after my first 4000er (the Dent Blanche, on 6 August 2021), this back-to-back ascent of the Schreckhorn (4078 m) and the Lauteraarhorn (4042 m) brings me to 41 “four-thousanders” out of the 82 in the Alps. This first half was magnificent, and the rest still holds wonderful moments in store!
Thank you to all my climbing partners for each of these ascents and for all the memories they carry!
A special nod to Félix for agreeing to travel to Grindelwald by public transport... even if the return trip was a bit of an ordeal, and we only made it back to our dear Valais and our beds in the small hours, after a journey involving 5 trains, our bodies battered by a full twenty-four hours on the go!
Thanks also to Ezmari N. for the sensational aerial footage he captured of our progress along the ridge, and for the very beautiful images he shared with us. Here are a few clips available on YouTube:
- Our rope team on the Schreckhorn–Lauteraarhorn ridge - Summit of the Schreckhorn - The crevasses of the Schreckfirn below the ridge