Rothornhütte SAC

July 18, 2022 by Pat and Bruno ‐ 2 min read

Difficulty	T3+
Number of Days	2
⇄ Total Distance	23.6 km
↑ Up	2230 m
↓ Down	2230 m
Notable Locations	Zermatt, Wisshorn, Rothornhütte SAC, Berggasthaus Trift
Public Transit Access?	Yes

Quick Summary

A very scenic but quite physically demanding hike to a lesser-known SAC hut near one of Switzerland’s most iconic landmarks.
Took the train to/from Zermatt.
There were virtually no flat sections to this hike — essentially the entire tour consisted of either steep inclines/declines.
The hut itself was quite “old-school” in the sense that it had not undergone any major renovations or additions when we visited.
- Despite the hut being nearly full, there was only a single other person staying at the hut who was not undertaking a high-alpine mountaineering expedition.
- This gave the hut quite a unique vibe (eg. at dinner) as everyone that was there was exceptionally passionate and knowledgeable about alpine sports.

Difficulty	T3+
⇄ Distance	12.8 km
↑ Up	1920 m
↓ Down	380 m
Notable Locations	Zermatt, Wisshorn, Rothornhütte SAC

Hiked from Zermatt to the Wisshorn.
- We saw quite a bit of Edelweiss in the meadows on the ascent to the Wisshorn.
After a short lunch on the Wisshorn, we descended to slightly above Trift and then ascended to the Rothornhütte SAC.
While most of the hike was not especially difficult from a technical perspective, the final ascent to the Rothornhütte is extremely steep.
- Some inclines had grades of >45%.

Difficulty	T3+
⇄ Distance	10.8 km
↑ Up	310 m
↓ Down	1840 m
Notable Locations	Rothornhütte SAC, Berggasthaus Trift, Höhbalmen, Zermatt

Descended from the Rothornhütte to the Berggasthaus Trift.
From the Berggasthaus Trift we ascended the path to the west in the direction of Höhbalmen.
We stopped to enjoy the view Ufem Hohlicht.
Continued our descent on the eastern path towards Zermatt.