Höhbalmen - Platthorn
Description
From Zermatt, you climb up a small road to Furi and continue climbing to Stafel, finally reaching the moraine through the scree field at the foot of the Zmutt Glacier, which leads up to the Schönbielhütte. Instead of the SAC hut, we take the path to the left, which leads up the steep meadow terrain. Here, it is mainly a matter of pushing until the fantastic single trail leads to Höhbalmen at the ledge at just over 2700 meters above sea level. This trail is considered one of the most beautiful single trails in the Alps. The reason: it is wonderfully flowy, and nowhere is the Matterhorn more impressive than from this high-altitude trail. Finally, you reach the Höhbalmenstafel, where the trail now descends in serpentine style to the Berghaus Trift. This is where the second part of the tour up to the Platthorn begins. Take the rideable trail up to the avalanche barriers below the Wisshorn. At the avalanche barriers, the bike has to be pushed a few meters, but the trail is soon rideable again. Now head up to Triftchumme, where the path becomes steeper and the bike has to be pushed up to Furggji. Ideally, you should leave your bike here and walk the last stretch to the summit. The summit experience is fantastic, as is the descent. The trail is completely rideable, there are a few tricky sections, the rest is high alpine flow fun. The descent does not lead over the avalanche barriers but directly to the Trifthütte. There are now two options for the route back to Zermatt: either you climb up again towards the avalanche barriers and then take the trail through the Chüeberg to Balmen and on to Zermatt. Or you can head straight down from the Trifthütte to Alterhaupt. This descent is very technical, but this option is recommended for experienced mountain bikers with sufficient suspension travel.
Details of the tour
34 km
2255 m
2255 m
1 day
Zermatt
Zermatt
1316
not suitable
More information
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User comments (2)
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.
I rode the tour on 12.09.2020. The trail from the Trifthütte down to Zermatt was positive. World class, the stuff enduro dreams are made of! The rest, well... The author writes about a few pushing passages... I don't know how fit he is and what gear ratio he rides, but in reality the bike is pushed and carried for at least a third of the tour, which saps your strength. Especially from Trift up to the avalanche barriers. The many stones placed across the trail to repel water are also somewhat dangerous for inexperienced riders. Conclusion: If you absolutely want to lug your bike up to the Platthorn, you should do so, but I would recommend skipping the extra loop from Trift around the avalanche barriers and climbing straight up, it's hard enough as it is. Or you can skip the whole skirmish with the extra loop and Platthorn and ride from Trift straight down to Zermatt. Because THAT is the real highlight of the tour!
I am planning to do the tour this week.
Are there any updates/news?