1 – 7 April 2025

Pure Urner

The High Road

Reserve

Urner Haute Route. Many call it “A skier’s Haute Route” because there are fewer traverses and fewer people compared to the original. It stretches through the canton of Uri and some of the most spectacular parts of the Alps. It makes high demands, but the reward is an unforgettable experience.

Pure Urner is an Out of Bounds trip with longer days and more demanding tours. It is often just a group with a mountain guide, which means that there are no different degrees of difficulty on the tours. However, this smaller format gives us greater mobility to explore more distant mountain peaks. We sometimes cook our own food and the accommodation is simpler. Given that the altitude meters are more, you need to have previous experience of ski touring tours and your backpack should only contain the bare essentials to minimize weight.

Mountain &
Guides

The skier’s Haute Route

Switzerland is a mountainous country with countless lakes, little hamlets and some of the highest summits in the Alps. Switzerland is a must for skiers looking for big verticals. Ski touring in the Urner Alps is all about walking the high road from Realp in Andermatt to the town of Engelberg in the north. This is one of the nicest and steepest ski touring routes in Switzerland, rmeasuring about 70km as the crow flies.

This Haute Route is a bit more compact and shorter than the original between Zermatt and Chamonix, but still manages to pack in the same amount of vertical ascent and descent. Most of our time is spent ascending south-facing slopes and then down steep north faces. We’ll encounter a few steeper sections where we strap the skis to our packs and climb up with crampons on our boots. Each morning features an “alpine start” from our four mountain huts, all situated at an altitude between 1,900m and 2,500m. The huts are of a fairly basic standard, with the toilet facilities usually a pair of outside long-drops. We’ll ascend between 1,000 and 1,600 vertical meters every day. To walk between two world-class ski resorts means we’re guaranteed to ski untracked snow in proper wilderness: liberating, on occasion a bit less comfortable, perhaps, but that much closer to nature.

 

Pure Ski Touring only hires IFMGA Mountain Guides

What is a Mountain Guide?
A Mountain Guide is a specially trained and highly experienced professional who is certified by authorities or mountain guide associations. They are considered experts at a high level and are hired to instruct or lead individuals and small groups in mountain environments that require this advanced expertise. The profession of mountain guide originated in the mid-19th century when alpine climbing became recognized as a sport.

IFMGA Certification
The title IFMGA Mountain Guide is reserved for individuals who have received full certification through their country’s national mountain guide association, whose curriculum and training are approved by the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA). Certification is obtained through a rigorous examination process that includes rock climbing, alpine climbing and ski mountaineering. Certification usually takes between three and seven years to complete.

Swedish Mountain Guide Organisation
The Swedish Mountain Guide Organisation (SBO) is Sweden’s only professional organisation for mountain guides. SBO trains and examines guides and offers further training. The organisation promotes the interests of its members nationally and internationally and administers information, fees and meetings. The requirements for authorisation are high and include technical skills, teaching and leadership skills. SBO cooperates with other organisations and is a member of the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA), which gives Swedish guides the right to work internationally according to the federation’s standards.

Read more here:
SBO
IFMGA

Our IFMGA Mountain Guides at Pure Urner is

Rasmus Krogerus

Mountain & guides
Accommodation & 
Travel

Andermatt and Engelberg

Andermatt is an ancient alpine hamlet with around 1,500 permanent inhabitants. The town is bisected by the main street, Gotthardstrasse, along which most of the hotels, restaurants and shops are gathered. Engelberg is situated in the centre of Switzerland and is a bit of an off-piste mecca with a long season due to its glacier. Both ski resort towns are high alpine, surrounded by mountains in the heart of Switzerland with endless options when it comes to untracked off-piste.

Accommodation

The four mountain huts we’ll stay in on this tour are Albert-Heim (2,542m), Gasthaus Göscheneralp (1,590m), Hotel Steingletscher  (2,290m) and Sustlihütte (2,257m). They are of a basic standard, with toilet facilities often in the shape of long-drops. Gasthaus Göscheneralp and Steingletscher have showers. The sleeping rooms upstairs are spartan with low ceilings, and the main room where meals are served is completely clad in wooden panels. Breakfast buffet is served in the hut, usually consisting of coffee, tea, yoghurt, muesli, bread, cheese and marmalade. Dinners are from the Swiss cuisine, served in the hut’s dining room where there is also a woodburner, usually in full flight.

Travel

You can choose to travel either by rail or by air. Your mode of travel does not impact the number of ski days. You can also make your own travel arrangements, and we’ll meet up in the hotel in Andermatt (in which case we’ll adjust the package price accordingly, of course). 

By rail

If you want to travel by rail your journey starts in the evening at Stockholm Central station. You’ll travel southbound, through Germany, and arrive into Andermatt station via Zürich the following evening. From the station in Andermatt there is a 10-15m walk to the hotel, where you’ll be met by our guide. The return journey follows the same route, but starting in Engelberg. You’ll pull into Stockholm C the following afternoon. Please indicate on the booking form if you wish us to create a detailed itinerary, or if you wish to make your own travel arrangements by rail.

By air

If you’re flying you’ll take off from Stockholm Arlanda airport, destination Zürich, landing some 2 hours later. From there we’ve booked a bus transfer taking us to our hotel in Andermatt (around 2 hours). The return journey follows the same route, but starting from Engelberg, We fly out of Zürich in the evening, direct to Stockholm. We can also arrange flights from Gothenburg, Malmö or London etcetera on request. Please contact us on info@pureskitouring.se for more details. 

Itinerary
SAS Apr 1 Stockholm, Arlanda – Zurich 13:10-15:40
SAS Apr 7 Zürich – Stockholm, Arlanda 20:55-23:25

Accommodation & Travel
Knowledge &
Equipment

Fairly demanding hut-to-hut tour. We will encounter some steep or exposed passages. Average daily ascent: 800-1,500m. Ratio: max 6 guests per guide.

  • Very good fitness is required, capable of sustaining an ascent rate of 450m/h
  • Off-piste skiing in all conditions, on slopes up to 35 -40 degrees
  • Experience with ski touring technique and equipment, how to walk and kick-turn with climbing skins
  • Experience in using axes and crampons a plus.
  • Age limit 18 years old (16 years old if accompanied by legal guardian)

Mandatory equipment.

  • Skis with touring bindings
  • Climbing skins, contour-cut to your skis
  • Ski boots
  • Ski poles with baskets of a diameter of at least 6cm
  • Avalanche transceiver (not analog), shovel, probe. Check batteries.
  • Helmet
  • Avalanche backpack with inflatable airbag, 30-45l capacity
  • Shell jacket and trousers. Wind-, and waterproof.
  • Mid-layer in wool or fleece
  • Insulated jacket. Synthetic or down. Alternatively an extra fleece.
  • Base layer, top and long-johns. Wool or synthetic
  • Ski socks, wool
  • Underwear, wool or synthetic
  • Gloves or mittens, one pair of thick, one pair of thin
  • Hat and balaclava or Buff to cover your face
  • Sunglasses and goggles
  • Sun cream
  • Water bottle
  • Head torch
  • Passport and money
  • Travel insurance
  • Hand sanitiser
  • Personal snacks (chocolate, nuts etc) for touring

Urner specifics

  • Crampons
  • Ice axe
  • Harness
  • 1 screw gate karabiner
  • Ski crampons (Harscheisen)
  • Travel sheet or sleeping bag liner

Good to have.

  • Thin windproof/soft shell jacket
  • Soft shell trousers
  • Extra base layers
  • Extra underwear (wool/synthetics)
  • Extra ski socks (wool)
  • Day wear/civvies (to be left in Nikkaluokta)
  • Normal shoes (to be left in the Nikkaluokta)
  • Hut slippers
  • Thermos
  • Camera
  • Mobile phone and charger
  • Toiletries bag
  • Ear plugs
  • Blister tape

Always aim to minimise weight when packing.
If you’re missing some of the equipment listed above, we’ll be happy to help arrange equipment hire or purchase. Contact us on info@pureskitouring.se for details.

Knowledge & Equipment

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Articles

Video

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Reserve

Price &
Itinerary

Included:

  • 6 days’ ski touring with certified IFMGA mountain guide
  • Avalanche safety training with certified IFMGA mountain guide
  • Ski touring technique skills with certified IFMGA mountain guide
  • Equipment orientation with certified IFMGA mountain guide
  • Personal account access to Pure Ski Touring’s website
  • Pure Ski Touring’s goodie bag
  • Accommodation in an Andermatt hotel, 1 night
  • Accommodation in mountain huts, 5 nights
  • Breakfast, lunch and evening meal, 6 days
  • Bedding, towel and cleaning on checkout
  • Luggage transfer, Andermatt – Engelberg
  • Air travel, Stockholm, Arlanda – Zürich return
  • Checked luggage, 23kg and carry-on 8kg
  • Sport equipment luggage, 23kg (skis, poles and boots)
  • Transfer from Zürich airport to Andermatt
  • Transfer from Engelberg to Zürich airport
  • Alternatively, return rail travel on request

  • Tuesday, April 1

    • 13:10 Take-off from Arlanda, destination Zürich
    • 18:40 Arrive in Zürich
    • Arranged bus transfer takes us from the airport to Hotel Aurora in Andermatt
    • Check-in
    • 19:00 Dinner served in the hotel restaurant
    • Our guide joins us for a briefing
    • We check through our equipment and our guide walks us through the plan for the coming ski touring days

  • Wednesday, April 2nd

    • 07:00 Early breakfast served in the restaurant, and we make up packed lunches
    • Day 1: We take the train from Andermatt to Realp (1,540m) and walk from there to the Albert Heim hut, 2,543m.
    • Lunch on the mountain or in the hut.
    • Check in at the Albert Heim hut
    • Dinner served in the hut by the guardian

  • Thursday, April 3rd

    • 06:30 Breakfast in the hut
    • Up the Lochberg, 3,074m and then down to Gasthaus Göscheneralp, 1,600m
    • Check in and dinner in the hut’s dining room
    • Prep for tomorrow - an early start

  • Friday, April 4th

    • 06:00 Breakfast in the hut
    • Day 3: We head for either the Chenalp hut, 2,350m, or the Voralp hut, 2,126m
    • Late check-in followed by a well-deserved dinner in the hut
    • Prep for tomorrow - another early start

  • Saturday, April 5th

    • 06:00 Early breakfast in the hut
    • Day 4: We ascend the Sustenhorn, 3,503m and then descend to the Steingletscher Hotel, 1,865m
    • A full day with our guide in this fantastic massif.
    • 19:30 Check-in and hut dinner
    • Equipment clinic with our guide

  • Sunday, April 6th

    • 06:30 Breakfast served in the hut
    • Day 5: We ascend the Obertaljoch, 2,940m, descend Wendengletscher to 2,430m, and then back up the Wendenjoch to 2,580m, and down to Herrenruti, 1,100m
    • Check-in at the hut followed by dinner

  • Monday, April 7th

    • 07:00 Breakfast served in the hut
    • We head for Engelberg and a hotel there where we’ll have time for a shower and change.
    • Your luggage is waiting for you, transferred from the hotel in Andermatt
    • 14:00 Lunch served in the restaurant at the hotel
    • 17:00 Our bus transfer picks us up and takes us to Zürich airport
    • 20:55 Take-off from Zürich airport
    • 23:25 Arrive back at Stockholm Arlanda airport
Price & Itinerary
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