The Snowboarder's Journal - The Snowboarder's Journal 19.1
LIVING LARGE: The Titlis Rundtour XL
Words and Photos: Axel Adolfsson 2021-09-27 14:40:09
Simone Le Grand leans into the final rappel of the Titlis Rundtour XL. “Depending on snow conditions this can be done strapped in, but when we went it was safer to do it on foot. Both rappels on this tour are rather easy, but you still need to respect the mountains and be ready for the worst.”
I often feel small when I’m in the backcountry. It’s a humbling realization, knowing these forces of nature could crush me to pieces within seconds. As we descend into the Alpenrösli Couloir in Switzerland’s Engelberg Valley, that sense of humility reaches a whole new level. These ice-covered walls leave me feeling miniscule. Warm spring air slowly melts the ice and small chunks of it are falling directly into the path we’re about to ride. We’re nearing the end of our tour.
My friend, Engelberg local Simone Le Grand, is leading me on this tour. It’s a sized-up version of the classic Titlis Rundtour that I’ve dubbed the Titlis Rundtour XL. It begins with rappelling down to the backside of Mount Titlis, home to one of Switzerland’s best freeride spots. The resort, Engelberg-Titlis, boasts the world’s first revolving cable car and serves as the area’s main tourist attraction. On the backside there are no cable cars, but endless possibilities.
The regular Rundtour is usually completed in one day, and Simone led me through it last season. The first rappel is followed by a second and, after storing the rope, it’s time to tour. It took us roughly three hours to skin to Grassen Biwak, a small backcountry hut located between Titlis and Grassen that was built in 1970 by the Swiss Alpine Club. The terrain outside the hut’s front door is playful, teeming with windlips and natural walls as it takes you more than 4,200 vertical feet down to the bottom of the Engelberg Valley. From Grassen Biwak you can also climb farther up to Grassen peak, then ride down the glacier and steer toward the valley. From the top of Grassen peak I could see there’s more to ride than I’d imagined before. The area offers never-ending options, some of which will surely beckon us back. But today we’re on a different mission.
We drew up the plans for our XL version of the Rundtour back home in Engelberg. We studied maps, evaluated routes and considered risks. We decided the best call was to shoot for another Swiss Alpine Club hut called Sustlihütte via Fünffingerstöck, a massif of peak spikes that reaches nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, where we’d sleep one night before climbing back toward the 9,645-foot-tall Stössenstock. From Stössenstock we continued over an area called Herrengrasen and finally arrived at the drop-in point leading us into the Alpenrösli Couloir, or as some call it, Secret Line. Considering all the work it takes to get here, I don’t feel that bad about letting the “secret” out.
Our line begins on a gradual glacier with plenty of space to make wide, sweeping turns. As we descend farther the slope gets steeper, but we still have plenty of room to work with. Upon reaching the last stretch of Secret Line, it suddenly becomes narrower. The riding is exposed due to the ice hanging above us. Shards of it are falling into the path we aim to take. The mountain has turned hostile. We can’t stay long.
We ride on between the couloir’s giant walls. Imposing black stone, 50 meters high and covered with blue ice, surrounds us. It’s at this moment I remember why I keep doing this. Touring for hours under the hot sun. Reaching high altitudes where I start to feel I’m losing my breath. Taking risks. Out here I feel small, and to feel small is to feel alive.
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