Weissmies

4,017 m

'White moss' in Walser-German — mies is the Walser dialect word for 'moss' (compare standard German Moos). The peak takes its name from the high pastures below its west flank, on the Saas valley side, which are unusually pale and lichen-covered.

Card

Coordinates46.1278° N · 8.0119° E

UIAA rank№ 76 / 82

CountriesSwitzerland

Normal gradePD · peu difficile

First ascent1855 · Jacob Häuser & Peter Josef Zurbriggen

Typical seasonJuly to September

Photo of Weissmies — Photo: 4000er · Public domain

Highest peak of the Weissmies group on the eastern side of the Saastal, opposite the Mischabel chain. The standard route ascends the north-west flank from the Hohsaas lift; the south-east ridge is also a popular classic.

History

Climbed on 12 September 1855 by the Zürich geologist Jakob Heusser with the Saas guide Peter Josef Zurbriggen — uncle of the more famous Matthias Zurbriggen, the first guide to climb Aconcagua. The voie normale on the north-west ridge from the Hohsaas lift is now one of the most popular training 4000ers in the Saas valley.

Location

Summit · huts that serve as bases for routes on this peak

Major routes

NW flank from Hohsaas (Normal route)

PD · peu difficileTopo ↗

Vertical / summit day920 m gain · 4h

The most-climbed route, short and accessible. The Hohsaas cable car from Saas-Grund deposits climbers at 3100 m; the route crosses the Triftgletscher and the Triftgletscher plateau, then climbs the NW flank to the summit. Glaciated with serac hazard in places — the recent retreat has exposed difficult crevasse passages.

Sections

Hohsaas (3100 m)→Triftgletscher plateau (~3500 m)+400 m1h 30m

Triftgletscher plateau→Summit (4017 m)+517 m2h 30m

Huts on this route

Weissmieshütte2,726 m

SSE ridge from Almagellerhütte

PD+Topo ↗

Vertical / summit day1,150 m gain · 4h 30m

A long, aesthetic rock ridge — a serious alternative to the Hohsaas glacier route. Sustained scrambling (II) with a few short pitches of III on excellent gneiss. The full route from Saas-Almagell is one of the longest 4000er ascents in vertical metres climbed entirely on foot.

Sections

Almagellerhütte (2894 m)→Summit (4017 m)+1,123 m4h 30m

Huts on this route

Almagellerhütte2,894 m

Nearby huts

AlmagellerhütteSAC · mid-June to mid-September2,894 m WeissmieshütteSAC · mid-June to mid-September2,726 m Hohsaas-HüttePrivate · late June to late September3,098 m

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