Rigi North Ridge

We've done other stuff on the Rigi but this was our first trip up through the N face that we see so often from other parts of Switzerland. It's one of those faces that, from a distance, looks like there's no way through but, since it's in Switzerland, you just know that there's going to be a route. The snow that's up there may make things interesting today, but we've got ice axes with us and are wearing the big shoes, so we're ready for that.

After taking the train to Küssnacht we opt to walk the whole way up instead of taking the gondola. There's a quick (unplanned) diversion to the castle ruin at Gesslerburg (nice views!) and then we continue our way up, up, through the fields (see a couple of trail runners along here... this certainly would be a good trail for vertical) and then up, up some more through the woods until we hit the top of the gondola station at Seebodenalp. Here we start to see plenty of people who are also taking advantage of the decent weather and doing one of the standard hikes up the Rigi. We continue heading up, up and turn off the main trail above Holderen. Now through the woods, climbing more, a short snack break at Ronenboden (nice views!) and then more up, up, at times steeply, through the woods. At the Arschbagge we get into a bit of snow and start some scrambling, nicely secured with a cable (which is good because with the ice and wet that otherwise would have been pretty nerve wracking), and then up, up some more towards the Kulm. There's plenty of snow by now, but that just makes it easier to find the way up through the bands and wherever the scrambling gets particularly steep there's a chain. We've got nice views out over the lake

and can see up to the platform on the Kulm and the people up there. Up, up we go. There seem to be a couple of ways to do the last bit up to the Kulm itself.

The first one we try is a bit too scrambly and exposed for the conditions (and the cable, mysteriously, starts 3-4m above the ground), so we head more left and end up joining the very top of the red-white path that heads down the NE ridge. Up top we pack away the ice axes, enjoy the views for a bit, and then head down to the restaurant for lunch with a view (decadence!).

After lunch we head down to Weggis, at first on the trail next to the train tracks, then along the ridge to the view point at the Chänzeli before heading steeply down (with nice stairs and ladders) along the Geissrügge, down, down to Weggis, where we catch a boat (always nice) to Luzern.

This is a nice route that would also be a good early-season training tour (snow permitting).

Track:
Stats: 19.3km, ~1400m up and down