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Our
day begins in Interlaken, were we catch the 6:30 train to the Jungfraujoch.
Though not far the ride up to the Jungfraujoch gains an incredible 9560
feet! We have to make train changes in Interlaken Ost, Lauterbrunnen,
and Kleine Scheidegg before the final train, to the joch. The entire process
take a few hours, but it certainly beats walking! From Kleine Scheidegg
the track is almost entirely through tunnel, bored through
the Eiger and the Mönch.
After a
quick look around at the Jungfraujoch, we step into our skis and drop
a short way down the Jungfraufirn, one of the several giant arms of the
Aletschgletscher complex. If conditions are good we'll climb up and over
the Louwitor, a 11,800 foot high pass between the Louwihorn and the Kranzberg.
This gives us access to the Kranzbergfirn on the south side of the Louwitor.
A great descent awaits! We ski down about 2000 feet to the Grosser Aletschfirn,
and then a final gentle walk up to the Hollandiahütte.
If conditions
are not good for crossing the Louwitor, or for a more gradual acquaintance
with the demands of skiing at altitude, we can descend the Jungfraufirn
all the way to Konkordiaplatz before turning right to head directly up
to the Hollandiahütte.
On the map
to the right, both routes are shown.
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