Hi,
those of you who could make it, thanks for joining and making it a nice Sunday .

For those of you who might want to know, and hopefully join in later events, the ride was just as planned, ended just after 5 pm. (although we had to rely on memory for route as my the printer had chosen to obey Murphy's law )

We had a long lunch on Ibergeregg, and a short lunch on Raten Pass. I like this as it doesn't stress the tummy, unlike eating before a climb, and we'll try to do it in future events also wherever practical.

Raten Pass was very mild, and especially nice for those with doubtful riding skills: no sharp bends and steep sections, everyone can go very fast downhill...

We hope to do such rides regularly for the next couple of weeks while the passes are open and the days are long.

p.s. can someone (Litespeed?) please post the next event for Klausen Pass, as some of us are really very keen to do it. I can't post as I am not at all familiar with the route. Hopefully not the next weekend but the 29-30 Aug weekend, as some of us will be at the Inferno Schilthorn run the next weekend.

Thanks!!

Raten and Ibergeregg Satelegg and a few other passes will remain open all winter. Perfect for getting some winter km's in!

Hmmm...always something new to learn.

Actually today while riding I was going over in my mind, what's a saddle point, how it is both the lowest point, and the highest point, depending on how you look. Well, as an avid hiker and mountain-lover, for me the real thrill is always to reach the summit, however big or small it is, which is something I miss when I cycle over Passes.

Strange, as if people can read my mind, a close friend of mine told me later in the evening that he too had been to Ibergeregg yesterday, but to hike up to the summit of that tall craggy rocky mountain that you see just before the Pass (from the Schwyz side)...seems it is an excellent hiking trail right to the top. So next time I will take his advise, park my bike at the Pass and hike up to the summit. Additional advantage of bringing back circulation to my posterior

I guess you need to do this climb. I'm sure you'll love it: it's not that high, but it feels like you're at the top of the world
It's a bit far from Zürich, but perhaps we could organise a trip there next summer...

Thats the beauty of mountain biking. You just keep going when the road ends!

I think the mountain you are talking about is Mythen (Gross) there is a hiking trail that goes up there and you can mountain bike a good chunk of the way (until it gets really steep).

This has made me think about which peaks in Switzerland you can reach by a paved road. There are a couple in the Jura: Mont Chasseral (1607m), above Lake Biel, and Mont Tendre (1679m - the highest point in the Swiss Jura), NW of Lausanne. The main one that I can think of in the Swiss Alps is Männlichen (2343m), the road to which leads up from Grindelwald.

I'm having a hard time thinking of many other examples. Obviously, Mont Ventoux is one of the classics in this category within Europe, and in the US there is Mount Washington (bicycles are allowed on that road on one day per year).

So, what is the best Swiss road biking climb that reaches a peak, not just a pass?

For those cyclists for whom 2009-2010 will be the first winter here - those roads may be ploughed and snow-free, but the snow at the sides melts during the day, runs across the road and freezes again towards evening. NASTY. One of the turns on the Raten just above the Biberbrugg road can be really deceptive - in the shadow you may not even notice the wet, let alone the ice.

And about those mountains of mine you are aiming to climb on your bikes -if overtaking us hikers, please make sure that we know you are there. A lot of folk, no longer in their prime, simply cannot hear a well-oiled bike approaching from behind.

Ok, sorry for going OT, but we are thinking of doing a friendly bergluaf to Grosse Mythen with the forum this month end, does anyone know where this trail starts? i.e. which is the closest public transport stop to get to this trail?

I am guessing the altitude gain and distance is almost identical to Mt Rigi: 1400m ht diff and 6-7 kms distance, is this correct? I am reasonably sure there will be a couple of inches of snow at some sections but that is fine; so long as it won't trigger avalanches.

Since it is the first time for all of us who are going there, I would appreciate any tips/warnings if applicable by those who have hiked it or know about it or if I missed a previous thread that covers it.

Thanks in advance!

It will still be very dangerous. I would imagine it will be still snow covered up there. The way I know to get up there is from Ibergeregg pass (never been to the top though). But I think it can be done from Sattel and Brunni too. A 1:25000 map is your friend.

Ok, thanks.
The date is going to be 27th Saturday; so if you think there is an avalanche risk we will move it elsewhere, maybe Rigi.

As for the trail: Keeping a map is a fair point but like it or not, we are not likely to be carrying a map. The thing about hills is if you keep choosing the upward trail you definitely reach the top, I know it is a crude way So I would still like to hear a dummies direction to get to the trail for use later in the summer.

Avalanche risk was not what I was thinking about. It depends on how much snow is up there though, and if there is still a lot then with the warmer temperatures the risk of wet snow slides could be quite high.

What I was more thinking about though is that Mythen is proper steep. I've just looked at it on the 1:50000 map (I had it open to plan another tour) and unless you have technical climbing skills and equipment I don't think I would do it until the snow is all gone from up there. Like I said, I've never been right up there so Maybe Longbyt might be able to give you a better idea of what the trail is like, but from the map I think doing it in winter is for people with technical mountain skills. If the snow is gone then hit it. If not I reckon wait.

Looking at the map it looks like your best bets for access are Brunni or Rickenbach.

As for the map thing, I think thats quite silly not to take a map when you go hiking. Sure the wanderweg signs are great here, but you have no ability to plan your route. No way of replanning if something goes wrong. The Alps are potentially a dangerous place. Just going out there with no preparation is a little but naive.

Was out on a recce run today with an all-weather friend, starting from Brunni (1100 m). Luckily we got an experienced Swiss mountaineer for company there, so we could do one of the peaks otherwise we would just do a stroll and come back.

There are basically three peaks here: Grosse, Keine and the Muchtel (middle) Mythen. Grosse is the one you see on the left, and the tallest one, at 1900 m. We hiked the middle one (which is about 1750 m) which is the easiest of the trio but still quite challenging in winter.

Grosse and Keine Mythen, are technical climbs, and doable with equipment in summer time, but virtually impossible in winters. We saw (and heard ) about a dozen avalanches/mini avalanches on the Grosse Mythen in 1 hour. And no, snow is not a few inches but several feet at many places, so we ruled out the area for the run next week.

The Muchtel is a tough hike, I had great difficulty keeping up with the 60 year old Swiss mountain goat, not something I would attempt on my own in winter . There is also a 250 m vertical cliff there, popular abseiling spot for climbers (maybe for base jumpers too, I don't know.)

Thanks for the tips

Sorry, I didn't see this post earlier. I don't always read the Pass biking ones. The 'normal route' up the Great Mythen is a steepish hike, hands maybe a couple of times for balance, but it is definitely a walk not a climb - in summer and in the dry. The rocks used to be very slippery when wet (I went up a LONG time ago) and too many folk have gone over the edge for me to even dream of it in winter. Although we always carry a map, once you are on the path, there is really nowhere else you can go but up to the top.
I cannot remember if we started from Brunni or cheated and took the cablecar up to the Holzegg.

The Klein Mythen needs hands a bit more - again, this is in summer.

Have fun guys and take care.

Actually the Mythen region has a myriad of climbs/hikes possible, and can get confusing as much of the internet sites for that region are in german. Just to add clarity I am giving a trip report of the "normal route" to Grosse Mythen that I did over the weekend.

Grosser Mythen Hike (mods, please feel free to move it to a more suitable thread).

Route summary:Schwyz (450m) –Holzegg (1450) -G Mythen (1899) –Holzegg (1450)-Alphthal Brunni (1100)- Einselden (~900).

Participants: My son aged 9, and I, 35, male.

Hike details:

We started from Schwyz Bahnhof, it takes half an hour walk to reach the start of the hike, called the “Forum Mythen”, you'll see prominent signs; in fact up to this point it is common with the Ibtergeregg cycling route. The yellow hiking signboard there said it is 4h 20 mins to G Mythen (which meant we would need 3h based on our recent previous hikes such as Rigi and Pilatus).

We marched toward Holzegg through the bergwegs/shortest way up, this wasn’t so pleasant because the earth was still very wet. Too much flora and fauna. You are under dense forest cover for two hours, with no views and no sun until you reach Holzegg. That is when we get to see the impressive Grosse Mythen again, and our spirits soared again.

From Holzegg we hit the marked trail to G. Mythen. In one word, I would describe this hike as “delectable”, we just relished it. It is humanly impossible to lose one’s way with or without a map on this trail, and the trickier sections are secured by steel chains. I would still advise complete caution, as one misstep can send you tumbling down a few hundred meters, and rain/wetness can make it dangerous unless you are well-trained by climbing and hiking in the rain in safer places.

Once at the top, we had the mountain all for ourselves. The views were great (oh, but that's a cliche, which mountain in Switzerland does not offer views that make your heart sing in joy), we saw airplanes flying a couple of hundred meters below us, right between the Grosser and Kliene Mythen, and kiddo was thrilled. At the top of our own little world, we played, sang and danced, and ate for an hour, before heading down.

We decided to hike down toward Alpthal Brunni rather than Schwyz side to avoid the damp and dreary forested route. But when we reached Alpthal, we realized had missed the 6:08 pm last bus by a whisker. Out came the umbrella and the goodies, and we chomped our way leisurely to Einselden to catch the train home.

Trip Stats:
Total ascent: ~1600m
Total descent: ~ 1000m
Total distance: could be around 20-25 kms, hard to say
Total time taken: Just over 8 hours including generous breaks.