Video recap:
Located in Switzerland's Turtmanntal Valley, the Barrhorn is often regarded as the highest peak in Switzerland that can be (safely) climbed with nothing more than a pair of hiking books. While my action camera unfortunately froze towards the end of the hike and my iPhone shut off due to the cold, I was still able to snap a few pictures just before the summit. Check out the video/pics below:
0:00 - The hike starts from the Sanntrum parking lot. Note that if you don't have a car it seems like the closest you can get by bus to Sanntrum is the small town of Gruben which is a few kilometers away. Since the earliest bus arrives around 8 am and the last bus leaves at 5 pm, this schedule likely prohibits hiking the Barrhorn in 1 day, unless you are very, very fast. Another option is to bring a bike up via the public transport and then just bike down to the valley at the end of your day. From the parking lot, there are two posted directions for Turtmannhütte. The right path just follows a gravel access road, while the left path is moderately more interesting as the initial part of the hike is in the forest.
0:34 - Due to sheep grazing we were forced to divert back to the access road anyway and were greeted by the shepherd dog.
0:58 - After a short time you reach the lake and get a nice first view of the Turtmanngletscher straight in front of you. Off to the left you can see the Turtmanhütte perched on the hillside.
1:28 - After a quick break at Turtmanhütte we continued onwards, now with a view of the Bishorn as the most prominent mountain in our line of sight.
1:52 - The standard Barrhorn hike, while physically demanding to do in 1 day, is technically easy. The part of the hike that requires a little bit of attention is when you scale 20 m up this rock face.
2:58 - After gaining the ridge you have a nice view of the start of the Brunneggletscher, and continue the ascent straight up towards the Barrhorn summit. Towards the top there are a few short cut paths (mostly scree) that break off to the left of the main trail.
3:41 - Unfortunately my action camera died and so I was only able to snap a few pictures from the summit. There was a decent amount of clouds so we couldn't see everything, but still were able to see some of the prominent 4000 m peaks in the area such as the Bishorn, the Weisshorn, and what I think might have been Dent Blanche way off in the distance. We were able to reach the summit at around 10.30 am, so plan for approx. 4 hours of ascent if you hike at a moderately quick pace and without too many stops. On the way down, Turtmannhütte provided a great place to enjoy the early afternoon sun, a cold beer, and a slice of cake.