Page 33 - Cross Country Travel Guide 2019

Charlie King lines up six brilliant 4,000m+ mountains in the Alps to climb-and-fly

Dufourspitze, 4,634m
The second-highest summit in the Alps and
the highest in Switzerland, Dufourspitze is

one of the ten 4,000m+ peaks on the Monte
Rosa massif. Its closest neighbour, the razor-
sharp Nordend (4,609m) is Switzerland’s
second-highest peak.
Nordend is a slightly easier ascent than
Dufourspitze, and the launch place for
both peaks is in the Silbersattel, the saddle
between them. You can get the Gornergratt
train from Zermatt to Rotenboden then stay
at the Monte Rosa hut (3,920m), from where
it’s an 1,800m climb to the summit.
There is a lot of crevassed glacier to cross,

and some airy rocky sections. It’s tougher
and more technical than Mont Blanc, and
takes 7 to 9 hours from the hut You need a
very early start in case it’s not flyable and
you have to descend the glacier before it gets
too late in the day. Launch from the snowy
expanse of the Silbersattel and land in Tasch.
zermattparagliding.com
Photo: David Carlier / davidcarlierphotography.com

Jungfrau, 4,158m

Jungfrau, with the Mönch and Eiger, forms
a famous mountain trio in the Bernese Alps,
Switzerland. Ueli Steck climbed and flew
from all three in one 12-hour period in 2012!
At 4,158m Jungfrau is the highest by
about 50m, and has a good launch area.
You can take the train from Lauterbrunnen
to Jungfraujoch, Europe’s highest station
(3,454m). Either stay overnight at the

Mönchsjoch Hut (an hour from the station)
or take the first train up and do it in a day.
It’s around six hours from station to
summit: a glacier crossing with a delicate
steeper section and a fabulous, sharp summit
arête. To launch, it’s best to descend steep
ground for 100m to the Hochfirn, a wide
open, snowy and obstacle-free slope.

You can launch in NW to SW winds, and
get up close to the north face of the Eiger
on the way down. Land near the station at
Zweilütschinen, or in Grindelwald.
chilloutparagliding.com
Photo: Peter von Känel/ obsig.ch

ALPS 4000 CROSS COUNTRY TRAVEL GUIDE 2019 33