Showshoe hike from Heidelberger Hütte to Piz Davo Lais & Piz Laver

A new cold front arrived overnight and it is still snowing lightly. The temperature has dropped significantly. Although the forecast suggests there should be some clearer spells this afternoon, we opt for an early start. It takes several hours to reach the first summit anyway, and mountain weather is never perfectly predictable.

With limited visibility, we follow the only existing ski-touring track towards Piz Davo Lais. Once the terrain becomes steeper, the track suddenly disappears and we leave our own mark on the landscape. The snow hardens and the slope angle increases to 30° and more. Fortunately, our snowshoes (Tubbs Flex VRT) are excellently equipped with wide crampons and an aggressive claw, giving us plenty of grip. With some other models you might run into trouble here, in which case it’s better to have a pair of crampons at hand.

Visibility on the eastern side of the valley is much better than on the opposite side. Good timing, then, to head in this direction today. We are alone on the summit and fully enjoy the view of this three-thousand-metre peak. We descend again and traverse along the western flank of Piz Davo Dieu towards our next summit. Via the ridge we reach Piz Laver. Along the way and near the top we have to take off the snowshoes, as the wind has blown away all the snow.

A small group of ski tourers also reaches the summit, arriving on crampons. We are faster back down than they are, and during the descent towards the hut it becomes clear that snow conditions are far from ideal for skiing if you lack experience.

We return to the Heidelberger Hütte via an alternative, higher route. This offers more impressive views, but the biting northerly wind blows straight into our faces.