Vrenelisgärtli - The perfect introductory high tour

Text and pictures by Lisa Walter

Between the fjord-blue Klöntalersee, crunching firn and a tent city at 2000 meters, there are two days in which everyday life simply disappears.

Hiking is my reset button: get out of the office, up the mountain, clear my head. This time, the trail leads up to Vrenelisgärtli (2904 m) in the Glarus Alps - a high-altitude tour that provides mountain air even in June without being too technically demanding.

There are several legends about the name of the summit. The most famous one tells of the young Vreneli, who wanted to plant a flower bed at the top of the mountain - against all warnings not to challenge the mountain. She put a copper kettle on her head, trudged through the snow and wind and cleared a patch of meadow with her bare hands. But the weather changed, heavy snowfall set in and buried Vreneli and her little garden.

To this day, an almost square field of snow lies below the summit - the so-called Vrenelisgärtli. It is said that she still sleeps beneath it.

I get off the bus at the Klöntal-Plätz bus stop, put on my rucksack and take a look back at the mirror-smooth lake. Then it's uphill: first over rooty forest paths, later over wide meadows, past the alpine hut village of Chäseren and through a steep slope next to a rushing waterfall.

Three hours later, it's not a hut that appears, but a makeshift base camp: 19 colorful expedition tents, a kitchen yurt and a wide view of the starry sky - a bit of Himalayan feeling in the middle of the Glarus Alps.

Info: The Glärnischhütte was renovated in 2023 and the temporary base camp was available for overnight stays. The newly renovated hut has been used again since 2024.

05:15 am. Headlamp on. Over boulder moraines up to the Glärnischfirn. The crampons click, the ice crunches under every step. The sky slowly turns from gray to gold.

7:30O'clock. Schwander ridge. A steel chain secures the crux; a few quiet moves, then the ridge recedes.

8:45O'clock. Summit. Below me, the Klöntalersee lies like a puddle in the depths; further north, Lake Zurich shimmers. I pour tea into my mug, break off a piece of chocolate and just look.

The descent follows the same route. Back at camp, I have coffee, then a last look at the colorful tents.

-Backpack 38 L - enough space for crampons & snacks

- Rain jacket - because the weather can change quickly in the mountains

- Crampons - indispensable when crossing glaciers

- Via ferrata set - for the chain point and securing on the ridge

- Hiking boots - always choose category B/C

- Early summer firn: In June, the firn is often compact - making it ideal for beginners

- Short journey: From Zurich to Klöntalersee in just over two hours

- High tour for beginners: WS difficulty, but still a real high mountain feeling