Ascent of the Torrenthorn

The starting point of the hike is at Rinderhütte, the mountain station of the Leukerbad gondola lift. The ascent goes over the alpine meadows of Torrent, where cows, sheep, and goats graze during the summer.

The hiking trail gradually leads through the Rinderhalte towards the west ridge. Hikers are regularly accompanied by the whistling of marmots here.

At an altitude of about 2700 meters, the lush grassland slowly transitions to rocky terrain. From the ridge, you have a great view of the Majingalp and the impressive mountain slope "Montanji", which is known especially for the steep Gemmi wall and extends eastward to the Bernese Balmhorn at the cantonal border.

After about 1.5 additional kilometers, you reach the summit of the Torrenthorn, also known as the "Rigi of Valais". From the summit, you have a complete 360° panoramic view and, in clear weather, can admire peaks such as Jungfrau, Bietschhorn, Monte Leone, Weissmies, Mischabel group, Monte Rosa, Matterhorn, Grand Combin, and even Mont Blanc.

For the return, the direct path over the ridge and via the historic Hotel Torrent back to the Rinderhütte is recommended. The hike can be extended via various descent routes: the route over the ridge southwards to Schafberg climbs another summit before descending via the alpine route (white-blue-white marking) to the Rinderhütte. Another alternative is to descend northwards at Rinderhalde to Majingalp and complete the return along the Dala valley to Leukerbad.

Highlights of the hike:

• View summit Torrenthorn with great panoramic views of Valais, Bern, and, in good visibility, the French Alps.
• Numerous options to extend the route with different descent variants.