Dri Horlini (Almagellerhütte) · Saas Valley · Switzerland
Easy to bailBolting confidence: high
Ten short pitches of grade 4 on superb red-brown gneiss at 2900 m, ten minutes from the Almagellerhütte. Steep little slabs with good holds, closely bolted, and often climbed in mountain boots. An ideal first high-mountain multipitch or an afternoon route after the walk up to the hut.
The route
Schmetterling climbs the south-east wall of the Dri Horlini, the cliff directly above the Almagellerhütte in the Saas Valley. Six short pitches lead to a grassy ledge, you walk right along it, and four slightly longer pitches finish on the ridge. Nothing is harder than about 4c, the rock is excellent and the bolts are close, so many parties climb it in mountain boots as training for the bigger routes around the hut. The pitches are 10 to 25 m long and are easily linked. It is a hut route: the wall is ten minutes from the door, but the hut is a three-hour walk from the valley.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4a | 15 m | Slab to a two-bolt belay. |
| P2 | 3c | 15 m | To a chained belay on a grassy terrace, right of a white overhang. |
| P3 | 4a | 15 m | To a chained belay right of the overhangs. |
| P4 | 4a | 20 m | To a chained belay. |
| P5 | 4c | 15 m | Trend left; there is a peg at the start. Two-bolt belay. |
| P6 | 4c | 10 m | Short pitch to a bolt belay just below the ledge. Camptocamp grades the last pitch before the ledge 5a, and parties mention one delicate, well-protected move here. |
| P7 | 4a | 20 m | Follow the grassy ledge to the right (camptocamp calls it an easy 30 m traverse); one bolt protects the exit from the belay. |
| P8 | 4b | 25 m | To a belay on a terrace. The four pitches above the ledge are the best of the route. |
| P9 | 4b | 22 m | Continue up the wall. |
| P10 | 3c | 20 m | Easy climbing to the belay on the ridge. |
Getting there
Drive or take the bus from Visp up the Saas Valley to Saas-Almagell (1660 m), where the car park is paid (5 CHF for 24 hours reported). Walk to the Almagellerhütte (2894 m) in about 2 h 45 to 3 hours. The hut is wardened from late June to late September and should be booked ahead.
From the hut follow the yellow marks that start near the old hut and cross the moraine to the foot of the wall, about 10 minutes. Each route start is marked with a small plaque carrying its name. Schmetterling starts on a pale slab directly below the left end of the visible grassy ledge, slightly left of the fall line of the distinctive tower on the summit ridge.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Saas-Almagell (camptocamp waypoint 112564), start of the 3-hour hut walk
Point from camptocamp waypoint 39703
Contains the route point and parking. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 46.11303, 8.00925 (crag) · Parking: 46.09570, 7.95850
Getting down
Abseil the equipped line, which is separate from the route for most of its length: abseils are on two bolts with a maillon. Camptocamp describes five abseils of 22 m; the 2024 topo describes six, with the fourth landing on the ledge, a walk right along the ledge to a station below the start of pitch 7, then two more to the ground. A 2021 party measured the abseils at about 27, 20, 26, 20 and 22 m, which is more than a 2×25 m rope reaches in places, and had to down-climb 1 to 3 m twice. The last abseil below the ledge is on the right as you descend. You can also walk off along the ridge, which is easy but longer. Back at the hut in 10 minutes.
Retreat
Easy to bail
Easy to retreat from. The belays are equipped for abseiling, and a July 2025 party abseiled the route from the top of pitch 3 when the weather turned. From the ledge at half height you can walk right to the abseil station and reach the ground in one or two abseils. Above the ledge, the abseil line is close by.
Safety
Sun and weather
South-east facing at 2900 to 3050 m. The season is the hut season, late June to late September. The rock dries fast, with a few harmless seeps after rain. It is a high-mountain venue: a late July 2025 party climbed three pitches in down jackets and gloves in wind and snow flurries, then abseiled off.
Sun on the wall · SE-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Central European time), for the 15th of each month.
Climate figures for Saas Valley are not available yet
What to carry
10 quickdraws (6 to 8 is enough if you do not link pitches, 12 if you do). Two 25 m ropes are the stated minimum; a 50 m half rope used doubled, or two longer ropes, makes the abseils more comfortable. Helmet. No cams or nuts needed: a 2026 party placed some purely as practice.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to Schmetterling.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
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Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.