Early Season at Sertig

Early season in the Sertigtal, looking for ice. Sertig is the dependable Davos venue in midwinter, but the first week of December is early for it, and a good part of the day went on the walk in and on looking.

Sertig icefalls, Sertigtal (Davos), 1860–2043 m

WI3–WI5 across the falls / up to 4 pitches / 150–180 m / 2 x 60 m ropes, ice screws

The Sertig falls sit in a tight step in the valley above Sertig Dörfli, and they are the reliable Davos ice venue precisely because they come in slowly and hold: the area is normally reckoned to be in condition from around late November to late March, with the best of it January to April. Early December is the optimistic end of that.

Across the five falls the grades run WI3 to WI5 — the couloir on the right is the easy line, the pillar on the left the hard one — with routes of up to four pitches and 150–180 m of climbing between roughly 1860 and 2043 m. I have no record of which line I got on, so I will not claim one. I came back in February, when it was properly formed.

Logistics

Approach

Park at the Hotel Walserhuus in Sertig Dörfli (bus 8 from Davos Platz to Sertig Sand also works). Cross the last bridge before the waterfall and take the slope above it — 45 to 60 minutes, longer if you are breaking trail.