Rickhübel - Glaubenberg

Rickhübel 1943 m, Glaubenberg

WS− / ~500 m ↗ / 2 h / from Langis (1442 m)

The Rickhübel (1943 m) is a gentle, mostly wooded summit in the Glaubenberg area of central Switzerland, on the Obwalden–Lucerne border. The standard ski tour starts from Langis (1442 m) on the Glaubenbergpass road and climbs the broad, ideally-angled south-east flank over sparse forest and open ridge to the top. It is a short, low-angle, forgiving tour — often combined with the neighbouring Fürstein.

With avalanche conditions a real concern higher in the mountains, this was exactly the kind of day for it: a mellow objective where the terrain does most of the risk management for you. We got flat light and fog the whole way, skinning up through snow-plastered spruce with almost no visibility.

Fresh snow and flat light on the way up — skinning into the fog through snow-laden spruce on the low-angle Glaubenberg slopes.

The descent stayed just as atmospheric: short turns back through the bushes and across the wide, open slopes below the ridge, with the trees fading in and out of the cloud.

Turning back down through the shrubs and the broad open slopes under the ridge.

Route

• Start from the Langis bus stop (1442 m) on the Glaubenbergstrasse.
• Head west through sparse forest via Rick, then follow the broad ridge to the Rickhübel (1943 m).
• The SE flank toward the Glaubenbergpass is ideally angled; can be extended to Fürstein (2039 m) in good conditions.