There are three possibilities for getting off the hill:

1. The simplest & bad weather option is back via the hut to St. Luc;
2. In July 1982 with my Dad, we went down to the Pas de Bouef (along the ridge & South), then cut round the East side of the the Meidspitze (thus crossing the Röstigraben here) & scrambling down to the Meidsee for the Meidpass path down to Gruben in the Turtmanntal;
3. In June 2002, I used the Bortertalli route round to Gruben but the pass was blanked off by snow, so I scrambled down to the first visible lake across rocks & a snowfield, then turned the cliff under the lake to the South & went steeply down a snowfield (facing the snow & kicking steps: ice axe essential but I always say it is) to the second lake. This is not for the faint-hearted! Then, a long walk down the valley, picking up the official Pas du Boeuf path. I followed the valley down to the Angi cowsheds. Here, the Kummerley & Frey map and LK50 differ. I followed LK, crossing the stream for the more comfortable & fluoriferous Bortaralpu.

Backside of Bella Tola

At the Zer Pletschu barns, I picked up the bergweg to Grüben, which is very well marked & goes up & down quite a bit. It started to hail, then rain as I set off along it. Where it meets the jeep track, I eschewed the first short cut (as it looked unnecessarily steep) but took the second round the first bend. This met the road a kilometre from Grüben, to which I walked & at 1445, booked into a proper room at the expensive but basic (no private shower) Hotel Schwarzhorn, Sfr90 half board in 2002. (It said a scary Sfr125 behind the door). In 1982, Dad & I stayed in the bunkhouse on top of the hotel, which is cheaper. The food is the same whichever you do & up to the usual Swiss standards.

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