The Weissmies and the Lagginhorn are two 4000m peaks in the Swiss Alps, the normal routes are fairly easy and popular, but if you have a couple days available then you should consider to traverse these two peaks, starting from Saas Almagell and then descend to Saas Grund via Hohsaas on the second day.
The south ridge of the Weissmies is a spectacular itinerary and suitable also for beginners and aspiring collectors of the 4000 peaks. The climb along the south ridge is various and it’s not difficult as you mostly scramble up on 3rd / 4th class terrain, eventually with the crampons on if the conditions required them. It takes about 3 hours to reach the lovely Almagellerhutte from the valley floor in Saas Almagell, the day after you generally count 3.30/4h to get to the top of the Weissmies. The view you will enjoy from the summit it’s one of the most beautiful in the Alps, and the way down to Hohsaas via the normal route on the north face it’s pretty dramatic, as you cross some huge crevasses and you hike underneath some high seracs on a pretty steep glacier, generally well tracked by the alpinists if not perfectly crafted by the local guides with pick and shovels.
On the second day, if you’re keen to climb the south ridge of the Lagginhorn I recommend to spend the night at the Berghotel in Hohsaas as you’ll be higher in elevation compare to the Weissmieshutte and onley and hour far from the Lagginjoch, the starting point of the climb.The south ridge offers some quality rock on the steeper sections, the climb is fairly easy yet more challenging than the south ridge of the Weissmies, also because the rocky section is definitely longer. The route finding is pretty easy for an expert eye, the scratches of the crampons on the rock are almost always clear, and the second part of the ridge is sometimes pretty exposed with some downclimbing sections and one abseil. It takes 4 hours to reach the top of the Lagginhorn via the south ridge, the way down is quick along the normal route, first descending a fairly steep rocky slope (snow at the beginning of the season) and then with some easy scramble (2nd to 3rd class) you reach the glacier of the Lagginhorn. It’s time to tackle the the trail on the moraine before the well-deserved beer at the Weissmieshutte, the cable car mid station to Hohsaas is just over half an hour from here.
These two days were a good test for my back, and it all went great! Here you have some pictures from our journey, I hope you like them.