Dri Horlini (Almagellerhütte) · Saas Valley · Switzerland
Easy to bailBolting confidence: high
The harder plaisir line at the Dri Horlini, ten minutes from the Almagellerhütte: sustained, homogeneous climbing around 5c on perfect compact rock at 2900 m. Grades are old-school and feel stiff. With intermediate stations every 25 m it can be climbed as four long pitches or eight short ones.
The route
Double D climbs the left-hand part of the south-east wall of the Dri Horlini, the crag behind the Almagellerhütte, and is route 4 on the hut's own topo, graded 5c+ with 5c obligatory. It is harder and more sustained than the easy classics Schmetterling and Verdauungsweg on the same wall. The line doubles as the 'Abseilpiste' used to descend from neighbouring routes such as Edelweiss and Heimweg. There are 50 m of walking between the third and fourth pitches.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | – | 50 m | A full 50 m pitch to a chained belay, with an optional station at 25 m. A 2025 party says the section the topo gives 5a+ climbs more like a modern 5c. |
| P2 | – | 50 m | Another 50 m pitch with an optional station half-way. |
| P3 | – | 50 m | The third 50 m pitch, ending on the ledge system. Walk about 50 m to the foot of the last pitch. |
| P4 | – | 50 m | The final pitch to the ridge, graded 5b on the camptocamp page for Heimweg, which finishes up it. From the top you can continue along the Dri Horlini ridge traverse (grade 2 to 4a on the hut topo, with little fixed gear). |
Getting there
Drive or take the bus from Visp up the Saas Valley to Saas-Almagell (1660 m), where the car park is paid. 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 cross the moraine to the foot of the wall in about 10 minutes. Route starts are marked with small name plaques. Double D is towards the left of the wall, immediately left of Edelweiss on the hut topo.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from camptocamp summit waypoint 39703 (Dri Horlini)
Contains the route point. 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)
Getting down
Abseil the route: every main belay is chained, and the intermediate stations have a maillon. The page for the neighbouring Heimweg describes the descent as seven abseils of 22 m down Double D, which works with a 50 m rope doubled; measured abseils on the nearby Schmetterling line came out at up to 27 m, so check that both ends reach. With two 50 m ropes you can go from chained belay to chained belay. You can also walk off along the ridge.
Retreat
Easy to bail
Abseiling the route is the normal descent: the main belays are chained and there is an equipped station every 25 m. You can turn round from any stance.
Safety
Sun and weather
South-east facing at about 2900 to 3100 m. The season is the hut season, late June to late September. The rock dries fast. This is a high-mountain venue three hours from the road, and it can be cold and windy even in late July.
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.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −8 | −6 | −3 | −0 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 4 | −3 | −7 |
| Mean daily low °C | −15 | −14 | −11 | −7 | −3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | −4 | −10 | −14 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 12 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 2575 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
Quickdraws (number not published; pitches are 50 m long, so carry a generous set or use the intermediate stations), a helmet and either two 50 m ropes or a single 50 m rope used with the 25 m stations.
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 Double D.
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.