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And for good measure, some text after the row.
![Annotated 360° panorama from Nördliches Pollesjoch]()
And the code that produced it:
A third, much less pronounced ridge connects Gross Seehorn with smaller sibling Chlein Seehorn (3032m) to the west. The saddle between them is the Seehornscharte (2860m).
The northeast side of the mountain is a rugged rock face. At its base lies the small Litzner Gletscher, with some easier slopes. It almost reaches the saddle with Gross Litzner. Though small, this glacier still has a bite, and there are still a few scenic icefalls on it.
The southwest face has two distinct parts. Although still exclusively climbers' territory, the part between the summit and the Seelücke, the saddle NNE of the mountain, is the least steep. At its base, stretching towards the northwest, are the gentle slopes of the small Seegletscher. In stark contrast, the southwest face between the summit and the saddle with the Gross Litzner is the steepest face of all.
In winter the toll road is closed, but Bielerhöhe can still be reached from the village of Partenen, high in the Montafon valley, by the Vermuntbahn cable car and then onward by shuttle bus.
If you come by car, there is some room to park south of the Vermunt Stausee and there are big parking lots at Bielerhöhe.
From the Vermunt Stausse it's an easy walk up the Kromer valley to the Seelücke, about 2.5 hours. With a mountain bike you can easily ride up to as far as the Saarbrücker Hütte, from where it's a just over half an hour more on foot. If you start walking at Bielerhöhe, count on one more hour.
It's a long hike up from Switzerland. From Klosters to the Seetalhütte takes about 4 hours, to the Seelücke 2.5 hours more.
OSM map centered on the Schöllijoch. The Topalihütte lies at the trail junction a few kilometers to the NE. The Turtmannhötte is just SE of the pair of lakes in the upper left. On a direct line, the distance between the two huts is quite short. But the switchbacks, the elevation difference and the rough terrain all take their time. Click here for a larger map.
I started from the east, hiking up to the Topalihütte. The next day I made good time, and so, after Üssers Barrhorn, I decided on two more detours, to Inners Barrhorn and Schöllihorn, before descending to the Turtmannhütte.
If you consider a winter ascent, be advised that the slopes are much too steep for a ski descent. However, smaller next door neighbor Chlein Seehorn (3032m) offers a very long ski route down to the valley, first down to the Seelücke and from there either down the Kromer valley to the north, or the Seetal to the south. Close to the The Montafon and the Paznaun valleys are popular ski areas in winter, and there are plenty of accommodation options. In addition, there are a number of mountain refuges nearby. A selection:
The best map is the Alpenvereinskarte Silvrettagruppe, 1:25 000. On the Austrian side, it covers everything that matters, but on the Swiss side it doesn't cover Klosters-Monbiel.
A fine alternative is the Freytag&Bernd map WK 374, 1:50 000. It covers a larger area, including Klosters.
Example
This is an example of some text, followed by a row of pictures: On the Highway to Hell |  Breaking in the skis |  Grand scenery (that never seems to change) |  Why ice climb when you could be slogging up a road with a 60-lb. pack? |
And for good measure, some text after the row.
Behind the scenes
Here is the code that produced it:<noformat> <center><table><tbody><tr> <td><div align="center" class="inn-img pull-center"><a href="/what-suffering-looks-like/694759"><img alt="What suffering looks like" height="150" width="200" class="lozad img-responsive" data-src="https://images-sp.summitpost.org/tr:e-sharpen,e-contrast-1,fit-max,q-60,w-200/694759.JPG" style=""></a><span class="caption">On the Highway to Hell</span></div></td> <td><div align="center" class="inn-img pull-center"><a href="/user-profile-image/694760"><img alt="User Profile Image" height="150" width="200" class="lozad img-responsive" data-src="https://images-sp.summitpost.org/tr:e-sharpen,e-contrast-1,fit-max,q-60,w-200/694760.JPG"></a><span class="caption">Breaking in the skis</span></div></td> <td><div align="center" class="inn-img pull-center"><a href="/beautiful-winter-scenery/694761"><img alt="Beautiful winter scenery" height="150" width="200" class="lozad img-responsive" data-src="https://images-sp.summitpost.org/tr:e-sharpen,e-contrast-1,fit-max,q-60,w-200/694761.JPG"></a><span class="caption">Grand scenery (that never seems to change)</span></div></td> <td><div align="center" class="inn-img pull-center"><a href="/an-unorthodox-view-of-lee-vining-canyon-in-the-winter/694762"><img alt="An unorthodox view of Lee Vining Canyon in the winter" height="150" width="200" class="lozad img-responsive" data-src="https://images-sp.summitpost.org/tr:e-sharpen,e-contrast-1,fit-max,q-60,w-200/694762.JPG"></a><span class="caption">Why ice climb when you could be slogging up a road with a 60-lb. pack?</span></div></td> </tr></tbody></table></center></noformat>
A sliding panorama
Here is a sliding panorama:
Annotated 360° panorama from Nördliches Pollesjoch.
And the code that produced it:
<div class="image" style="width:976px;"><div align="center" class="image" style="width:976px;overflow:auto;"><a href="/view_object.php?object_id=846075"><img class="lozad img-responsive" data-src="https://images-sp.summitpost.org/tr:e-sharpen,e-contrast-1,fit-max,q-60,h-800/846075.jpg" alt="Annotated 360° panorama from Nördliches Pollesjoch" style=""></a></div><br clear="all"><div><span class="caption">Annotated 360° panorama from Nördliches Pollesjoch.</span></div></div><br />
Overview
Gross Seehorn is the highest peak in the southwestern corner of the Silvretta Group, on the Swiss-Austrian border. It's steep on all sides, so only climbers can enjoy the fine views from the small summit. There are in fact several fine alpine routes on the mountain. A famous one is the full traverse of next door neighbor Gross Litzner and Gross Seehorn.Faces and ridges
The mountain has two sheer faces and two jagged main ridges, which define the Swiss-Austrian border. One ridge extends to the southeast, to the Gross Litzner, the other one roughly to the NNW, to the Seelücke (2776m). A hiking trail passes over that high saddle. Right next to it is an old abandoned customs hut, a reminder of the days that the borders really meant something and smugglers where active. I must say, though I like mountains, I wouldn't want to be stationed up there!A third, much less pronounced ridge connects Gross Seehorn with smaller sibling Chlein Seehorn (3032m) to the west. The saddle between them is the Seehornscharte (2860m).
The northeast side of the mountain is a rugged rock face. At its base lies the small Litzner Gletscher, with some easier slopes. It almost reaches the saddle with Gross Litzner. Though small, this glacier still has a bite, and there are still a few scenic icefalls on it.
The southwest face has two distinct parts. Although still exclusively climbers' territory, the part between the summit and the Seelücke, the saddle NNE of the mountain, is the least steep. At its base, stretching towards the northwest, are the gentle slopes of the small Seegletscher. In stark contrast, the southwest face between the summit and the saddle with the Gross Litzner is the steepest face of all.
A note on the names
Although the language on both sides of the border is German, there is a small difference in the name of the mountain: the Austrians call it Großes Seehorn, the Swiss Gross Seehorn. Similarly, the Austrian name for Gross Litzner is Groß Litzner or also Großlitzner. Since both "ß" and "ss" are pronounced as "s", the differences are only in the spelling.Getting There
From Austria
The nearest road is at the Vermunt Stausee, a dammed lake along the Silvretta Stausee. The road is the "Silvretta Hochalpenstraße", a toll road, connecting the Montafon valley on the northwest with the Paznaun valley on the northeast. The highest point of the road is Bielerhöhe, a high pass directly north side of the scenic Silvretta Stausee, another dammed lake. Bielerhöhe is easy to reach by bus from both sides, but if you come from Paznaun, you may have to transfer to another bus or simply start walking from there. If you do arrive by public transport, ask the driver to let you off at the "Obervermuntwerk" at the south side of the Vermunt Stausee.In winter the toll road is closed, but Bielerhöhe can still be reached from the village of Partenen, high in the Montafon valley, by the Vermuntbahn cable car and then onward by shuttle bus.
If you come by car, there is some room to park south of the Vermunt Stausee and there are big parking lots at Bielerhöhe.
From the Vermunt Stausse it's an easy walk up the Kromer valley to the Seelücke, about 2.5 hours. With a mountain bike you can easily ride up to as far as the Saarbrücker Hütte, from where it's a just over half an hour more on foot. If you start walking at Bielerhöhe, count on one more hour.
From Switzerland
The nearest settlement of note is Klosters-Monbiel, in winter a ski resort. Klosters has a train station, and Swiss trains have a fine reputation. Usually they go often and are punctual. Unfortunately they are also rather expensive.It's a long hike up from Switzerland. From Klosters to the Seetalhütte takes about 4 hours, to the Seelücke 2.5 hours more.
Routes
OSM map centered on the Schöllijoch. The Topalihütte lies at the trail junction a few kilometers to the NE. The Turtmannhötte is just SE of the pair of lakes in the upper left. On a direct line, the distance between the two huts is quite short. But the switchbacks, the elevation difference and the rough terrain all take their time. Click here for a larger map.
In the summer of 2012, I traveled to Switzerland to explore the glaciers of the Monte Rosa area, and climb a few 4000-ers in the process. I arrived a few days earlier than my climbing companions. I asked around for something suitable to do by myself, and that's how I learned about Üssers Barrhorn (3610m), the highest "hiking" peak in the Alps. The easiest way up is from the east, from the Turtmannhütte via the Schöllijoch (3343m) and go north from there. But when it's feasible, I like to take different routes up. There is an alternative, slightly harder way up to the Schöllijoch, from the west, from the Topalihütte.
I started from the east, hiking up to the Topalihütte. The next day I made good time, and so, after Üssers Barrhorn, I decided on two more detours, to Inners Barrhorn and Schöllihorn, before descending to the Turtmannhütte.
Red Tape
The Silvretta High Alpine road is a toll road. Even bus passengers have to pay extra on top of the bus ticket.When to Climb
Best from mid or late spring to fall.If you consider a winter ascent, be advised that the slopes are much too steep for a ski descent. However, smaller next door neighbor Chlein Seehorn (3032m) offers a very long ski route down to the valley, first down to the Seelücke and from there either down the Kromer valley to the north, or the Seetal to the south.
Accommodation
- Madlenerhaus: A refuge located next to the road, a few minutes west of Bielerhöhe. Excellent food!
- Saarbrücker Hütte: A fine hut on a shoulder of the Kleinlitzner west ridge, just over a kilometer north of the mountain. If you visit, try the cake.
The warden lives there with his young family, which may explain the swing outside the refuge. It's sturdy enough for playful adults too.
- Seetalhütte: A small hut, south of the mountain. As of 2012 without hut warden.
Books and Maps
A good (German) guidebook for the area is the Silvretta Alpenvereinsführer, Günther Flaig, Rother Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7633-1097-5.The best map is the Alpenvereinskarte Silvrettagruppe, 1:25 000. On the Austrian side, it covers everything that matters, but on the Swiss side it doesn't cover Klosters-Monbiel.
A fine alternative is the Freytag&Bernd map WK 374, 1:50 000. It covers a larger area, including Klosters.
External Links
| Bielerhöhe | In German and English. |
| Gross Seehorn on hikr.org | In German. |