We are hiking the Via Alpina. Just trekked from Wengen to Meiringen. We intend to go from Meuringen to Engleberg, but have heard that snow levels might still be too deep at Joch Pass. Does anyone know whether the trail is passable from Planplatten to Engstlenalp and from Joch Pass to Truebsee? Same inquiry for the Surenenpass from Engleberg to Altdorf? Thanks. 16 June 2015

First of all, I suggest to inquire about the route conditions at the refuges in the area, in particular at the Jochpass hut. The hut only opens this weekend, but perhaps someone picks up the phone anyway. If not, try the Engelberg tourist info.

Furthermore, there are lots of webcams that can give you an idea of the amount of snow up high in the mountains. You can check out Bernerwetter Webcams.

I looked at some, and it seems to be rather foggy higher up in the mountains at the moment. One cam in the area that gives a good impression, the one at Mägisalp, 1710 m, shows quite a bit of snow. I assume that the conditions will be similar at comparable elevations nearby, and higher up there will be more snow. Obviously the images don't show if it's hard or soft, and that can change easily with temperature, but having seen this, I would pack crampons, just in case, so I'd be confident I could easily cope with the conditions. It might well be overkill, but I've had to turn around or change plans occasionally in the past because I hadn't expected much snow. And, conversely, I've had some great days early summer in the mountains, with still a lot of snow around, which meant that there were virtually no hikers as high as I was. If the snow was hard, as isn't unusual early in the morning, or if the terrain got steep, I would don crampons. For the record, when I expected steep terrain, I also had an axe with me, but I presume that for the Via Alpina poles are sufficient.

Cheers, Rob