Behind the Almagellerhütte lies one of the Saas-Valley’s hidden gems, Portjengrat & The Dri Horlini. Ideal for mountaineers and sport climbers, this area comes with spectacular views. 

The journey begins with a chairlift up to Furggstalden. From here you go over the Adventure Trail (Erlebnisweg), which is it’s own adventure, a series of ladders, rungs and hanging bridges that traverse along the cliffside. You could also skip the Adventure Trail by starting in Saas-Almagell and connecting with the trail after the Adventure Trail.

From there on it’s a wide and well worn path, past the Almagelleralp and on to the Almagellerhütte. It takes about 3 hours to get here from Furggstalden, making it a great place to spend the night in preparation for other destinations. But even if you weren’t going further, the Almagellerhütte is a cool destination by itself. There is a natural spring nearby that provides fresh water to the hut, cool boulders for kids to climb around on, and easy hikes nearby. The hut also comes with awesome views, especially in the long light of the summer months.

One adventure, just behind the hut, is the 3 Horlini, a multi pitch sport climbing wall with various routes. As you rapidly gain altitude on the wall, beautiful views come into the scene the higher you climb. One option is to climb up and belay down, for a normal sport climbing adventure. You can also add some mountaineering to the day and traverse across the 3 Horlini, around and down. It’s not hard to get to this climbing wall, but as it does take 3 hours to walk to the hut, it’s awfully nice to sleep in the hut first, then wake up to climb.

Another destination from the Almagellerhütte is Portjengrat. This mountaineering adventure leads you along a sharp ridgeline that runs along the Swiss Italian border. While the route is fairly exposed and technical in places, the rocks are solid under hand. It’s a really fun and challenging ridge with a gorgeous panorama surrounding you on all sides. On a clear day, the views reach all the way into the peaks of Graubunden and open up into Italy. 

The reward from the top of the Portjengrat is unparalleled. You can see all 18 of the peaks over 4,000m which surround the Saas Valley, stretching from the Dufourspitze (Monte Rosa) through Allalin, Rimpfischhorn, the Mischabel group, Nadelhorn and beyond. After you’ve taken it all in, the hike down to the hut is fairly mellow and you will be greeted by friendly staff. This is a prime location for an evening beer with the spirit well watered and the body tired in the best way.