Swiss alpinist Silvan Schüpbach frequently explores the "forgotten north faces" of the Alps. He recently established a 1.100-meter mixed route on the northwest face of the Klein Fiescherhorn, together with Olivier Kolly and Filippo Sala.
New line through the northwest face of the "Ochs"
The northwest face of the Klein Fiescherhorn – nicknamed "Ochs" (Ox) – is one of the last great, virtually untouched walls in the Bernese Alps. The approximately 1.100-meter-high wall is clearly visible from Grindelwald. "From a distance, it almost looks inviting," says Silvan Schüpbach. The Swiss alpinist is constantly searching for challenging Alpine north faces for his long-term project, "The Six Forgotten North Faces."
The northwest wall remains a place with plenty of room for new ideas.
Silvan Schüpbach
However, a closer look reveals steep, often brittle rock and a wild structure without obvious lines in the upper part of the northwest face of the "Ochs". Only one route exists on the wall so far: a line established by Mäusy Lüthi and Hermann Steuri in 1935, which was first repeated in winter in 1981 (by Michael Boos & Patrick Hilber).
Together with Olivier Kolly, Filippo Sala and Jonas Schild, Schüpbach set himself a goal: to establish a second route right here.
Jonas Schild's first attempt ended in the hospital.
However, the project didn't get off to a smooth start. The first attempt... Jonas shield He was hit by a rock and suffered a concussion. The geographer and mountain guide then rappelled down to Grindelwald under his own power, together with his three companions.
The wall made it unmistakably clear that it wanted to be taken seriously.
Silvan Schüpbach
“Jonas is tough,” says Silvan Schüpbach about the 34-year-old Schild, who is active in both alpinism and sport and trad climbing. “At the same time, the wall made it unmistakably clear to us that it wanted to be taken seriously.” On March 8, Schüpbach, Sala, and Kolly launched a second attempt. This time, it was to lead them to the summit.
First ascent of »Zébu« (M8/+)
Report by Silvan Schüpbach
On the morning of March 8th, we – Silvan Schüpbach, Filippo Sala, and Olivier Kolly – set off from the Eismeer train station. We traversed on skis beneath the imposing northwest face to its base, where we established our ski depot. The lower section of the face proved surprisingly pleasant: steep ice, mostly around 60° to 70°, which allowed us to gain altitude quickly.
The route presented itself almost automatically, always winding between ice gullies and snow-covered rock steps. About halfway up the wall, we reached the hanging glacier, whose bergschrund offered us a perfect bivouac site. Protected and surprisingly comfortable, we spent the night there – directly beneath the imposing bulwark of the summit wall.
The hard road to the summit
The next day we faced the crucial section: roughly 400 meters of nearly vertical to overhanging rock. From below, the wall appeared dark and forbidding – and the closer we got, the more apparent its complexity became: compact, overhanging sections presented (too) great challenges. Only a ramp running diagonally to the left seemed climbable, albeit very brittle.
Olivier was not to be envied for leading the two most difficult pitches. With impressive composure, he worked his way across a compact slab (using crampons) and through overhangs made up of frozen blocks.
Every move required full concentration. Every grip had to be checked.
Silvan Schüpbach
As we gained altitude, the weather deteriorated noticeably. The wind increased, and bivouac sites were scarce in the steep upper section of the face. Therefore, we decided against a direct ascent to the summit. Instead, we traversed right out of the face in the uppermost section and eventually reached the ridge – about 40 meters below the summit of the Klein Fiescherhorn.
Return to Grindelwald
The wind continued to increase as we descended the south face. It wasn't until midnight that we found a suitable bivouac site in a bergschrund. After a short night, we climbed to the summit on the morning of March 10th. We then rappelled down the entire face from improvised anchors – a long and focused descent through the massive northwest face.
Our skis were waiting for us at the base of the wall. The descent back to Grindelwald felt almost surreal after the intense days we'd had. Tired but satisfied, we reached civilization again. The northwest face of the Klein Fiescherhorn had once again shown us how much adventure is still possible in the Alps today – especially in places that are clearly visible but rarely visited.
Perhaps that is precisely what is most fascinating about this wall: despite its imposing presence, it still offers room for new lines.
Silvan Schüpbach
Silvan Schüpbach climbs the fifth north face of the Alps.
For Silvan Schüpbach, the first ascent of "Zébu" (M8/+, 1.100 m) is the fifth Alpine north face in his series "The Six Forgotten North Faces". It is also the fourth time he has worked on his long-term project with Filippo Sala – and the second time with Olivier Kolly.
In 2025, Schüpbach first established a new north route on the Nesthorn (3.820 m). He then became the first to climb the north face of Punta Pioda (3.237 m) and ascended a variation through the central face of the Aiguille de Triolet (3.870 m) in the Mont Blanc massif. Most recently, the 43-year-old opened the mixed route "Le clin d'œil" on the Dent Blanche (4.357 m) in the canton of Valais – also as part of a trio with Kolly and Sala.
And the route name "Zébu"? A double meaning, as Schüpbach explains: "For us, a zebu is an ox with a bump. The ox represents the mountain and the bump represents Jonas' injury – it's a shame he couldn't be there for the second attempt."
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Cover photo credit: Silvan Schüpbach