Tour d'Aï
2,331 m
Switzerland
Also known as Tour d’Aï, ტურ-დ’აიAlso known as
Tour d’Aï · ტურ-დ’აი
- Elevation
- 2,331 m
- Prominence
- 886 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: T3+ (SAC route portal (normal path, given as the via ferrata descent)) · T4 (hikr.org reports, seen in search results (short secured key sections))
A short, popular mountain path above Leysin: alp roads and pastures to the Lac d'Aï and the Chalets d'Aï, then a narrow rock corridor, a ladder through a rock band and an exposed ledge path, secured with chains, cables and railings, to the summit tower. About 930 m of ascent from Leysin-Feydey, or a short outing from the Berneuse gondola.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 6.5 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +959 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 2,331 m
- Time Up
- 4h 04m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 2h 50m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Leysin-Feydey station (1,398 m) follow signs for Temeley and Aï: a farm road climbs through meadows and forest to the Temeley chalets and passes under the Berneuse gondola, then a path leaves left up steep pasture to the Lac d'Aï (1,888 m) and the Chalets d'Aï, where there is a buvette. With the gondola, ride from Leysin to the Berneuse (2,048 m) and walk down to the lake instead. Above the chalets the path, now marked white-blue-white as an alpine route, rounds the base of the cliffs and enters a narrow rocky corridor that needs no climbing. A grassy plateau and some bends lead west and north-west to a ladder up a rock band. Above it a narrow ledge path on the shady east side of the tower, exposed in places but protected with chains, cables and railings, leads north and then sharply left to the summit cross. Descend the same way. The secured passages are short but exposed and unsuitable for anyone uneasy with heights; when wet, snowy or icy (common until June and again from October) they become serious. Allow about 2½–3 hours up from Leysin and 1–1¼ hours from the Berneuse.
Start
Leysin-Feydey1,402 m
- Leysin–Berneuse gondola (summer and winter seasons) shortens the walk to about 1–1¼ hours each way
- Train from Aigle to Leysin (AL line), alight at Leysin-Feydey; Leysin–Berneuse gondola in season.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leysin-Feydey → Tour d'Aï | 6.5 | 959 | 30 | 4h 04m |
Waypoints
- Station: Leysin-Feydey1,402 m
- Feature: Temeley1,701 m
Alp chalets below the Berneuse gondola
- Feature: Lac d'Aï1,892 m
- Waypoint: Aï1,892 m
Chalets d'Aï with a summer buvette (not on route line)
- Summit: Tour d'Aï2,331 m
Key Passages
- Narrow rocky corridor above the Chalets d'Aï
- Ladder through the rock band
- Exposed ledge path with chains, cables and railings below the summit
Equipment
0/5 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The limestone tower above Leysin (2,331 m), the highest point of the ridge that also carries the Tour de Mayen and the Berneuse. A short mountain path with a ladder and chained ledges reaches the summit from the Lac d'Aï, and a steep via ferrata climbs the west face.
The Tour d'Aï is the highest of the three limestone 'towers' above the resort of Leysin in the Vaud Prealps, with the Tour de Mayen (2,327 m) and the Tour de Famelon. Its cliffs rise abruptly from the alp pastures of the Lac d'Aï and the Lac de Mayen, and from the top the view takes in Lake Geneva, the Rhône valley, the Chablais, the Dents du Midi and the Mont Blanc massif.
The normal path from the Lac d'Aï is short but alpine in character: a narrow corridor, a ladder through a rock band and ledges on the east side secured with chains, cables and railings. Most guides grade it T3 or T3+, with short T4 moves. With the Berneuse gondola it is an easy half day; on foot from Leysin it is about 930 m of ascent. The Tour d'Aï and Tour de Mayen are often combined in a loop from the Berneuse.
The west face is a well-known climbing crag with multi-pitch routes from TD to ED, and the via ferrata built in 1997 (K4) is one of the steeper in western Switzerland. Paragliders take off from the summit.
Climbing Notes
Fitness for 900–1,000 m of ascent if you walk from Leysin; much less with the gondola. Sure-footedness and a head for heights are needed on the ladder and secured ledges, which are short but exposed; turn back if they are wet, snowy or icy. Children need close supervision. The summer season normally runs from June to October. For the via ferrata bring a harness, via ferrata set and helmet (hire is available in Leysin) and check with Leysin tourism that it is open. In winter the summit is a ski-touring or snow-climbing objective for experienced parties only, with avalanche risk on the approach slopes.
History
The via ferrata on the west face was built in June 1997. The Harlin–Robbins route on the face recalls the American climbers John Harlin and Royal Robbins, who lived and climbed in Leysin in the 1960s; no first-ascent date for the summit was found.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; secured ledges snowy and icy
- Apr
- Snow and stonefall in spring
- May
- Old snow on the shady ledges; via ferrata opens from late May
- Jun
- Check for snow on the north and east sides
- Jul
- Afternoon thunderstorms
- Oct
- Short days; via ferrata usually closes mid-October; early snow
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Leysin–Berneuse gondola fare if used
- Rules
- The farm road from Leysin to the alps is closed to private vehicles
- Getting There
Leysin
Geneva (GVA)
- Train from Aigle (on the Lausanne–Simplon main line) to Leysin, alight at Leysin-Feydey
- Leysin–Berneuse gondola in the summer and winter seasons
- By car to Leysin via Aigle or the Col des Mosses road; car parks in the village
Hazards
- Exposure
- Rockfall
- Weather
- Avalanche