Albis - winter wonderland

Since I had other commitments on this day I could not do a "full tour", but only a short one in the vicinity of my current hometown. I decided to go and explore the snow on the Albis ridge. To my surprise there was quite a bit of fresh snow, which turned the area into winter wonderland. The upper level of the sea of fog was at around 800 m and this gave the lucky people above it a special satisfaction. Also, the view to the Alps was excellent.

I started my short hike at the SZU station  Sihlwald, went up the marked path to Albishorn, and from there followed the path more or less along the Albis ridge to Felsenegg and then down to Adliswil.

Shortly after Schnabellücke it's worth taking the steep way up to the ruins of Schnabelburg, since it's not only an alternative to the otherwise rather easy path, but also because you can visit the ruins of the Schnabelburg and read about it's quite interesting story.

Don't miss to climb the look-out at Hochwacht, in my opinion this tower offers a view which is at least as good as the one on Uetliberg!

From Hochwacht to the Albispass I took the path (not really marked, but easy to find) on the west side of the ridge. There you'll find some nice benches, which at noon / in the afternoon sun are perfect for a picnic.

For the rest of the path between Albispass and Felsenegg, you'll probably never be alone. However, there are several possibilities to take shortcuts or detours in case you really want to avoid the crowds.

Finally from Felsenegg down to Adliswil I followed the marked hiking path, which is rather steep but not difficult.


This hike would probably qualify as "kids & hike", especially if it's done the other way around and taking the cable car up to Felsenegg (It is not running until the end of May 2008 due to renovation!) instead of walking up there. There are many attractions for kids along the way like the Hochwacht lookout, the ruins of the Schnabelburg, Hexenhüsli at Buechenegg and of course the Naturzentrum Sihlwald. Also you'll find lots and lots of restaurants/Teehüsli along the way.