Taking a day off to escape the heat wave, the goal had to be somewhere high up in order to find cooler temperatures. The Piz Mitgel via ferrata had been opened last week, with the Savognin website recommending ice axe and crampons for the summit ascent. Fully equipped, we drove to the Plang la Curvanera car park at 1844m. The...

With its iconic trapezoidal summit snow field, Vrenelisgärtli is one of the most recognizable mountains in the Zürich "skyline". Though it misses out on being the highest summit of the Glärnisch massif by a couple of metres, it's certainly the most popular peak in the area. I'm always keen to avoid busy normal routes, and the...

Day 1: Arolla - Pas de Chèvres - Cabane des Dix(T4, 1050m ascent, 150m descent, 4 hours) The Val d'Hérens is not as peaceful as expected when we travel in by Postauto. There is an overwhelming police presence and we pass through several police checkpoints along the road. Apparently they were on the hunt for two burglars, who...

The Leukerbad via ferrata onto the Daubenhorn is the longest and one of the hardest in Switzerland. The via ferrata goes on almost without interruption for a vertical kilometre. In order to make an early start possible and still get a good night's rest, I already travelled to Leukerbad on Thursday evening. ---- It's a...

A Hikr first ascent? Not very likely. Surely many people doing the Joriseen Rundweg would have visited the summit of P. 2820, an easy 5 minute detour from the Winterlücke. The west ridge of P. 2820, however, is a bit more interesting and probably almost never visited. So let's make a Hikr report out of it anyway... My original...

After being surprised by an unexpected early rain shower on Saturday, I was more than determined to make the most of the last of the good weather on Sunday. After more than two years of hiking in Switzerland, I still hadn't climbed any of the Churfirsten. This was a good opportunity to rectify that situation, as the Selunbahn...

Back in June, I hosted fellow Belgian Sarah in Zürich through CouchSurfing. She was on her way into the Oberwallis two work the whole summer as "Zusennerin" at the Alp Furgge in Gregniols. In return, I got an open invitation to come spend a night on the alp. An ideal opportunity to combine this with some peak-bagging in the...

A via ferrata day with two colleagues from work had been planned for a while. The weather made us take the train all the way to sunny Ticino, where we took in two vie ferrate in one day. ---- Via Ferrata San Salvatore (from Lugano Paradiso, including summit visit) K5, 650m ascent (130m on via ferrata), 2h45 We hike up on...

After a careful study of the MeteoSchweiz wind forecast, looking for somewhere to escape the hurricane force Föhn winds, I ended up at the Grönhütte in the Justistal. The road here between Beatenberg and Sigriswil is a toll road (5 CHF; ticket machine) and there is parking some 100m past the Grönhütte in the direction of...

When the Föhn is doing its thing, it's always a good idea to head to the Ostschweiz. On this occasion, I made my first exploration of the Alvierkette. ---- After parking the car at the Berghaus Malbun (6 CHF, and four of those you can get back when you consume something at the restaurant), the ascend starts along a small...

With a sprained ankle, the wise decision would be to let it rest and recover all weekend. But with an opportunity to climb the spectacular Schächentaler Windgällen in perfect autumn conditions, I was never going to stay down in the fog in Zürich. So I told my ankle: "you better get well by Saturday, because I'm going up whether...

In summer, the Flüela Schwarzhorn has a reputation for being one of the most overcrowded 3000m summits, thanks to the easy ascent from the Flüelapass. However, after the first snow has fallen (and with Swiss people being called to vote in the elections) that picture changes dramatically. I had the whole mountain to myself.The...

The Sichelchamm is one of the most eye-catching peaks along the Walensee, thanks to the eponymous sickle-shaped west face. It's also one of the only mountains in the Churfirsten-Alvier range that can be ascended directly from the south, though by no means along an easy route! After last weekend's taste of winter, this weekend...

The first climbing path for tourists from Fidaz via the Pinut onto the Flimserstein was already constructed in the early 20th century. In 2007, the route was completely renovated. The ladder route is now one of the easiest via ferratas in Switzerland; ideal for beginners who want to discover the concept of via ferrata without...

Even just looking at a map, the Schrattenfluh is one of the most eye-catching features in the Emmentaler Alps. With its vertical walls to the north-west and its limestone slopes to the south-east, the Schrattenfluh looks pretty wild from any direction. Up close, the mountain is surprisingly accessible to hikers with several marked...

Yet another weekend with great mountain conditions, this is starting to get exhausting! This time, I drove together with David to the Valle di Blenio, where we planned a weekend of mountain fun with an overnight stay in the winter quarters of the Capanna Motterascio. Day 1 Passo Muazz - Sosto - Passo Muazz 2h30, 550m ascent,...

The Arosa-Lenzerheide area is not supposed to be a quiet place in winter. However, the Tschiertschen ski area was still closed due to lack of snow and Arosa-Lenzerheide was also struggling to get the winter season going. We took advantage of the unusual quiet by doing a snow shoe hike onto the Parpaner Schwarzhorn, and indeed we...

The Spitzmeilen is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable summits in its area. Though the surrounding landscape is mostly relatively gentle, the wild Spitzmeilen summit crag sticks out in a forbidding fashion. The ascent is demanding, be it in summer or in winter. We decided to attempt a winter ascent and to make a two-day trip...

Sankt Antonien is a quiet place right now. Last week's fresh snow has disappeared surprisingly quickly. A fewstubborn ski mountaineers are still venturing into the north slopes of the Geisstschuggen and the Hasenflüeli. The valley of the Aschariner Alp, however, is completely deserted, and gives possibilities for a very quiet...

Day 1 Brione - Scimarmota - Alpe Masnee T4+,1700m ascent, 400m descent,7h30 (In summer conditions over the marked path ca. T3+,250m ascent fewer,2h faster)   SBB chaos part one. Extra trains and carriages going south for the bank holiday weekend? No sign of...