Switzerland Hiking Adventure - Wildstrubel Traverse

A walk through the fantastic Alpine landscape of Switzerland

A World Travel Article

Switzerland Hiking Adventure - This three day walk makes you travel through the Bernese Alps into the Valais and has some of the best high Alpine landscapes you could hope to see. This is a walk for experienced walkers only and does require a high level of fitness to be able to complete it. There are loose rocks all over the route and in many cases snow has been reported as late as July.

The walk passes the ‘Plaine Morte’ a large expanse of permanent snow filling a rocky depression. The waters that melt from this area flow into the Rhone River and the snowfield once belonged to the canton of Valais but since the beginning of the twentieth century has been a part of the Bern Canton.

The walk is only around 25km long but does have a lot of obstructions along its path, so will take you around three days to traverse.

WALK FACT FILE   Length of Walk: 3 days, averaging 4 hours walking a day. Start point: Simmenfalle Finish point: Montana Nearest town to walk: Lenk is the closest town to the start of the walk and buses from there to Simmenfalle run hourly. Lenk is connected with Geneva by rail via Montreux. The finishing point of Montana is linked to Sierre by bus and a funicular railway. Sierre is on the rail route from Geneva to Brig and trains are regular. Accommodation: Accommodation during the walk will be at Mountain huts along the route, these cost on average about Sfr 22 per night. In the towns there are is a good choice of accommodation including pensions and hotels. Supplies: Supplies would be better bought in Geneva, though there are some shops catering for walkers in Montana and Lenk. Best time to walk: June to October is the only possible time to do this walk, but even then you will need to keep a close eye on the weather as it can change quickly. It is impossible to do the walk at any other time due to snowfall. Difficulty: ●●●●○ This walk is rated as a 4. This route is quite difficult as it passes some rock cliffs and trails where the danger of landslides is apparent. While it is not the most difficult in the region, the walk requires fitness and experience in mountain walking.

Day One

Your Switzerland Hiking Adventure commences at the Simmenfalle, the splendid little waterfall by the Hotel of the same name. The route follows a path that sits beside the stream. You will turn off on to a vehicle track which then proceeds through some forest and eventually reaches the Rezliberg guesthouse which sits at 1400m. At about 5o metres beyond the guesthouse is a junction where you will have to turn left and there begins a steep ascent. The path cuts through the rock here and after a two hour climb you should reach the Flueseeli, a beautiful emerald green lake which is at a height of 2045 metres above sea level. There is a Mountain Hut here which costs Sfr25 for the night per person.

Day Two

The start of the second day of the walk takes you back over the lake outlet, through some grassy meadows to a small ridge which leads up to the Flueseehori which stands at an elevation of over 2000m. You will continue to follow this rocky path till you get to a fork in the route, where you will turn right and follow the trail up to the Rezligletschersee, a lake which sits high at 2250m. You will have to cross some footbridges here across the glacial streams, and following the path around the lake and over a small stream to the upper valley of Tierberg. After following the northern slopes for a bit you will have to make your way downwards for a bit before turning left and going again up the slopes to a gully below Tierbergsattel. From here you will be able to see several beautiful little lakes and beyond to a historical trans-alpine route. From here you will drop down to the Rawilseeleni, where a clearly marked path heads left past the lakes and then steeply climbs up the western side of the Weisshorn. This is where the Mountain huts are and the price is around Sfr 32 per person per night.