Fascination Switzerland

Box seat at the mightiest ice flow in the Alps

The trail opens up views of the impressive high mountain landscape of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

(Bild: Zwickl)

Do you know what a mowing "Alpine pig" looks like? Why cows sometimes ride in a gondola? Or where you can get cholera to order? I found the answers along a panoramic trail in the Valais glacier world - with views of the eternal ice and over chasms between the Aletsch Arena and Goms.

Being in the mountains without a car. What sounds like being a dropout is actually normality in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. There, the three alpine villages of Bettmeralp, Riederalp and Fiescheralp are only accessible by cable car. A way of life that requires special logistical efforts every day. Numerous people ensure that everyday life runs smoothly at an altitude of over 2000 meters.

There is almost nothing that is not transported. Even cows have been transported by gondola during a sudden winter storm. And the refuse truck also soars spectacularly through the air to transport waste from the mountain to the valley.

You can take a deep breath on the high plateau of Riederalp, even when the summer heat is blistering in the valleys.

(Bild: Zwickl)

In any case, there is no lack of luxury high up - quite the opposite! Guests can enjoy a spacious, sun-drenched high plateau in a prime panoramic location - with views of more than 35 (!) four-thousand-metre peaks and the mightiest ice flow in the Alps: the Aletsch.

Klaus Minnig greets us at the breakfast table with a beaming "Guete Morgu". The trained hiking and trail running guide will lead us through the Aletsch Arena for around 30 kilometers over two days. Riederalp is the starting point for our impressive tour along the panoramic trail (marker 39) via Fiescheralp to the "sun terrace in Goms" in Bellwald.

Glacier fields have plenty of what we often lack: patience
They are the longest glaciers in the Alps: the Aletsch with a length of more than 22 kilometers and the Fiescher glacier with a length of 14 kilometers. Over thousands of years, they have shaped the magnificent high mountain landscape around the Jungfrau, Bietschhorn and Finsteraarhorn.

360-degree panorama
The first encounter with the Aletsch Glacier is great theater. The scenery alone takes your breath away when you reach one of the four viewing points in the Aletsch Arena - on the Hohfluh, Moosfluh, Bettmerhorn or Eggishorn. The endorphins do somersaults.

I wonder if famous hikers who once visited the area felt the same way? Goethe came in 1779 and wrote poetry. Between 1904 and 1913, the young Winston Churchill wrote his father's biography in the Villa Cassel (on the Riederfurka). And in 1911, the then 19-year-old J.R.R. Tolkien was inspired by the impressive natural backdrop to write his epic "The Lord of the Rings" here.

High above the Aletsch glacier, we hike through scenery with fantastically colorful alpine meadows, views of the mountain peaks of the four-thousand-metre peaks and the fairytale-like, intensely fragrant Swiss stone pine forest. With gnarled trees over 1000 years old, the Aletsch forest is one of the oldest of its kind.

Animals and plants have become accustomed to the barren living conditions of the glacier world. They defy wind and weather, even at 2500 meters above sea level. If you are lucky, you may come across majestic Alpine ibexes, cute marmots or "Ghornuti", the horned black-nosed sheep, on a hike in the summer months.

Valais German for beginners
On our way, there were (only) frugal domestic sheep lying under shady rocks. The Valais people cynically call them "Alpine pigs". And for locals, anyone who says "Grüezi" on the mountain is a "Grüezini", i.e. Swiss German. In Valais, people always say "Guete Morgu" or "Guete Nabu" (good evening) after midday. Like the Matterhorn and raclette (in summer), Valais German is a trademark of the canton.

From an altitude of 4000 meters, surrounded by the snow-capped four-thousand-metre peaks of the Jungfrau region, the gigantic ice flow of the Aletsch Glacier rolls downhill in a long curve for more than 22 kilometers. The sublime beauty of this timeless primeval landscape, which was the first Alpine region to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, is overwhelming. Its dimensions are awe-inspiring.

Landscape shaped by the Ice Age
The ice covers an area of around 79 square kilometers, the size of 11,000 soccer pitches, and is up to 900 meters thick in some places (Konkordiaplatz)! The icy giant seems to lie calmly and peacefully before us. Yet its appearance changes every moment. The most visible evidence of its unrestrained urge to move are the dark stripes that run the length of the ice surface: the so-called medial moraines - huge debris deposits that the glacier carries with it.

Dangerous chasms
In some places, you can get particularly close to the glacier. The surface of the ice seems almost tangible. "It's still about 150 meters down," says Klaus Minnig.

Brownish dust has settled on the surface at the edge - the abrasion from the surrounding rock faces that the ice mass carries with it on its "hike". This close up, you can see the deep cracks in the ice. These crevasses are dangerous chasms. In other places, meltwater streams flow and feed small, deep blue glacial lakes.

The glacier gate appears as a shimmering blue ice cave and contrasts with the discolored surface, which is covered in rubble and scree.

(Bild: Schweiz Tourismus)

The little "brother" of the Great Aletsch
The ice stream winds elegantly past towering three- and four-thousand-metre peaks, while the panoramic trail leads to the shimmering green Märjelensee lake. After an overnight stay at the Fiescheralp, the route descends steeply to Goms via some exposed passages. The lower you get, the more the Fiescher Glacier reveals itself. In a valley that is difficult to access, the second longest ice stream in the Alps ekes out a shadowy existence.

Its tongue is heavily covered in debris. Like all glaciers worldwide, it is also affected by climate change. Our gaze wanders to the Burg rock massif and the Goms mountains. This is followed by a varied but sometimes challenging trail over gneiss rocks polished by the glacier.

Travel information

• Switzerland Tourism: Switzerland.com
• Swiss Travel Pass: travel flexibly through Switzerland by public transport - swisstravelpass.com
• Aletsch Panorama Trail: booking (including luggage transport) with Eurohike: eurohike.at or eurotrek.ch
• Aletsch Arena: aletscharena.ch
  Hiking guide Klaus Minnig

View with a kick
At the foot of the Fiescher Glacier, the Aspi-Titter suspension bridge has connected the Aletsch Arena with the district of Goms for eight years. Before that, hikers had to take a laborious detour to get from the Aspi area in Bellwald to Fieschertal/Titter. Now the 160-metre-long suspension bridge leads over the 120-metre-deep Weisswasser Gorge - thrills included.

Here we go: A first powerful step, the bridge sways slightly, your heart is pounding, your head is buzzing. It feels a bit like flying. Every further step tickles the body, creating waves of adrenaline. Your breathing becomes calmer, your eyes can hardly get enough of the beauty of the landscape. There is a point where turning back seems more difficult than sticking to the goal. And after a small climb - you have arrived. Feeling the mountain beneath you again, slightly shaky legs, an incredible feeling of elation!

The experience is followed by the final, sweat-inducing climb up to Schranni. Here, some sections are climbed over extremely steep metal steps. A path then leads downhill to Wang and later into the populated village of Ried, a suburb of the stage destination. Bellwald lies on the right side of the Rhone valley and is the highest village in the district - which is why it is also known as the "Goms sun terrace".

Cholera - in great demand
They say that mountain air makes you hungry. To replenish our energy reserves, we enjoy a Valais specialty at the Hotel Bellwald: the traditional dish cholera. What sounds like an illness is actually a kind of quiche with flour, Härpfil (potatoes), Boretsch (leek), onions, Epfil (apples) and cheese. The recipe varies from region to region, from village to village and even from family to family.

The savory cake takes its name from the time when cholera broke out in the Swiss canton and food was not allowed to be exchanged. The cake was therefore baked with whatever the farmer's household could provide.

It is not just the impressive facts or the imposing silence that drew us into the spell of the Valais glacier world during the hike, but the overwhelming experience of our own disappearing size next to the gigantic natural beauty of Switzerland.