High Altitude Cappuccino

🗺️ Overview Starting point: Parking area near the road to Iffigenalp Highest point: Iffighore, 2378 m Total elevation gain: 1100 m Total distance: 12 km Total time: 5h30 Technical difficulty: Moderate Download GPS file As I was preparing for the Breithorn, I did this hike in an extended version. Otherwise, in its normal form, it is also ideal for families. Above Lenk, on the left side of the valley, there is a little road that leads you to a panel indicating that the continuation to Iffigenalp is a timed road that you can take uphill between 30 and 45 minutes past every hour, and downhill between 00 and 15. So you have to time your arrival. But we did not have to, as for the extended version we just left the car in the small parking area next to the panel and continued on foot. You start along the road and, after a few minutes, reach the Iffigfall, which is worth a detour. Then a path acts as a shortcut across the switchbacks the road makes. After crossing the road 2 or 3 times,...

🗺️ Overview Starting point: Horneggli (reached by chairlift from Schönried) Highest point: Horneggli – 1,760 m Total elevation gain: +300 m Total distance: 6 km Total time: 2–2.5 hours (we took around 4 hours with lots of stops) Technical difficulty: Easy – suitable for families and children Download GPS file The Horneggli to Rinderberg hike, near Gstaad, is a beautiful family hike that is perfect for kids but still enjoyable for adults. I did it with my 5-year-old daughter. We started in Schönried, where a chairlift takes you up to Horneggli at 1,760 m. From there, the path is always wide, easy to follow, and well marked. The sign indicates 2 hours 10 minutes to Rinderberg. We actually took almost 4 hours with many, many stops, but I think adults could comfortably complete it in about 1½ hours. The first section passes through a sort of wild flower garden, with small panels identifying the different flowers. Shortly after the start, the trail splits. The main path continues to ...

🗺️ Overview Starting point: Small parking before Refuge La Saletta (approx. 1,400 m) Highest point: Dent de Lys (2,014 m) Total elevation gain: 650 m (from the described start) / 900 m from Les Paccots Total distance: Approx. 7 km round trip (from 1,400 m start) Total time: 3h–3h30 round trip Technical difficulty: T3, with short exposed sections and chains near the summit Download GPS file You can start the hike to Dent de Lys from several locations, either from Montbovon or Les Paccots. From Les Paccots it is easier to reach from the highway and there are paved roads up to around 1,600 m, allowing you to decide how long you want to make the hike. To get to the trailhead, continue beyond Les Paccots and then turn right towards Refuge La Saletta. Before reaching the refuge, the path starts at a bend in the road. As parking spaces are limited, I started from a small parking area a short distance before that, at around 1,400 m altitude. After the first 100 m on the road, a path bra...

🗺️ Overview Starting point: Passo del Lupo (1540 m) Highest point: Monte Cimone (2165 m) Total elevation gain: ~625 m Total distance: ~7–8 km (round trip) Total time: ~2h30–3h (including breaks) Technical difficulty: Easy–moderate (more demanding in winter conditions) Download GPS file I was in Bologna for Easter and it was 25 degrees. On the other hand, the week before had been much colder and it had snowed in Italy, so we decided to take advantage of one last snowshoe/ski touring hike. We set off to Monte Cimone , in the province of Modena . At 2165 m, it is one of the highest peaks in Emilia-Romagna. I was with my dad and three of his friends from the Club Alpino Italiano — the youngest was about 30 years older than me 🙂 We started from Passo del Lupo , above Pian del Falco . Compared to my region in Switzerland, you even have to “earn” the starting point in the Apennines — it took almost two hours to get there from Bologna. But my group of pensioners knew how to live: w...