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 : Tiny cable car from Gsteig (Bern side) Highest Point : Hut above the lake (about 2,050m) Distance : 4 km (lake loop) Elevation Gain : ~50m Time : 1h10 walking time – we took 3h with a 4-year-old, picnic, swimming, and photo stops Download GPS file Lake Sanetch is an artificial lake right at the border between Bern and Valais. Even though you cross over from the Bernese side, it is still French-speaking territory, and most people reach it from Sion by road (there’s even a bus). It’s a perfect place for panoramic picnics, whether by the river or along the lake shore, and you can even go for a swim – surprisingly “warm” for a lake at 2000m! We, however, did not come by car. Instead, from the Bern side in Gsteig (which would take several hours by bus), there is a tiny cable car. Be aware: it’s really tiny, with just one cabin and a maximum capacity of 40 people per hour. If you arrive late, you will likely face a wait – we queued almost 40 minut...

With this one I start the series of the tinyhikes. Lucia was 7 month pregnant with short breath so I needed a short yet rewarding one.  Download GPS file The hike starts in Amden in canton in Gallen. You can start more or less from wherr you want in town. You can follo the main road until it reaches a panel indicating Girengärtli kinderspielplatz. There you go on a smaller road that then becomes gravel. You pass by old abandoned wooden houses and then you enter in the forest. After 15 minutes you arrive at the kids playground that also has a viewpoint over the cliff on the other side of the ridge and down to Walensee. The view is worth it!  After admiring a bit we went on the smaller path downhill from the viewpoint. Narrow but not difficult and with some nice view spot along the way. After 15 min you arrive to a second viewpoint, Fallen. Continuing downhill the path flattens a after a couple of minutes and starts going back to Amden in a reverse of the large road with chaing ...

🗺️ Overview Starting point:  Grimentz (1,570m) Gondola dropoff:  Bendolla (2120m) Arrival:  Becs de Bosson (3,143m) Altitude gain:  ~1,000m Duration:  5h (loop) Difficulty:  Moderate Technical difficulty:  Easy to moderate (some scrambling near the summit) Download GPS file A Perfect October Ascent It was early October, and with a  sunny weekend forecast , I saw the perfect opportunity to  climb my last 3000m peak of the year . I chose  Becs de Bosson (3,143m) , standing right across from  Bella Tola , where I had  kicked off the summer . I drove to  Grimentz in Val d'Anniviers , arriving around  9:30 AM , and took the  gondola up to Bendolla (2,120m) . From there, the trail  ascends gently through alpine pastures , well-marked and without difficulties. The Ascent to Col des Becs de Bosson (2,974m) The first   part of the hike was straightforward. First on the pastures and then, as I climbed highe...

🗺️ Overview Starting point:  Brienz (600m) Arrival:  Brienzer Rothhorn (2,348m) Altitude gain:  1,748m Duration:  ~5 hours ascent, 40 min descent (by train) Difficulty:  Hard Technical difficulty:  Moderate (due to snowfields) Download GPS file The Brienzer Rothhorn had been on my hiking list for a while. As the  highest point in Canton Luzern,  it’s a long and demanding route, and I never found the right moment to tackle it. But in 2024, while training for Capanna Margherita, I needed longer hikes to prepare. When the weekend forecast showed perfect weather, I knew it was time. Like always, I decided the night before—one of the perks of living close to the Alps! I left home at 6:30 AM and, by 8:00 AM, I was parked in  Brienz (600m) , a charming village on the shores of Lake Brienz, opposite Interlaken , in canton Bern . The hike starts  near the steam train station —yes, there’s an actual steam train that goes to the summit, but more o...