High Altitude Cappuccino

🗺️ Overview Starting point: Top station of La Videmanette lift (Rougemont, 2150 m) Highest point: Le Rubli summit, 2285 m Total elevation gain: ~150 m Total distance: ~1.4 km (round trip) Total time: ~2h (45 min ascent, 30 min descent, plus breaks) Technical difficulty: Easy ferrata: K2 Medium ferrata: K3 (our route) Difficult ferrata: K5– (steep, vertical sections, but no overhangs) Download GPS file At La Videmanette (2150 m), above Rougemont, there are three via ferrata: a very easy one (K2), a medium one (K3), and a hard one (K5–). The K5 is said to include vertical passages but no overhangs, and is considered doable by experienced climbers. Our plan this time was to take the mid-level one anway. From the lift, the summit of Le Rubli is immediately visible on the left. The approach is very short: just five minutes downhill, where you find a large panel marking the start. The difficult route begins downhill and climbs the rock face on your lef...

🗺️ Overview Starting point: Jorasses (Ovronnaz, 1,940 m) Highest point: Grand Muveran, 3,051 m Total elevation gain: ~1,200 m Total distance: ~13 km (round trip via Cabane Rambert) Total time: ~ 7 hours (including breaks) Technical difficulty: T4 Alpine hike, marked white–blue–white; exposed sections, use of hands required, helmet/gloves recommended Download GPS file On my second attempt, I made it! Exactly one year ago, I posted about the hike to Cabane Rambert . Back then, I had planned to continue to the summit of Grand Muveran, but I was too tired and stopped at the Cabane. This time, I went all the way up! You’ll find the description of the first part of the hike in my post about Cabane Rambert ( link ) – already a beautiful hike by itself. In this post, I’ll describe only the last section. However, keep in mind that this description starts after already 700 m of elevation gain and 2 hours of hiking from Jorasses. I will not describe the first secton again...

🗺️ 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...

🗺️ Overview Start point: Grimentz, télécabine to Espace Weisshorn (2700 m) Highest point: Garde de Bordon (~3310 m) Elevation gain: ~840 m (from Espace Weisshorn A/R including Corne de Sorebois) Distance:   ~9.4km (from Espace Weisshorn A/R  including Corne de Sorebois ) Hiking time: ~2 h 15 up, ~1 h 30 down (excluding detours) Difficulty: Moderate/Challenging Highlights: Ladder climb up a rock pillar, panoramic views of several 4000 m peaks, Lac de Moiry and glacier, optional Corne de Sorebois detour Return options: Same way back via Espace Weisshorn or long descent to Lac de Moiry with bus back to Grimentz Download GPS file It was a sunny August day when I set out for Garde de Bordon . The hike starts in Grimentz , and when I arrived I spotted the télécabine coming down. I sprinted to catch the next one as it runs every 15 minutes. The ride itself is spectacular: over 1000 m of elevation in 10 minutes, with a particularly vertiginous first sectio...