Anyone hiking in Switzerland?

“Anybody planning to go hiking in Switzerland? I always love to meet new people and play the tourist guide for a weekend :-)
Drop me a note here on this thread.”

“One of these days ---- !”

“I'll be happy to hike with you if there is appropriate transportation....”

“Do you live in Switzerland? What type of activities do you enjoy? Ski, Mountaineering, Ice/Rock Climb, Hot air Balloons, Pastis???

I have been to Zermatt and Interlaken, when can I come over?”

“I am so sorry, but my Lear got confiscated. And the yacht too.”

“Been there 4 times. Meiringen x2, Kandersteg x2. Urnaesch/Appenzel side trips, made a friend there. Hope to return before too much longer. Best place I've ever been for hiking, biking and NOT DRIVING!

We go by www.untours.com”

“I live in Bern. So just outside of the town is my playground in the Bernese Oberland. I love walking in the mountains. I love doing little photo expeditions and watching wildlife (too bad I can't post albums anymore :-( because my albums screwed up). I am more a nature lover, rather than an athlet. In winter I go snowboarding or do walks on wintertrails. In summer I usually do weekend hut trips.”

“Do most Swiss speak English?
I would love to visit some day.
Maybe after I retire.”

“Switzerland has four official national languages, but even if you don't speak any german, french, italian or romantsch it's pretty save for you to visite Switzerland. Many Swiss understand english, and at all the tourist places they speak english anyway.”

“Be careful of Stovestomper, Euro. You're about to be inundated with beer can stoves and tyvek.”

“The Swiss speak many languages, Stovey! Euro Hike, you can post picture albums right here! How lucky to live in such a beautiful area. Do those crazy French give you any trouble???”

“Really? I am interested in beer can stoves. Have never seen one before except pictures here on TT.

Bobo, I am afraid the picture editing function won't let me upload pics on TT anymore. Two albums I had uploaded suddenly displayed nothing but red Xs. I get an error message everytime I try to upload a pic.
Sorry... :-(”

“You are not allowed to post naked pictures here!”

“I want to climb the Eiger, Euro Hike can take pictures!”

“I did NOT do that!!!
I didn't!
...would I ...I(!)do that?

mmm...well, maybe somebody actually WOULD take care of that problem and fix it if I would offer to post naked pictures?”

“Euro - you backpack the Via Alpina much? Been checking that long trail out. Any info would be much appreciated. Wonder if there are any guidebooks out for this trail?

http://www.via-alpina.org/site/”

“I have not been hiking the Via Alpina itself, but I have been hiking in some of the areas that it comes through.
Let me know what sort of information you're looking for and I will see if I can help.”

“If one were to backpack the Via Alpina from end to end or a particularly long section, are there shelters? I assume one would only attempt this in the Summer? Some of the highest peaks it goes over? Back to the shelter question - can you camp anywhere? Are there areas that you can have fires? Safety? Any backpacking loops involving Via Alpina that would be over a week out in the backcountry?

Do you hike or backpack out there? Thanks Eura - welcome a'board!”

“Karo makes alcohol stoves - you should email him. He has a website with pictures and his theory on design - its great!”

“What's the address, Smoky?”

“backcountry? What are you talking about :-) I am sorry, we're not having much 'backcountry' in the alps, certainly not anywhere in the central alps. If WE want to experience backcountry we go to the US or Canada.
Indeed it would be very difficult to get lost in the alps. There is so preciously little true wilderness left. Therefore backcountry camping is discouraged, even in the very few places where it is actually not forbiden. Expect to use public camp sites. Or make it a hike from hut to hut. Huts are very basic, rustic accomodations. You get a hot evening meal and a hikers breakfast at dawn. You sleep on bunk beds. You meet people (too bad I can't post photos)
Check out this website:
http://geo7.begasoft.ch/afp2/Aol.aspx?la=de
Sorry, it's not in english (only german or french), but on the top left side, you can search either for a hut or for a location.”

“Euro - Ohhhhh... that's what I was wondering. How much is the hut cost a night?

SS - will post the address here in a bit...”

“Are those Youth Hostels, Euro?

Do adults stay in them also?”

“Check this out!
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/travel/alps/via-alpina.html”

“this isn't Karo's website, but one used for design...

http://www.boblog.org/at/cobrastove.htm”

“This is the Euro hiker gal.

www.Blick.Ch/wm06/artikel39516”

“We found the Swiss to be very friendly and helpful. Speaking a little German, we got by very easily. Away from the American/Central Asian/Japanese tourist spots, the Brits were the most frequent tourists and thought we were German or Swiss. Many Swiss speak English.

Great bread, cheese and chocolate. Good beer and wine. Excellent wurst and schnitzel. Gemischter Salat! What else do you need?”

“The link I posted above is from the SAC (Swiss Alpine Club). The huts are no Youth hostles. Most are not accessible by any means of privat or public transport. Some are 1.5 - 2 hrs from the next road, to others it's a strenous, day long, alpine hike. A few are only accessible for mountaneers, not for hikers.

Go to the link posted above. In the search function in the upper left corner (Hüttensuche) search Albert-Heim-Hütten. There is a link to that huts homepage posted, with a lot more detailed information about prices, access trails, opening times and a lot of awesome pictures. This homepage is also in English.

The huts are not open year round (except for a winter or emergency shelter). Some huts only offer very basic facilities (no showers, cold water only, no electricity). Others may have more amenities.
During summer month, when a warden tends for the hut, you get breakfast and, if you want, a simple, satisfying meal in the evening. So you won't need to carry much provision.

Check out the Austrian, Italian and French Alpine Club, for huts in their countries.”

“Here are some decent books for trekking in the Western Alps - France and Switzerland...

- Chamonix to Zermatt: A Walker's Haute Route (Cicerone Guide)
- Tour of Mont Blanc: Complete Trekking Guide
- Trekking and Climbing in the Western Alps (Trekking & Climbing Series)

Here's a cool link for Webcams based around zee Matterhorn!

http://bergbahnen.zermatt.ch/e/web-cam/standort.html
last edited: 3/07/07 8:55:54 AM”

“Good info Euro and Bobo! Thanks!”