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Trekking the Swiss Via Alpina
East to West across Switzerland – the Alpine Pass Route
Guidebook to the Swiss Via Alpina, a 400km trek east-west across Switzerland, with options of detouring along the Alpine Pass Route. This demanding 3-week trek crosses 16 passes, including the 2778m Hohtürli, in a total of 19 stages from Sargans to Montreux, as well as a prologue stage from Liechtenstein. Requires good fitness and experience.
Seasons
From the start of July through to September. August can be wet, and an early season trek may find snow on the higher passes, so suitable additional equipment would be essential.Centres
Sargans, Elm, Linthal, Altdorf, Engelberg, Meiringen, Grindlewald, Lauterbrunnen, Kandersteg, Adelboden, Lenk, Gstaad, Rossiniere, Gsteig, Col des Mosses, MontreuxDifficulty
It's pretty tough: the route amasses nearly 23,000m of ascent over 20 stages and nearly every day involves a pass crossing. Some higher passes and ridges present occasional exposure and technical difficulty.Must See
The Todi and Titlis; Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau near Grindlewald; valley-pass landscapes every day; the Lauterbrunnen valley; the Oeschinensee above Kandersteg; Blumlisalp and Les Diablerets.-
Overview
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A guidebook to walking the Swiss Via Alpina from Sargans to Montreux on Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). Covering 400km (250 miles), this long-distance trek in the Swiss Alps takes around 3 weeks to walk and is suitable for experienced trekkers.
The route is described from east to west in 19 stages, each between 12 and 29km (8–18 miles) in length. A 27km (17 mile) prologue stage from Liechtenstein is also included, as well as detour stages via Lenk and Gsteig.
- 1:100,000 maps included for each stage
- GPX files available to download
- Detailed information on mountain huts, facilities and public transport
- Advice on planning and preparation
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Table of Contents
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Updates
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Reviews
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By Kev Reynolds
Kev Reynolds was a freelance writer, photojournalist and lecturer. A prolific compiler of guidebooks, his first title for Cicerone Press (Walks & Climbs in the Pyrenees) appeared in 1978; he later produced many more titles for the same publisher. A member of the Outdoor Writers' Guild, the Alpine Club and Austrian Alpine Club, his passion for mountains and the countryside inspired a lifetime's activity, and he regularly travelled throughout Britain to share that enthusiasm through his lectures. Sadly, Kev passed away in 2021. He will be remembered fondly by all who knew him and by many more he inspired through his writing and talks.
View author profileBy Jonathan Williams
Jonathan Williams was Cicerone's publisher and managing director for over 20 years, working with authors and leading the development of the range. Lesley was Cicerone's marketing director for over 20 years, but now provides support for the new marketing team. Although they met at sea, they quickly gravitated to the mountains and trekking, before taking on Cicerone to communicate their passion for mountains, wild places and other journeys on foot or by bike. Based on the edge of the Lake District, they enjoy spending days in the hills and months in the mountains, and have written or updated several Cicerone guidebooks for Switzerland. They would like to thank the whole Cicerone team for supporting their efforts as authors.
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