The Bernese Alps – Switzerland

Over 100 routes in the Bernese Alps, home to the famous Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. Routes for all abilities lead to lesser-known mountains, romantic valleys, lakes, flower-filled meadows and mountain huts. Describes the area from the Haslital in the east to the Col du Pillon in the west.

General Tourist Guides

Blue Guide: Switzerland by Ian Robertson (A&C Black, London. W.W.Norton, New York.) – regularly updated, with near-comprehensive coverage.

The Rough Guide to Switzerland by Matthew Teller (Rough Guides, London. 2nd edition 2003) – perhaps the best general guide to Switzerland available at present.

Switzerland by Damien Simonis, Sarah Johnstone, Lorne Jackson (Lonely Planet, Melbourne. 4th edition 2003) – good coverage of the most important places.

The Green Guide: Switzerland (Michelin Travel Publications, Watford. 2001) – presented in gazetteer form with a wide range of illustrations.

Off The Beaten Track – Switzerland (Moorland Publishing Co, Ashbourne. Published 1989)

Mountains and Mountaineering

Countless volumes devoted to the Alps pack the bookshelves. Those containing references of particular interest to visitors to the Bernese Alps are listed below. The list is of necessity only a small selection, but there should be plenty of reading contained within it to provide a good background introduction and to whet the appetite for a forthcoming visit.

Wanderings Among the High Alps by Alfred Wills (Blackwell, London. Latest edition published 1939) – Wills’ ascent of the Wetterhorn signaled the start of the Golden Age of Mountaineering.

The Playground of Europe by Leslie Stephen (Blackwell, London. Latest edition published 1936) – Playground ranks as one of the finest of all mountaineering books. Leslie Stephen was an eminent Victorian pioneer, some of whose adventures are recorded in this book. He made a number of first ascents in the Bernese Alps.

On High Hills by Geoffrey Winthrop Young (Methuen, London. Latest edition published 1947) – This book includes ascents in the Bernese Alps prior to 1914.

The White Spider by Heinrich Harrer (Granada, London. Latest edition published 1983) – Harrer was part of the rope that made the first ascent of the Eiger’s North Face in 1938. This book recounts the history of attempts on the face up to and including that first ascent.

The Eiger by Dougal Haston (Cassell, London. 1974.) – Haston took part in the epic first direct ascent of the North Face in winter. This book records the history of ‘modern’ routes on the face.

The Mountains of Switzerland by Herbert Maeder (George Allen & Unwin, London. 1968) – Large format book with splendid illustrations, mostly in black and white.

Alps 4000 by Martin Moran (David & Charles, Devon. 1994) – The account of Moran’s and Simon Jenkins’s epic journey across all the 4000m summits of the Alps in one summer’s activity.

The High Mountains of the Alps by Helmut Dumler & Willi Burkhardt (Diadem, London. 1993) – A beautifully illustrated volume describing the 4000m peaks of the Alps.

The Mountains of Europe by Kev Reynolds (Oxford Illustrated Press, Sparkford. 1990) – All the major mountain ranges of continental Europe described, including, of course, the Bernese Alps.

Bernese Oberland: selected climbs by Les Swindin (Alpine Club, London. 2003) – The latest AC guide to all the major routes, including climbs on the Salbitschijen.

Walking

The Alps by R.L.G.Irving (Batsford, London. 1939) – Not strictly a ‘walking’ book, but it contains much of interest that will help fire enthusiasm for an active holiday in the Alps. As with several others in this list, The Alps has long been out of print, but should be available on order from public libraries.

Rambles in the Alps by Hugh Merrick (Country Life, London. 1951) – A large-format book which devotes considerable space to eulogising the Bernese Oberland as a walking area.

Backpacking in the Alps and Pyrenees by Showell Styles (Gollancz, London. 1976) – Contains an account of a backpacking journey across part of the Bernese Alps by some of the routes described in this guidebook.

Alpine Pass Route by Kev Reynolds (Cicerone Press, Milnthorpe. 2nd edition 2004) – A guidebook to this classic long-distance route which traverses the Bernese Alps on its journey from Sargans to Montreux.

Classic Walks in the Alps by Kev Reynolds (Oxford Illustrated Press, Sparkford. 1991) – Large format volume which contains a number of routes in the Bernese Alps.

Walking in the Alps by Kev Reynolds (Cicerone Press, Milnthorpe. 1998) – Describes walking prospects of 19 districts, from the Maritime Alps to the Julians of Slovenia. Includes the Bernese Alps.

100 Hut Walks in the Alps by Kev Reynolds (Cicerone Press, Milnthorpe. 2000) – Includes several huts in the region covered by the present book.

Alpine Points of View by Kev Reynolds (Cicerone Press, Milnthorpe. 2004) – 100 full-page colour photographs that show the diverse nature of the Alpine chain; the Bernese Alps is well represented.

Mountain Flowers

The Alpine Flowers of Britain and Europe by Christopher Grey-Wilson and Marjorie Blamey (Collins, London. 1979) – A very useful pocket identification handbook.

Mountain Flowers by Anthony Huxley (Blandford Press, London. 1967) – Another fine book to help identify species found in the areas covered by the present book. Illustrations are by Daphne Barry and Mary Grierson.

Mountain Flower Holidays in Europe by Lionel Bacon (Alpine Garden Society, Woking. 1979) – This book tells you what to find and where. Although there are some good illustrations, it is best used in conjunction with one of the above-mentioned identification guides. Includes a section on the Bernese Alps.