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The Swiss Alps

A comprehensive guidebook to every mountain area in the Swiss Alps. This handy resource includes information for walking, hiking, trekking, climbing and ski mountaineering. Access, accommodation and facilities in the valley bases and full information about Swiss mountain huts is included to help you make the most out of a trip there.

The eBook is also sold by Amazon Kindle, Rakuten Kobo, Google Play Books and Apple Books.

Quick facts

  • Location: Switzerland – the full sweep of the Swiss Alps, from the Chablais in the west to the Silvretta and Rätikon in the east
  • Type of book: Large-format mountain range reference and planning guide; not a conventional route guide but a comprehensive reference work covering every mountain area in Switzerland valley by valley
  • Activities covered: Walking, hiking, trekking, scrambling, climbing, and ski mountaineering
  • Difficulty: For outdoor enthusiasts of all standards; climbing grades quoted where applicable; multi-day trekking routes outlined for more experienced trekkers
  • Regional chapters: Chablais Alps; Pennine Alps; Lepontine and Adula Alps; Bernina, Bregaglia and Albula Alps; Bernese Alps; Central Swiss Alps; Silvretta and Rätikon Alps
  • Key centres: Zermatt, Saas-Fee, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Kandersteg, Mürren, Wengen, Pontresina, St Moritz, Arolla, Engelberg, Meiringen, Klosters, Leysin
  • Key highlights: The Matterhorn, Monte Rosa, Weisshorn, Dom, Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau, Finsteraarhorn, Schreckhorn, Wetterhorn, and all major Swiss 4000m peaks, passes, valleys, and centres
  • Navigation/mapping: Comprehensive guidance on swisstopo Federal Office of Topography maps and Kümmerly and Frey Wanderkarten series covering the full Swiss Alps
  • Best time to go: Year-round; summer for walking, trekking, and climbing; winter for ski mountaineering

Detailed overview

Explore the Swiss Alps from west to east, from the Matterhorn and the great valleys of Zermatt and Saas-Fee to the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau above the Bernese Oberland and the Bernina and Silvretta ranges on the borders of Italy and Austria. One of the world's great mountain destinations, the Swiss Alps offer a lifetime of walking, trekking, climbing, and ski mountaineering in some of Europe's most spectacular scenery.

This large-format Cicerone planning companion by celebrated author Kev Reynolds is a comprehensive guide to the Swiss Alps, covering every mountain area in the country valley by valley across seven regional chapters. Rather than a conventional route guide with detailed step-by-step descriptions, it is a richly detailed reference work designed to inspire and inform, directing the reader to the finest walks, treks, climbs, and ski tours in each area and providing everything needed to plan a Swiss Alps adventure at any level.

  • Explore the full sweep of the Swiss Alps across seven regional chapters, covering the Chablais Alps, Pennine Alps, Lepontine and Adula Alps, Bernina, Bregaglia and Albula Alps, Bernese Alps, Central Swiss Alps, and the Silvretta and Rätikon Alps, with dozens of individual valleys described in detail.
  • Plan walks, treks, climbs, and ski tours across every level of ability and ambition, from gentle valley walks and multi-day hut-to-hut treks to serious alpine climbs on the 4000m peaks of the Pennine Alps and Bernese Oberland.
  • Discover the Swiss Alps valley by valley, with each section covering access, accommodation, mountain huts, recommended maps, and the finest routes and activities available, giving you a complete picture of what each part of the range has to offer.
  • Prepare thoroughly with comprehensive practical information on when to go, getting there and around Switzerland, accommodation and mountain huts, Swiss mapping, health considerations, mountain safety, plant and animal life, and environmental ethics.
  • Identify the best destinations for your chosen activity using the at-a-glance information provided for every mountain area, covering peaks, passes, valleys, and bases across the full breadth of Switzerland.
  • Navigate the wide range of Swiss mapping available with detailed guidance on the Federal Office of Topography swisstopo series and Kümmerly and Frey Wanderkarten, ensuring you have the right maps for every area and activity across the Swiss Alps.

An essential addition to the shelf of anyone who loves or dreams of the Swiss Alps, this trusted Cicerone reference work is the book to reach for when planning your next adventure in one of Europe's greatest mountain ranges. Let Kev Reynolds be your guide to the Swiss Alps.

Where and when to go

Seasons

Information for the walker, trekker, climber and ski mountaineer to participate in their chosen activity in all seasons

Centres

Arolla, Engleberg, Grindelwald, Kandersteg, Klosters, Lauterbrunnen, Les Haudered, Leysin, Maggia, Meiringen, Mürren, Pontresina, Promontogno, Sass Fee, St Moritz, Sonogno, Vicosoprano, Wengen, Zermatt, Zernez

Difficulty

For outdoor enthusiasts of all standards. Climbing grades are quoted where applicable. Multi-day trekking routes are also outlined, suitable for the more experienced trekker

Must See

The Matterhorn, Monte Rosa, Weisshorn, Dom, Finsteraarhorn, Schreckhorn and Westterhorn, Eiger, Mönch, Jungrau - all the major Swiss peaks, passes, valleys and centres.

Table of contents


Overview Map


Introduction


About this Book


The Mountain Ranges


Practicalities


When to Go


Weather


Getting There


Getting Around


Accommodation


Mountain Huts


Maps and Guidebooks


Health Considerations


The Mountains


Mountain Activities


Safety Dos and Don’ts


Mountain Rescue


Plant and Animal Life


Environmental Ethics


Information at a Glance


Chapter 1: Chablais Alps


1:1 Val de Morgins


1:2 Val d’Illiez


1:3 Vallon de Susanfe


1:4 Rhône Valley Approaches


1:5 Vallée du Trient


Access, Bases, Maps and Guides


Chapter 2: Pennine Alps


2:1 Val Ferret


2:2 Val d’Entremont


2:3 Val de Bagnes


2:4 Val de Nendaz


2:5 Val d’Hérémence


2:6 Val d’Hérens


2:7 Val de Moiry


2:8 Val d’Anniviers


2:9 Turtmanntal


2:10 Mattertal


2:11 Saastal


2:12 Simplon Pass


Access, Bases, Maps and Guides


Chapter 3: Lepontine and Adula Alps


3:1 Simplon Pass East


3:2 Binntal


3:3 Val Bedretto


3:4 Valle Leventina


3:5 Val Verzasca


3:6 Valle Maggia and its Tributaries


3:7 Valle di Blenio


3:8 Vals Calanca and Mesolcina


3:9 The Northern Valleys


Access, Bases, Maps and Guides


Chapter 4: Bernina, Bregaglia and Albula Alps


4:1 Val Madris and the Averstal


4:2 Engadine Valley: Left Bank


4:3 Val Bregaglia


4:4 The Bernina Alps


4:5 The Swiss National Park


Access, Bases, Maps and Guides


Chapter 5: Bernese Alps


5:1 Alpes Vaudoises


5:2 Les Diablerets to the Rawil Pass


5:3 The Wildstrubel Massif


5:4 Kandersteg and the Gemmipass


5:5 Blu?emlisalp and the Gasterntal


5:6 The Kiental


5:7 Lauterbrunnen Valley


5:8 Grindelwald and the Lu?tschental


5:9 Haslital and Grimsel Pass


5:10 The Southern Valleys


Access, Bases, Maps and Guides


Chapter 6: Central Swiss Alps


6:1 Uri Alps: Dammastock Group


6:2 North of the Sustenpass: Titlis Group


6:3 Glarner Alps


Access, Bases, Maps and Guides


Chapter 7: Silvretta and Rätikon Alps


7:1 Silvretta Alps: Lower Engadine


7:2 Silvretta Alps: Prättigau


7:3 Rätikon Alps


7:4 The Alpstein Massif


Access, Bases, Maps and Guides

APPENDIX A Glossary of Alpine Terms

APPENDIX B Selective Bibliography

APPENDIX C Index of Maps

APPENDIX D The Swiss 4000m Peaks


Index

Which format is best for me?

Printed book

A guidebook with detailed route descriptions, stage breakdowns, accommodation listings, profiles and maps — everything you need on the trail.

ISBN9781852844653
AvailabilityPublished
Published26 March 2021
Reprinted31 March 2027
Weight 1070g

eBook

The complete digital edition of the guidebook, with full route descriptions, accommodation listings, profiles and maps, ready to use on any device.

Updates

  1. Updated

    The Swiss maps keep changing names

    I have known about Swiss name changes for a good while now, but I was slightly horrified when I went to check a height and found that the Blümlisalphütte had become the Blüemlisalphütte in the last few weeks. Right after the Trekking in the Bernese Oberland has been published.

    I know it was about using local names, but it prompted me to dig more deeply into what is going on and why. So here goes:

    Since 2008, swisstopo the national mapping agency) has taken local/minor place names Flurnamen, hut names, alp names) directly from the "amtlicheVermessung" — the official cadastral survey run by each canton. Bernese Oberland, where the Blüemlisalp massif sits, has been going through a re-survey Neuvermessung) in which the canton's Nomenklaturkommission re-records these names in their dialect form, per the federal guideline from 1948, updated 2011) that local names should be written "wie man spricht" — as spoken, in dialect — rather than in a High-German-ized spelling. Once the canton adopts a name, swisstopo carries it onto the Landeskarte.

    "Blüemlisalp" reflects Bernese dialect: the diphthong "üe" from Blueme = Flower) replacing the standard-German-style "ü" in "Blümlisalp." So the hut's name simply followed the alp/massif's name being re-recorded in correct Bernese spelling.

    One caveat: peaks over roughly 3500 m are generally kept in their traditional spelling which is why Blüemlisalphorn, at 3664 m, is a case some sources flag as inconsistent with the hut name) — but the hut and alp themselves aren't exempt, so they picked up the dialect form.

    Another useful site is the Swiss Alpine Club's ‘Write how you speak’ article www.sac-cas.ch/de/die-alpen/schreibe-wie-man-spricht-1-38915/ and for anyone who wants to get really geeky about Swiss naming conventions www.giswiki.ch/Mundart_in_Lokalnamen

    Anyhow, in summary, after a general move towards a standard ‘high’ German in the 19th century, there was a movement to support the local Swiss German spelling approach – ‘spiritual national defence’. This was formulated into a law in 1948, since updated, and as Cantons decree that a place name should follow the traditional local spelling, the national maps pick it up.

    There we go. But who are we to speak as Snowdon becomes Yr Wyddfa in the Eyro National Park. And the survival of Gaelic names throughout the highlands of Scotland seems assured.

    By and large these differences are small and won’t lead to any confusion. I hardly think you will climb the wrong mountain or reach the wrong hut just because it's gained an extra ‘e’. But be aware that things change! We will keep up as best we can with the changes but, in the meantime, if you do see anything that causes confusion, please let us know right away.

    Alongside this, the Swiss mappers keep re-measuring the country and map heights evolve almost annually. It's great that they are on top of things, even if a little vexing for a guidebook author and publisher. Again, it shouldn’t be confusing, it's only a metre here or there but it does lead to books diverging from official maps. We will keep an eye on things.

    Jonathan Williams

Meet the author

A lifelong passion for the countryside in general, and mountains in particular, drove Kev's desire to share his sense of wonder and delight in the natural world through his writing, guiding, photography and lecturing. Spending several months every year in various high-mountain regions researching guidebooks made him The Man with the World's Best Job.

Kev enjoyed a fruitful partnership with Cicerone from the 1970s, producing 50 books, including guides to five major trekking regions of Nepal and to numerous routes in the European Alps and Pyrenees, as well as walking guides for Kent, Sussex and the Cotswolds. 'A Walk in the Clouds' is a collection of autobiographical short stories recording 50 years of mountain travel and adventures. He was also the contributing editor of the collaborative guide 'Trekking in the Himalaya' and Cicerone's celebratory anniversary compilation 'Fifty Years of Adventure'.

A frequent contributor to outdoor magazines, Kev also wrote and illustrated brochures for national tourist authorities and travel companies. When not away in the mountains, Kev lived with his wife in a small cottage among what he called 'the Kentish Alps', with unrestricted walking country on the doorstep. But he also travelled throughout Britain during the winter months to share his love of the places he wrote about through a series of 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.