Hiking
Heritage and history
The mountains have a memory: you can read it in place names, in old walls and in the stories people tell. Behind every hamlet, chalet and path lies a story. These easy to moderate hikes take you to meet the builders of the past and the events that shaped the mountain valleys, with tales and legends along the way.
Level: T2 to T3, less than 500 m of elevation gain
Examples:
• Moving pastures & avalanches: life in the Ormonts, then and now (1 day)
• Tréchadèze, with Ramuz and Napoleon (1 day)
• Alpine chalets: architectural gems (½ day)
Mountain huts
Hiking up to a hut means seeing what goes on behind the scenes. Safe access, water, energy, waste, supplies: mountain huts are on the front line of climate change. These hikes show you how a hut works, often through a chat with the hut keepers, and can be extended with a night on site.
Level: T2 to T4, up to 1000 m of elevation gain
Examples:
• Pierredar, the challenges of a hut in paradise (1 or 2 days)
• Rifugio Fallere, high mountains and open-air sculpture (2 days)
• Baltschiederklause: the further, the more beautiful! (2 days)
Alpine hikes
Passes, ridges, high-altitude trails and summits. For sure-footed hikers who want to gain some height, away from the busy paths, on white-red-white or white-blue-white trails, with views that reward the effort. Routes walked safely, so that the challenge stays a pleasure.
Level: T3 to T4, 800 to 1500 m of elevation gain
Examples:
• Oldenhorn: a summit that sees everything… and can be seen from everywhere!
• Arpelistock: a lunar landscape between Sanetsch and Wildhorn
• Haute Cime: the Dents du Midi from the top
Reading the alpine landscape
Why is this valley shaped the way it is? Where do these lone boulders, folded rocks and sponge-like limestone slabs come from? As we walk, you learn to decipher the landscape: the marks left by the ice ages, the work of water, the collision of rock layers. Afterwards, you will never look at a mountain the same way again.
Level: T2 to T4
Examples:
• Sanetsch-Tsanfleuron: where the glacier gives way to lapies
• Rambert-Chamosentze: the making of the Alps, an open book
• Moiry: a piece of Africa in the heart of Valais
Your tailor-made hike
Got an idea or a wish? Let's build your hike together. With family, friends, colleagues or a club: I prepare a route and activities suited to your group. Alps or Jura, mountains or countryside, we can talk geology, heritage, plants or wildlife, with tasty breaks if you like. Tell me what appeals to you and I will suggest outings that suit you.
Duration: from half a day to several days
Level: all levels, up to T4