Tomorrow I will publish my video on the Berner Oberland containing a sumptious autumn recipe of onion tart. The region contains some of the most iconic mountains in the Alps (Eiger - Mönch - Jungfrau) as well as the Aletsch glacier, famous waterfalls, deep lakes & caves, gorges and the most photographed village of them all - Lauterbach. It was shot just after the corona crisis when it was possible again to travel within the country. There were no foreign tourists and few Swiss ones at that. As you can see, no crowds, no queues, and above all no disrespectful visitors / influencers and no need for mountain rescue to pick off scantily clad hikers from the mountain paths. It was a delight to be out and about and enjoy the peacefulness of these majestic mountains. Sure, the shops on the Jungfraujoch selling Swiss watches, Swiss chocolate and Swiss army knives were still there but there was no throng of people jostling for these luxury goods whilst ignoring the breathtaking nature around them.
Fast forward to to July 2024. I had hoped to spend my birthday on a spectacular cliff walk high above the Vierwaldstätter See in Central Switzerland where I now live. The path links the peaks of the Klingenstock and the Frontalpstock and is reached from the car-free village of Stoos. Stoos in turn can be accessed by one of the most innovative and steepest incline railways in the world. As we set out it soon became clear that the route description and the reality were different. Hikers were advised to bring enough water, proper hiking boots, appropriate clothing and should have a good level of fitness. we found ourselves wedged between noisy American family groups who were entertaining the whole valley with their booming voices, Japanese tourists with designer handbags and platform shoes and Russian Instagrammers trying to scramble up the rocky outcrops. How nobody injured themselves was a miracle. Or maybe not - because the path was not the former narrow ridge path but an endless series of steps. Hundreds of them - difficult to walk as they were breaking the natural walking rhythm. It was so unpleasant, we nearly turned back because it was heavy on the knees and made for very slow progress. These steps are a sign that too many people are crowding the path so it needs to be shored up, but it also shows how many ill-prepared hikers are ignoring the guidelines. The steps are reducing the potential for ill-equipped hikers to have an accident but they are sure destroying the very essence of exploring the breathtaking nature of the Swiss Alps.
Add comment
Comments