Grindelwald Off The Beaten Path

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Each year in January all the ski champions take part to the FIS Ski World Cup to run the famous Lauberhorn downhill race. From the Lauberhorn top (2'300m) down to Wengen (1'300m) a vertiginious run of 4.4km where the champions run down in less 2min30sec... up to a maximum speed to 140 km/h.

So take your courage and ride the Lauberhorn run slowly and safelty ;-)

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The splendid scenery of the hairpin roads going up to the Furkapass with the snow capped mountains makes this probably one of the most photographed mountain roads in the Alps.

It's not far west of Andermatt driving to Gletsch. And just a little further west of Gletsch is the Rhône Glacier which is one of the main attractions on this road.

The high alpine road to the Sustenpass is one of the Bernese Oberland's most scenic road trips.

It's on the road between Interlaken and Wassen just before Andermatt and it twists and turns to a height of 2,259m.

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From Grindelwald you can Hike up to Pfingstegg at 1400 metres which gives fine views of the Village and the whole Valley.
It is possible then to Hike around to the new Stieregg Hut in the Unterer Grindelwaldgletscher, when I explored this valley the Path was closed until the new hut was completed, but I explored the path.

You need a head for heights as the vertical drops are awesome. The hike takes about 2 hours for the return journey and is quite breathtaking.

The original hut was destroyed in a Massive landslide which hit recently.

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Kleine Scheidegg is a great place to start hiking to Maennlichen - in a distance of 1:20 h - along one of the most scenic hiking-paths in that area. You will pass by several nice restaurants and simple alpine-hotels and will have the possibility to take the cablecar from Maennlichen to Grindelwald-Grund or to Wengen.
Hiking down all the way from Maennlichen to Lauterbrunnen will take 4 hours
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click here for a 360 degree-panorama from Maennlichen
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the panorama of Maennlichen in wintertime
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click here for the weather-forecast

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Moenchsjochhuette is in fact one of the remotest restaurants & hotels in Switzerland, because you have to walk about 45 minutes one way from the Jungfraujoch in order to get there. It is a pity, I did not have enough time to get there, BUT at least I made half-way and had a great time there out on the glacier in perfect weather. Stay on the path, even though the crevasses next to the path might be a temptation for passionate photographers.
Moenchsjochhuette offers also Dormitories / Massenlager - BUT you better reserve your bed in advance - see their telephone-number below !
see here a panorama-view of the path to Moenchstalhuette !

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An Aletschglacier-Hike might be the ultimate experience during your vacation in Switzerland :
You will start in Interlaken the first day and will go up and explore Jungfraujoch, before you will take a 4-hour hike to Konkordiaplatz, where you will have a short rest and picknick before you will cross a small montain-river and step up to Konkordiahuette in a height of 2850 meters above sea-level.There you will be served Cheese-fondue and spend the night in a simple dormitory. The next day you will start again after a rich breakfast-buffet, passing by impressive crevasses and a great mountain-scenery. The hike will end at Kuehboden, where you take down the cablecar and go home via Fiesch - Brig - Spiez to Interlaken.
From Jungfraujoch you may see just half of the Grosser Aletsch-gletscher.Konkordia-Huette is at about the end of the glacier that you may see on my picture, close to that mountain that looks like a pyramid.Enlarge my pics and get an idea about the distances !
Anyone is able to do this hike, when beeing able to walk 4-6 hours a day.
The price is 380 sfr ( 315 sfr if you have a half-tax-billet or similar)
and it includes the guiding, all transports, accomodation, dinner&breakfast
These tours are available between july and october
every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday !!
Make a reservation in advance - see the webpage below !
NEVER do such a walk without a local guide !!!

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Saegistalsee is a small mountain-lake in the hight of 1937 meters above sea-level and you will pass by it when you hike from Schynigge Platte to Faulhorn - at about half of the way between Weberhuette (read more about it in my restaurant-tip!) and the Faulhorn.
I could not find an official walking-path to this lake, but you may see it even from a long distance when walking to Faulhorn.
Saegistalsee is high above Iseltwald, BUT the steep rocks around the lake will not allow you to walk down directely from Seagistalsee to Iseltwald.