Читать книгу Walking in the Valais. 120 Walks and Treks онлайн

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As popular in winter as in summer, it’s not surprising to find plenty of mechanical lifts stretching across the slopes. However, some of these can be used to advantage by walkers, and with more than 100km of footpaths to choose from, a few days spent exploring the district can be recommended. Best of the walks are those that use trails overlooking the Grosser Aletschgletscher, but for a non-energetic, near perfect overview, take the cablecar from Fiescheralp (Kühboden) to the Eggishorn. The top station is on a lower, secondary summit at 2893m – a spectacular vantage point from which to study not only the glacier far below, but rank upon rank of high mountains that contain it. The Eggishorn also hosts a popular klettersteig/via ferrata with a 30m long three-rope bridge as a highlight.

Main bases

Fiesch (1049m) is the small resort at the mouth of the Fieschertal. As the main resort village of the Goms, it’s a mixture of modern, white-fronted buildings and characteristic dark-timbered Valaisian chalets. It has a railway station, and a cablecar link with Fiescheralp at 2205m, which gives access to the Bettmeralp plateau, Märjelensee and the Aletschgletscher. Fiesch has a handful of hotels, over 3000 beds in chalets and apartments, and a well-ordered campsite just outside the village. There are restaurants, shops (including a supermarket) and a useful tourist office.