Sorry for not posting more stops on my still ongoing journey running up the one stair in my home and working my virtual way up the Swiss Alps - although not very much longer as I am now in the highest mountains of the Alps.
Tonight I am lumping together some neighbouring peaks in the Bernese Alps to make up for my silence; they are all part of the Aar massif, which lies between the Jungfrau massif to the southwest and the Gotthard massif to the southeast.
Firstly there is the Schreckhorn ('Horn of Fright') at 4078m; it is the most northerly of the Alp peaks above 4000m. The peak lies kind of in the backyard of the Jungfrau massif and can be seen from the Eismeer railway station of the Jungfraujoch railway (see picture below). It was first climbed in 1861.
Its close neighbour, the Lauteraarhorn at 4042 m (the 'Pure Horn of the Aar massif'), was mistakenly climbed in 1842 in an attempt to conquer the Schreckhorn. No gps or even really good maps in those heady early days of climbing where no man had stood before, so we shouldn't hold it against them!
The third peak is the Finsteraarhorn (the 'Dark Horn of the Aar massif'); the highest peak of the Bernese Alps at 4274 m (and surpassing both the nearby Mönch 4107 m) and the Jungfrau (4158 m). It is also one of the most prominent peaks of the Alps that tower over their surroundings.
You may recognise some of the names on the map below from my climbing journey. I have started out in my home patch, the Oberbaselbiet in the top left, visited Lake Constance on the top right, have climbed the Säntis in the Alpstein (when you go right down from the lake); been on the Rigi by wiggly Lake Lucerne (remember Seelisberg on Lake Lucerne, too?). I have passed the Brünig pass to the south of Lake Lucerne to get into the Berner Oberland (the Bernese Highland with Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald and the Jungfrau massif next to the Aar massif and the Gotthard massif).
In the Southwest near Geneva lie the highest peaks of the Jura mountain chain. Les Diablerets is part of the Waadtländer Alpen at the eastern end of Lake Geneva.
At the southernmost tip I have visited Monte Paradiso on Lake Lugano and the Versasca valley with Sonogno village.
The Engadin Valley (Maloja, St Moritz and S-chanf) with the Bernina massiv and Pushlav valley is the most southeasterly part of Switzerland.
For the grand finale I will be heading right to the bottom of he big 'belly' into the Mattertal where the highest Swiss peaks ( the Walliser Alpen) are located.
Switzerland always reminds me a bit of a kangaroo heading towards Austria; the Engadin being the head, Geneva being its tail and Lugano the foot of its back leg, and Wallis/Valais the bulging pouch.
Tonight I am lumping together some neighbouring peaks in the Bernese Alps to make up for my silence; they are all part of the Aar massif, which lies between the Jungfrau massif to the southwest and the Gotthard massif to the southeast.
Firstly there is the Schreckhorn ('Horn of Fright') at 4078m; it is the most northerly of the Alp peaks above 4000m. The peak lies kind of in the backyard of the Jungfrau massif and can be seen from the Eismeer railway station of the Jungfraujoch railway (see picture below). It was first climbed in 1861.
Its close neighbour, the Lauteraarhorn at 4042 m (the 'Pure Horn of the Aar massif'), was mistakenly climbed in 1842 in an attempt to conquer the Schreckhorn. No gps or even really good maps in those heady early days of climbing where no man had stood before, so we shouldn't hold it against them!
The third peak is the Finsteraarhorn (the 'Dark Horn of the Aar massif'); the highest peak of the Bernese Alps at 4274 m (and surpassing both the nearby Mönch 4107 m) and the Jungfrau (4158 m). It is also one of the most prominent peaks of the Alps that tower over their surroundings.
You may recognise some of the names on the map below from my climbing journey. I have started out in my home patch, the Oberbaselbiet in the top left, visited Lake Constance on the top right, have climbed the Säntis in the Alpstein (when you go right down from the lake); been on the Rigi by wiggly Lake Lucerne (remember Seelisberg on Lake Lucerne, too?). I have passed the Brünig pass to the south of Lake Lucerne to get into the Berner Oberland (the Bernese Highland with Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald and the Jungfrau massif next to the Aar massif and the Gotthard massif).
In the Southwest near Geneva lie the highest peaks of the Jura mountain chain. Les Diablerets is part of the Waadtländer Alpen at the eastern end of Lake Geneva.
At the southernmost tip I have visited Monte Paradiso on Lake Lugano and the Versasca valley with Sonogno village.
The Engadin Valley (Maloja, St Moritz and S-chanf) with the Bernina massiv and Pushlav valley is the most southeasterly part of Switzerland.
For the grand finale I will be heading right to the bottom of he big 'belly' into the Mattertal where the highest Swiss peaks ( the Walliser Alpen) are located.
Switzerland always reminds me a bit of a kangaroo heading towards Austria; the Engadin being the head, Geneva being its tail and Lugano the foot of its back leg, and Wallis/Valais the bulging pouch.