Saanen-Gstaad
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When the whole world seemed to be crumbling down, Switzerland was flourishing. It’s not the first time (they turn out to do particularly well during world wars)… and also within the context of viruses being released on humanity, they seem to have their shit together more than any other European country, especially in tourism. Why? Because when the citizens of one of the richest nations of Europe are forced to spend their holidays within their own land borders, the now-purely-national clientele spends even more than any practically-always-poorer foreign crowd could ever spend. Kaching.
So I went back. To work.
I already spent 6 months in the village of Adelboden, but as traveling was made practically impossible by the new corona-fueled world order, I figured I might as well go back to my beloved Alps and save up for future adventures. Everything better than couch-potato’ing. I don’t know if you can finish Netflix and I’d like to keep it that way.
So I went back. To work.
I already spent 6 months in the village of Adelboden, but as traveling was made practically impossible by the new corona-fueled world order, I figured I might as well go back to my beloved Alps and save up for future adventures. Everything better than couch-potato’ing. I don’t know if you can finish Netflix and I’d like to keep it that way.
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Turns out, I spent 6 months in the most enchanting place of the Swiss Alps already. In my humble opinion, it doesn’t get better than Adelboden… end of the road, so end of traffic, embraced by mountain ranges at all sides, but yet easy to reach (unlike for example Zermatt, only reached by little mountain trains – which makes it maybe even prettier, but also a tad unpractical). Gstaad and Saanen can be easily reached by a medium-small motorway, as well as by buses and trains. Go to the left, and you end up in Lausanne, go to the right, and you can continue to Zweisimmen/Thun. That makes it more transited, a bit noisier and less delightfully isolated, somehow robbing it from that untouched-virgin-vibe the Swiss Alps are kinda famous for… but we’re still talking about the most impressive mountain range of entire Europe, so rest assured, it’s nevertheless breath-taking.
All personal analyses aside, Gstaad probably couldn’t care less, given it’s ‘the chosen one’ by the rich and famous. And somehow, me.
All personal analyses aside, Gstaad probably couldn’t care less, given it’s ‘the chosen one’ by the rich and famous. And somehow, me.
Day Hikes Saanen-Gstaad
So what did I do all day when I wasn’t working (which wasn’t often: 43-hour-working weeks are the norm here)? Considering I do not have the dough (nor interest) to shop for 2000-francs handbags or 20-bucks cocktails to ostentatiously sip on, preferably for everyone to see… I went hiking, of course. All the damn time, every spare hour. How can one better quarantine than physically move the hell away from humanity as fast and far as possible? Stay inside, my ass, the mountains are calling, granting their fresh air, physical health and 2(000)-meter distance in all its majesty.
So what did I do all day when I wasn’t working (which wasn’t often: 43-hour-working weeks are the norm here)? Considering I do not have the dough (nor interest) to shop for 2000-francs handbags or 20-bucks cocktails to ostentatiously sip on, preferably for everyone to see… I went hiking, of course. All the damn time, every spare hour. How can one better quarantine than physically move the hell away from humanity as fast and far as possible? Stay inside, my ass, the mountains are calling, granting their fresh air, physical health and 2(000)-meter distance in all its majesty.
Let’s have a look at the hiking map on which I proudly marked after every endeavour, and let’s just all agree I pretty much checked off every possible combination I could morph into a day hike. Ask me anything… but before that, let me tell you everything:
Hike Cholis Grind – Eggli – Meielsgrund
When I travel, I never check guidebooks, blogs or mainstream info. I prefer to talk to locals and ask what they rank as their favourite… as such, my first go-to was Meielsgrund, a hike I found it worth completing on my 33th birthday. I kicked off from Saanen, from where it is a relatively short and mild ascend up to the nearby Cholis Grind. Here you can find a look-out point and even a public mountain shelter fit for camping, in case you don’t feel like blowing your heard-earned travel-francs in the flashy hotels of Gstaad or Saanen. Not a place for the superstitious, I must add, as the spirit of an executed woman (rolled down the Cholis Grind into a sealed barrel, after she murdered her husband) is said to have never left the place of her cruel death.
I continued to Eggli, in winter a busy ski intersection and end of the funicular, in summer a place of natural splendour and inner reflection. Treated on the most mind-shattering views the trails continue into the direction of Meielsgrund, a green hiking haven equipped with several paid and unpaid resting points to unwind and take in the panoramas.
The locals weren’t lying.
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The trail swindles down into Gstaad, from where the easy river trail leads you back to Saanen again. Or the other way around, if Gstaad is your base.
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Hike Rellerligrat – Hugeligrat (1898m)
The northern side of the mountains wasn’t even covered on most maps provided by the Saanen-Gstaad tourism office, which made me extra curious. It looked quite impressive from down-up, so what are they trying to hide from us? One of the best views of the entire region, that is! Stretch up and be ready to work for it, as this route is definitely not granting you the easy way out.
The northern side of the mountains wasn’t even covered on most maps provided by the Saanen-Gstaad tourism office, which made me extra curious. It looked quite impressive from down-up, so what are they trying to hide from us? One of the best views of the entire region, that is! Stretch up and be ready to work for it, as this route is definitely not granting you the easy way out.
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Steepness gets a whole different meaning on this endeavour, especially if the sun is boiling up and roasting out all your spare energy… but once up, you understand why you did all of this. This is why I hike.
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Hike Mirage – Schönried – Saanenmöser – Horneggli
If you did your homework like a true millennial, and pre-instagrammed your travel destination, you’ll notice Gstaad is famous for one particular sight: Mirage. And indeed, a quirky photoshoot here is definitely worth some GB’s of your phone memory.
But longer than 15 minutes it won’t capture your attention. So you go on. The next village you reach is the rather lively Schönried, and further down the line you’ll find Saanenmöser. Cute, and very Swiss. Although it looks like the longest hike on the map, it’s all valley and entirely flat, so it’s actually the easiest of all and suitable for all ages and fitness levels. Yet, a great way to get a better feel of the region and surrounding towns.
To spice it up a bit I decided to return via the mountains. I don’t like to do things twice, not when I’m hiking, and not in life.
If you did your homework like a true millennial, and pre-instagrammed your travel destination, you’ll notice Gstaad is famous for one particular sight: Mirage. And indeed, a quirky photoshoot here is definitely worth some GB’s of your phone memory.
But longer than 15 minutes it won’t capture your attention. So you go on. The next village you reach is the rather lively Schönried, and further down the line you’ll find Saanenmöser. Cute, and very Swiss. Although it looks like the longest hike on the map, it’s all valley and entirely flat, so it’s actually the easiest of all and suitable for all ages and fitness levels. Yet, a great way to get a better feel of the region and surrounding towns.
To spice it up a bit I decided to return via the mountains. I don’t like to do things twice, not when I’m hiking, and not in life.
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The Horneggli Panoramaweg is an excellent name of this trail, doing justice to the experience of any hiker/biker completing it. Harder (although nothing crazy), so more well-deserved.
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Hike Rougemont – Le Cret
Switzerland has no less than 3 official languages: German (or well – I speak German but don’t really understand what the hell comes out of the Swiss mouths), Italian and French. And what are the Francophones famous for? Right: Only speaking French. Where the Swiss German-speaking majority all speak flawless French, very few Swiss Frenchies even understand German (let alone English), even though it’s the mother tongue of their compatriots that live literally down the road. This is the case everywhere in the world, be it in Belgium, France or Canada... and as such, also here. You could conclude I walked the entire trail being utterly annoyed about this. That said, if you felt like visiting France this year, but corona won’t let you: This hike will give you the full experience, the architecture and overall street views literally drenched with Frenchness.
Switzerland has no less than 3 official languages: German (or well – I speak German but don’t really understand what the hell comes out of the Swiss mouths), Italian and French. And what are the Francophones famous for? Right: Only speaking French. Where the Swiss German-speaking majority all speak flawless French, very few Swiss Frenchies even understand German (let alone English), even though it’s the mother tongue of their compatriots that live literally down the road. This is the case everywhere in the world, be it in Belgium, France or Canada... and as such, also here. You could conclude I walked the entire trail being utterly annoyed about this. That said, if you felt like visiting France this year, but corona won’t let you: This hike will give you the full experience, the architecture and overall street views literally drenched with Frenchness.
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It’s a pretty laidback valley hike as well, only mildly peaking on rare occasions, so nothing too strenuous for a Sunday morning.
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Hike Wispile – Lauenensee
Family-friendly, they said. Well yeah, if you take the cable car up to the Wispile and then stay in the panoramic restaurant-slash-playground. But that’s not what we strong men and women allow ourselves to do, right? We fucking climb up, from bottom to top, sweating buckets… and then up, we don’t even stop for a well-deserved coffee break: We march on over the mountain ridge through storm and rain bursts, all the way until we reach the Lauenensee, combining 2 possible day trips into 1.
It’s as tough as it sounds, but boy, is it worth it. My favourite hike of Gstaad… shared favourite… top-3, do I really have to choose? It’s all so good! But if you only have one weekend to spend here, make sure this one is included.
(Mind you: From Saanen this is very time consuming, adding 45-minutes from Saanen-centre to the trail start at the other end of Gstaad...
Family-friendly, they said. Well yeah, if you take the cable car up to the Wispile and then stay in the panoramic restaurant-slash-playground. But that’s not what we strong men and women allow ourselves to do, right? We fucking climb up, from bottom to top, sweating buckets… and then up, we don’t even stop for a well-deserved coffee break: We march on over the mountain ridge through storm and rain bursts, all the way until we reach the Lauenensee, combining 2 possible day trips into 1.
It’s as tough as it sounds, but boy, is it worth it. My favourite hike of Gstaad… shared favourite… top-3, do I really have to choose? It’s all so good! But if you only have one weekend to spend here, make sure this one is included.
(Mind you: From Saanen this is very time consuming, adding 45-minutes from Saanen-centre to the trail start at the other end of Gstaad...
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... and later on back again. Returning from the Lauenensee to Gstaad will also take you a good 2 hours, walking on high speed).
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Hike Chalberhoni – Gummesel – Rougemont
I got the flu, upon which the entire company lit up in blind panic (apparently with the arrival of corona, the simple flu magically disappeared). I’m good to take a few days of corona-leave, even though in any other situation I’d just ignore it and still show up at work… but I will NOT give up my day off. So with a scarf and throbbing headache I headed mountain-wards, I have no patience with my own weaknesses… hiking I shall! “A short one”, I promised myself.
Life didn’t agree with me. Chalberhoni was reached rather quickly… and boringly, so to say. As to avoid returning via the same route, I decided to go off trail and loop back on some route I saw on the tourism-office-map, but not on Maps.me. That should have been a hint, but my flu-soaked brain didn’t absorb the logic… Lovely people, that trail did simply not exist. After I traversed 3km of dense forest, basically vertically uphill, climbed a total of 12 electric fences and diagonally jogged through an uneven soppy grass field with 7 cow families following me, I had to conclude I was in fact lost.
I sat down in between the cows that were now loudly mating, and oversaw my options. As returning via the same route seemed rather unattractive (because it had been a terrible journey so far), I simply decided to keep on going and complete the longest hike I did in this region so far. Suddenly, the Gummesel pass was on the menu, crossing the truly breath-taking Mount Gummfluh (see, flu, the universe is aligning!).
Glad I didn’t miss that!
I got the flu, upon which the entire company lit up in blind panic (apparently with the arrival of corona, the simple flu magically disappeared). I’m good to take a few days of corona-leave, even though in any other situation I’d just ignore it and still show up at work… but I will NOT give up my day off. So with a scarf and throbbing headache I headed mountain-wards, I have no patience with my own weaknesses… hiking I shall! “A short one”, I promised myself.
Life didn’t agree with me. Chalberhoni was reached rather quickly… and boringly, so to say. As to avoid returning via the same route, I decided to go off trail and loop back on some route I saw on the tourism-office-map, but not on Maps.me. That should have been a hint, but my flu-soaked brain didn’t absorb the logic… Lovely people, that trail did simply not exist. After I traversed 3km of dense forest, basically vertically uphill, climbed a total of 12 electric fences and diagonally jogged through an uneven soppy grass field with 7 cow families following me, I had to conclude I was in fact lost.
I sat down in between the cows that were now loudly mating, and oversaw my options. As returning via the same route seemed rather unattractive (because it had been a terrible journey so far), I simply decided to keep on going and complete the longest hike I did in this region so far. Suddenly, the Gummesel pass was on the menu, crossing the truly breath-taking Mount Gummfluh (see, flu, the universe is aligning!).
Glad I didn’t miss that!
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Returning was possible via a massive loop passing Rougemont again… causing me to return home in the pitch dark. “Sick” adventure!
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Hike Feutersoey – Arnensee – Col du Pillon - Gsteig
The last day off, before leaving Gstaad forever behind (I quit my job for food-related reasons – your body is your temple, right?). The last hike better be fireworks.
To not waste time walking along the highway, I hitchhiked to the village of Feutersoey. Initially I wanted to take the bus, until the driver quoted me 9 euros (NINE EUROS) for a ticket. I thought I misheard, but nope, I’m in fucking Switzerland. I laughed and said I preferred to hitchhike then, which the poor man concluded was downright impossible… upon which I left the bus with my thumb up, stopped the very first car right in front of his bus, and raced off before he could realise what just happened. Anyway, Feutersoey. Weird place name for a village with a steep path up towards the stunning Arnensee. Ever felt like you should’ve brought your kayak? No? Here you will.
From the Arnensee I swiftly moved further up in the direction of Col du Pillon, crossing a landscape that seemed to come straight out of some National Graphic documentary. It doesn’t matter what a shit photographer you are, with a photogenic landscape like this you’ll impress even the greatest cynic. Sublime. And the beautiful thing is, all tourists cling on to the Arnensee, NO ONE continues the trail to check out what’s further down the road.
Taking about twice the reasonable time for this stretch, due to photo-stops every 2 seconds, I finally reached Col du Pillon, from where it’s another long loop west towards the town of Gsteig.
The last day off, before leaving Gstaad forever behind (I quit my job for food-related reasons – your body is your temple, right?). The last hike better be fireworks.
To not waste time walking along the highway, I hitchhiked to the village of Feutersoey. Initially I wanted to take the bus, until the driver quoted me 9 euros (NINE EUROS) for a ticket. I thought I misheard, but nope, I’m in fucking Switzerland. I laughed and said I preferred to hitchhike then, which the poor man concluded was downright impossible… upon which I left the bus with my thumb up, stopped the very first car right in front of his bus, and raced off before he could realise what just happened. Anyway, Feutersoey. Weird place name for a village with a steep path up towards the stunning Arnensee. Ever felt like you should’ve brought your kayak? No? Here you will.
From the Arnensee I swiftly moved further up in the direction of Col du Pillon, crossing a landscape that seemed to come straight out of some National Graphic documentary. It doesn’t matter what a shit photographer you are, with a photogenic landscape like this you’ll impress even the greatest cynic. Sublime. And the beautiful thing is, all tourists cling on to the Arnensee, NO ONE continues the trail to check out what’s further down the road.
Taking about twice the reasonable time for this stretch, due to photo-stops every 2 seconds, I finally reached Col du Pillon, from where it’s another long loop west towards the town of Gsteig.
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Yeah… Gstaad, Gsteig, you need a lot of saliva for local geography pronunciation. From here you can take a bus… or hitchhike back 250km/h in a red flashy convertible, like a boss.
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Recommended apps:
I didn’t use one bus, one train or one cable car… my origin was always Saanen (30-minutes flat ‘n easy river hike from Gstaad). As such, I didn’t spend a dime, besides on a proper pair of hiking poles and shoes. Don’t forget we’re talking about the Alps, the highest mountain range of Europe: Quality-gear is an investment making your life in the mountains significantly more enjoyable, trust me on that one.
I am a person that hikes often (several times a week), including complicated long-distance trails. As such, what is easy for me might not be easy for everyone, although probably easier to some even tougher cookies. Evaluate your own level of fitness before setting out on a hike, and be honest.
Leave prepared. Bring more food and water you think you can consume, or a filter (most mountain water in Switzerland can be drunk without risks, but cow dung can form contamination problems). I completed all my hikes solo, but always informed somebody about my planned route and expected return time… with specific instructions and phone numbers of the local mountain rescue in case I didn’t return within a reasonable time frame. I also left with 1 phone and a back-up phone, including a working sim card. Mountains are unpredictable, with starts as the most fantastic day weather-wise can turn into a dangerous nightmare within minutes. An emergency blanket, head lamp, extra (layers wind- and waterproof), a lighter and a rope are light-weight items I carry with me at all times.
Switzerland has a great mountain-shelter-network. Along the trails basic wooden huts are available, often even equipped with firewood and an outdoor fireplace. Besides forming an interesting option for multi-day hikes, these make for excellent emergency shelters offering protection against rain (snow!) and wind in case things go different than planned.
- Maps.me: contains almost all trails and allows you to pin locations - works as an offline Google Maps.
- Outdoor Active: GPS-trails and suggestions – has a free version.
- Komoot: GPS-trails and suggestions – other selection than Outdoor Active.
I didn’t use one bus, one train or one cable car… my origin was always Saanen (30-minutes flat ‘n easy river hike from Gstaad). As such, I didn’t spend a dime, besides on a proper pair of hiking poles and shoes. Don’t forget we’re talking about the Alps, the highest mountain range of Europe: Quality-gear is an investment making your life in the mountains significantly more enjoyable, trust me on that one.
I am a person that hikes often (several times a week), including complicated long-distance trails. As such, what is easy for me might not be easy for everyone, although probably easier to some even tougher cookies. Evaluate your own level of fitness before setting out on a hike, and be honest.
Leave prepared. Bring more food and water you think you can consume, or a filter (most mountain water in Switzerland can be drunk without risks, but cow dung can form contamination problems). I completed all my hikes solo, but always informed somebody about my planned route and expected return time… with specific instructions and phone numbers of the local mountain rescue in case I didn’t return within a reasonable time frame. I also left with 1 phone and a back-up phone, including a working sim card. Mountains are unpredictable, with starts as the most fantastic day weather-wise can turn into a dangerous nightmare within minutes. An emergency blanket, head lamp, extra (layers wind- and waterproof), a lighter and a rope are light-weight items I carry with me at all times.
Switzerland has a great mountain-shelter-network. Along the trails basic wooden huts are available, often even equipped with firewood and an outdoor fireplace. Besides forming an interesting option for multi-day hikes, these make for excellent emergency shelters offering protection against rain (snow!) and wind in case things go different than planned.
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