The Grand Bernese Oberland Traverse
If you’re looking for an epic cross-country trail running trip through the Alps that features dramatic high country, well, you landed on the right page!
This traverse of Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland starts in the east at a high mountain farming area called Schwarzwaldalp, passes under the famed Eiger North Face, and crosses high cols and mountain pastures to reach the mountain resort of Gstaad, not far from Lake Geneva. This tour features day after day of stunning and varied mountain terrain. While the tour broadly follows the Swiss Via Alpina trek, a high hiking route that crosses through much of Switzerland, we choose to explore beautiful and quiet variations along the way.
We’ll run about 15 – 20 km each day, taking plenty of time on the uphills, pausing frequently to take photographs, enjoying the scenery, and sampling great food and drink en route. We’ll trail run over the historic Grosse Scheidegg, Sefinafurgga and Hohtürli passes, and cruise along high alp pastures with sweeping views of the Eiger and mountain lakes. We spend two nights in the famous mountain village of Grindelwald, giving you a chance to either explore the trails, or take a leisurely day to wander around town.
After a generous breakfast at our hotel each morning – delicious fresh baked bread, local cheeses, cereal, fruit, coffee and juice are typical – we’ll be out on the trail, either moving on to our next stop on the traverse, or taking in a local run. Most days there are options for an easier route that takes advantage of mountain trams and railways. Each morning, we’ll offer a variety of trail snacks from which you can choose, plus we’ll stop at mountain huts or alp farms, where we can enjoy local cheeses, röstis, or a fruit torte.
You will have your luggage every night, with the exception of our fastpacking overnight at rustic Obersteinberg hut, one of Switzerland’s famous “candlelight” hotels. In the evenings we’ll enjoy dinner together at our hotels and inns. Dinners are often multi-course, featuring local Swiss specialties, and will be hearty, filling, and delicious. We will leave one night in Grindelwald free, so you can have a chance to explore the town and choose your own evening meal.
(Top photos: PatitucciPhoto, Kim Strom)
