Bernese Oberland Traverse

I did this traverse for the first time in 2007 and was blown away by the grandeur of the scenery. The glaciers are on a scale similar to Alaska or the Karakoram of Pakistan, and the huts are superb.

It’s all quite high so I would recommend a couple of days acclimatisation before we start, and I’m happy to point you to some places that you can get to with standard UK hill walking skills and sleep above 2500m to give yourself a head start.

As with the Chamonix Zermatt, there are many different possibilities. Here’s just one:

Day 1: Walk from Blatten (1540m) to the Hollandia Hut (3173m), in a stunning position under the North face of the Aletschhorn

Day 2: From the Hollandia Hut, climb the Äbeni Flue (3962m) before descending to the Konkordia hut (2850m) perched above the Aletscgletscher and reached by a long series of ladders

Day 3: Cross the Grunhornlucke to the Finsteraarhorn Hut (3048m)

Day 4: From the Finsteraarhorn hut, traverse round to the Oberaarjoch hut

Day 5: Descend to the Grimsel pass, and travel by train back to Martigny, where bags will have been ferried from Blatten