Rother walking guides are pocket-sized, in full colour and
include 50 walks, varying from day-long hikes, mountain and valley walks, some
easy some more demanding. Each walk has accompanying mapping, usually 1:50 000
and colour photos capture the 'feel' of each of the
countries.
Switzerland may be small, but with the largest glaciers, the
largest number of 4000ers and the most beautiful lakes, it is the classic alpine
country. However, it was not until 1993 that the Tälli, the first real via
ferrata, was created on the sheer southern faces of Gadmer Flue. Then nothing
happened for many years, but the ferrata-virus has lately siezed Switzerland
with great impact.
The beauty of the new via ferratas which are being
created is that, although they are constructed in the character of the sport via
ferrata in France, they are usually not as generously engineered so that you can
enjoy contact with the rock and have to think about where the next foothold is.
Moreover, the majority of the via ferrata and secured paths described in this
Rother guide follow, for the most part, alpine mountain routes and offer a
successful combination of enjoyable hiking, climbing and panoramic
views.
The spectrum is extremely diverse and extends from easy to very
difficult, from the action-packed gorge parcours (Alpine gorge in Saas Fee,
Gorner gorge near Zermatt) to the panoramic route onto a 3000er (Jegisteig),
from high alpine (Salbit-Kettenweg) to bold sporting (Fürenwand-Klettersteig) or
hair-raisingly athletic (Via ferrata San Salvatore).
Top of the list for
outstanding routes with regard to the scenery and grading are without doubt the
Braunwalder via ferrata in the eastern Swiss canton of Glarus and the Daubenhorn
via ferrata near Leukerbad in the Valais. Some wide-ranging via ferrata have
been constructed in Engelberg (Vierwaldstätter alps) and it appears to be
blossoming into the ferrata Mecca.
The area with the largest number of
via ferrata is the Bernese Oberland with 12 routes and the Valais with 19
routes.
All of the 32 via ferrata in Switzerland as well as the 23
beautiful secured paths, amongst them a 5 day walk, are described in much detail
and are accompanied by a small detailed map. A precise grading system helps you
to pick out a route more easily. Concise information about the starting points,
height gain and walking times, grade and bases help with the planning of the
routes as well as route finding up the mountain.
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