Adelboden Follow-up by Dick Stewart

Dick Stewart asked me to post this information on his behalf:

Fellow Travelers,

A while back I sent a couple of emails about activities above Adelboden which seemed interesting enough to pursue on what was then an upcoming Untour to the Oberland (Kandersteg). The Untour is over so it might be appropriate to comment on how these activities turned out.

1. Walking Across Europe's Longest Suspension Bridge:

http://www.adelboden.ch/en/navpage.cfm?category=SummerAB&subcat=HikeSAB&id=205665

The bridge was easily accessed. The hourly bus from Kandersteg to Frutigen stops at the Frutigen train station for 12 minutes before continuing up to Adelboden. Kandersteg to Adelboden takes 65 minutes, including the 10-minute wait at Frutigen.

To access the suspension bridge, get off the bus at Hohstalden, a stop reached 7 minutes after the bus leaves Frutigen. The bridge is right there. The walk across the bridge was easily accomplished. The bridge sways a little and the bridge is quite high above the river below, two things that did not bother us but might bother some.

Once across the bridge, a wonderful one-hour hike back to Frutigen is available. The trail is excellent. Early on, the hike is more or less level and in the woods. You pass several life-size wood carvings of birds and animals. You emerge from the woods to see a marvelous view of Frutigen below and mountains ahead and off to the side. The remaining walk to Frutigen is downhill but gradual enough to cause no difficulty. Anyone who can do the famous Grandmother's Walk from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg can do the easier hike from the suspension bridge back to Frutigen.

The hike ends perpendicular to a main street in Frutigen. You could do a lot worse than having lunch or dinner at the Hotel Simplon just across this main street. Good, typically-Swiss food is available at fair prices. In the hotel entrance way there are two doors. Straight ahead is the lounge/bar. Door to the right is the dining room.

We thoroughly enjoyed the walk across the suspension bridge, the subsequent hike back to Frutigen, and our excellent mid-day meal at the Hotel Simplon.

2. Hiking the World Cup Ski Trail:

http://www.adelboden.ch/en/navpage.cfm?category=SummerAB&subcat=HikeSAB&id=249765

We took the bus from Kandersteg and got off at Oey, a stop just before Adelboden, the town. We crossed the street and walked downhill a bit, bearing right for a 5- to 10-minute walk to the lift station. We bought one-way tickets to Berglager. At Berglager we followed a sign to Chuenisbargli, the starting point for the World Cup Ski Trail (Weltcup Trail). Early on, after being careful not to take a wrong turn onto a trail to Butschi, we walked pleasantly, although decidedly up, for about 35 minutes on a dirt road. A left turn off the dirt road onto a narrow trail, destination Kuenisbargli (as the sign read), caused some confusion, but we took it. It was the right thing to do as it resulted in a 15-minute walk through a positively delightful, fairly dense, wooded area. Longfellow's forest primeval in "Evangeline" came to mind as both sides of this woodland trail were blanketed by enormous, individual, spade-shaped leaves on one-foot stems. Once out of the woods we had more confusion as we had to turn left (direction Adelboden) or right (direction Hahnenmoos). Left was correct. Seventy minutes after leaving the lift at Berglager we reached the start of the World Cup Ski Trail at Chuenisbargli.

We paused for a photo-op inside the start house. It was a thrill to be in the same start house used by the likes of Ingemar Stenmark, Hermann Maier, and more recently, Benjamin Raich and Bode Miller, all former winners of the Adelboden downhill. The zigzaging trail itself is well marked and at ten points along the way are small billboards (posters?) explaining (in German) various aspects of the ski run. The view from the top looking down the trail toward Boden, the finish, and beyond to Adelboden is impressive. The trail was steep in places but enjoyable. The walk down from the start house took 65 minutes.

Before considering this event, bear in mind that the hike from Berglager to Chuenisbargli is steadily and consistently up for more than an hour and the World Cup Ski Trail is steadily and consistently down for more than an hour. Most people on the World Cup Ski Trail itself were hiking up from the finish at Boden. What they did upon reaching the top, who knows. In winter there is a lift that takes the skiers from Boden up to Chuenisbargli. The lift does not operate in summer.

Looking back, we were worried about undertaking this event for fear it might be too demanding. It wasn't easy but there was a special feeling of accomplishment as we took the mid-day meal in a Boden restaurant near the finish line.

3. Flying Remote-Controlled Glider Models at Hahnenmoos:

http://www.hahnenmoos.ch/english/modellflug.htm

We took the bus from Kandersteg and got off at Oey, a stop just before Adelboden, the town. We crossed the street and walked downhill a bit, bearing right for a 5- to 10-minute walk to the lift station. We bought one-way tickets to Sillerenbuhl (stay in your gondola as it passes through the lift station at Berglager). Sillerenbuhl is at 1974m elevation, Hahnenmoos at 1957m, so there is not much net elevation change. Nonetheless. the hike is not on the flat. If the hike were a 4-course meal, the appetizer is the initial 10-minute walk downhill followed by the entree, a steady 20-minute uphill climb (initially steep then gradual). The cheese course is a 20-minute mishmash of varied ups and downs, none of which present a problem of significance. Dessert begins as Hahnenmoos comes into view after rounding a bend and consists of a leisurely 15- to 20- minute stroll to Hahnenmoos. Overall, the hike requires 65-70 minutes.

This trail is named Flower Trail (Blumenweg). Along the way, 20 or so photos identify nearby flowers. Miscellaneous botanical information on the identified flowers is also provided. Folks, with respect, if you've not done this hike and are able to, you should. Of the many Switzerland hikes taken over many years, we both agreed that, overall, considering trail composition and variability of terrain along with absolutely spectacular alpine scenery, this Flower Trail between Sillerenbuhl and Hahnenmoos is among the best, if not the best Switzerland hike ever taken.

You're apt to see the remote-controlled gliders flying at two locations: Just before you reach the Hahnenmoos, or, more likely, 300-400 meters past the Berghotel Hahnenmoos up on a hill to the left. There were about 20 pilots flying their models on the sunny but windy Saturday we went, It was fascinating. Gliders had up to 8-foot wing spans, some were smaller "flying wings" (no fuselage). Pilots ranged from teenagers to Seniors. The speeds attainable by these non-motorized planes was amazing as were the loops and rolls performed by the skilled pilots. To say the least, we were not disappointed in the show.

The restaurant on the first floor of Berghotel Hahnenmoos is fairly large and has a varied menu at fair prices.

4. Hiking From Adelboden to Lenk:

http://activityworkshop.net/hiking/alpinepassroute/adelboden-lenk.html

The idea of hiking from Adelboden to Lenk is how this whole Adelboden thing started. After looking into it, completing the entire hike would be impossible for us, a bonefide septuagenarian and one in waiting. Yet, after completing the Flower Trail and watching the gliders at Hahnenmoos, we did indeed hike down to Lenk. Though warned beforehand that the hike was fairly steep downhill, we did it anyway. The path from Hahnenmoos down to Buhlberg is a dirt road doubling as a mountain bike trail. About 45 minutes are required to reach Buhlberg.

The best part of arriving at Buhlberg is another excellent mountain restaurant in a gorgeous setting. By the number of cars in the parking lot, most of the people dining on the expansive terrace had driven up from Lenk. A bus runs hourly between Buhlberg and Lenk. We should have taken the bus as, for us, the hike from Buhlberg down to Lenk turned out to be demanding and unpleasant. Trail composition is about as varied as it gets: You want sections of paved road? fine gravel? coarse gravel? steps made of random roots of living trees? log steps? steps made from railroad ties? hard-packed dirt? narrow paths through tamped grass? This trail has all of the above. The trail is steep with nary a step on the level. A real toe jammer. Hiking from Buhlberg down to Lenk is not recommended, at least by us.

That's about it. Unless there is an outpouring of requests for more information on hiking in the wonderful area above Adelboden, this will be the last.

Happy travels,

Dick and Joan Stewart