Enjoyment on the mountain – culinary snowshoe hike

Curve after curve, the narrow road winds its way from Visp to Visperterminen, 600 m higher – or “Tärminu”, as the locals call their village. Shortly before the hamlet of Oberstalden, my gaze stops at an inscription of a sun-tanned Valais house:

He who does not love the heathen wine is a fool and stays at home

We are not fools. The Heida lured us into the middle of the highest vineyard in Europe last September. This time, too, we are on a culinary mission in the direction of Heidadorf.

Culinary snowshoe hike – the warm-up

Several times a year, Visperterminen attracts guests to the Heidadorf with culinary events. Getting the coveted tickets can be tricky. Tickets for the legendary wine hike – the Wii-Grill-Fäscht – are usually sold out shortly after the opening of the pre-sale. The winter counterpart – the culinary snowshoe hike – takes place on a smaller scale, but twice a season. Here, too, demand is high. The “Culinary Snowshoe Tour Plus” package is aimed at people with a longer journey time who would like to combine the event with a long weekend. Two guided snowshoe experiences including fine dining are reason enough to arrive early on Friday. Especially when the sun is shining from the sky.

Shortly after eleven o’clock on Friday morning, we trudge through the snow uphill towards the Gibidum Pass together with guide Heinz Stoffel. The steep ascent under the blazing sunshine makes one or the other of our group of eleven quickly get out of breath. What about the “easy introductory tour” again? But the drops of sweat are quickly forgotten at the sight of the Valais four-thousand-metre peaks including the Matterhorn. The circular hike takes about three hours. Back in the mountain restaurant, a fine fondue is served. You can toast with either Heida or Johannisberger from the St. Jodern winery. Cheers!

Culinary snowshoe hike – the legendary tour

The next day, Valais greets us with white peaks against a cloudless blue sky. In the far west, the first signs of the announced front can be seen in the form of thin veil clouds. But the sun should hold out until the end of the culinary snowshoe tour. The race starts every half hour in groups of 18 with a guide. Since it’s our turn at 11:30 a.m., we watch the action from the sun terrace of the mountain restaurant.

Today, culinary pleasure doesn’t just follow hard physical work. The culinary snowshoeing starts with the distribution of the wine glasses. No one should sit on dry land here and so the glass is filled with a sip of Johannisberger. After the aperitif, it’s off to the first stage. We stow the glass within easy reach in a specially made neck shoulder bag and trudge off in single file. The running distances between the culinary stops are between 30 and 45 minutes long. The respective stops last just as long. The introductory stage leads comfortably straight ahead towards Senntum. Fresh Ziger, Gschwelti, cheese and herring fillet with a glass of Heida at the first hut stop is followed by a steep ascent. The spicy broth at the second stop gives us the necessary energy kick to master the remaining meters of altitude to the shepherd’s hut.

Anyone who regularly moves outdoors in nature likes to march here. During the stops, where our guide generously serves wine, there is enough time to catch your breath and enjoy the view. When we arrive at the top of the shepherd’s hut, we are served Valais Gsottus. The typical Valais dish consisting of dried pieces of meat, sausage, potatoes and rice doesn’t knock me off my feet. I would have preferred cholera, but with the panorama and the funny atmosphere – the further we get with the snowshoes, the more cheerful the wine makes part of our group – the Gsottus is only a minor matter anyway. Instead, I grab it hard at the last stop. At Stafolti, we are served a delicious apple strudel with vanilla sauce and coffee schnapps. In the meantime, the cheerful part of our group has picked up speed and sings loudly “such a beautiful day”. We have nothing more to add to that.

Tips for the culinary snowshoe hike:

• If you are still hungry, I can recommend the restaurant Hotel Rothorn. Since December, Arno Kirchmayr has been wielding the wooden spoon here together with Aurélie Bourquin. The menu convinces with local products and creative dishes such as polentatatortellini with mountain herbs.
• On the sunny slope high above Visperterminen you can also go skiing. The day ticket costs 43 CHF.
• In the St. Jodern winery, the vines from Europe’s highest vineyard are processed into fine wines. A stop on the way back to Visp is worthwhile.

Note: Heidadorf Visperterminen Tourism has invited us to a culinary snowshoe weekend. Thank you very much for this! As always, my readers can be sure that I always represent my views and enthusiasm.