Riederalp-Belalp with suspension bridges test of courage

Actually, we wanted to tackle the classic in the Bernese Oberland on August 1st – from the Griesalp via the Hohtürli with a stop at the Blüemlisalphütte to the deep blue Oeschienensee. 1,400 metres in altitude in about 6 hours – so much for the facts. But as so often this summer, the mixed weather forecast made us doubt our choice of route. Depending on the meteorological side, thunderstorms were announced either from 10:00, 12:00 or 14:00. In short, even the pros had no idea how consistent Friday would be. Not necessarily the best starting point for a six-hour hike through exposed mountain terrain. Then we spontaneously decided to make a detour to Valais again.

So on Friday morning at 06:25 a.m. we sat down in an almost empty Intercity to Brig. We were on the road so early that we could tackle the hike before 8 a.m. to avoid possible afternoon thunderstorms. Shortly before the Lötschberg tunnel portal near Frutigen, we caught a glimpse of the sunlit Blüemlisalp before we were spit out again after a 20-minute drive through the darkness in the cloud-covered Rhone Valley. That can’t be, can it?! You can’t even rely on Valais anymore.

After changing trains twice in Brig and Mörel, we are at 07:50 a.m. on the Riederalp, which I have only known in its winter look so far (by the way, a great ski area). The Riederalp, Bettmeralp, Fiescheralp area offers numerous varied hikes with fantastic views of the unique ice sea of the Great Aletsch Glacier. The figures for the glacier are superlatives – the ice surface measures 86 square kilometres (by comparison, the municipal area of the city of Zurich is around 91 square kilometres in size) and in some places the glacier reaches up to 900 m in depth. We have chosen a route that brings us particularly close to the ice.

We start the hike with an ascent to the Riederfurka. From here, the hike leads downhill through the protected Aletsch Forest. The mountain forest with its sparse stands of Swiss stone pine, spruce and larch is a small natural paradise, where with a little luck numerous animals can also be observed. Since we are on the road so early, we meet some cheeky chamois on the side of the road, which are hardly bothered by our presence. After a steep, tricky section of the path in the lowest area of the “Teife Wald” we reach the Grünsee, which fills a hollow in one of the mighty, polished stones on the edge of the former glacier area.

Belalp-Riederalp suspension bridge

From here it is only a few minutes to the heart of the hike – the suspension bridge over the Massa Gorge, which is up to 80 m deep. In 2008, the bridge created a spectacular connection between Riederalp and Belalp in front of the glacier gate of the Aletsch Glacier. It takes a bit of courage to set foot on the 124 m free-hanging construction. Luckily, since we are on the road so early, we have the bridge to ourselves. If you walk over it alone, the vibrations are not so threatening and we pass the test of courage with flying colors. Even a short photo stop in the middle, high above the roaring gorge, is possible.

Safely arrived on the other side, we are greeted with friendly sunshine. Now comes a lot of hard work. No matter in which direction you take it, this hike leads downhill first. Now we need to regain altitude. With the striking chapel at the Hotel Belalp as our destination, we leisurely set foot by foot uphill. On this side we now also cross the first companions, who started not quite as early as us and do the hike in the opposite direction.

Past the idyllic “Aletschji”, the last section of the trail leads steeply uphill and offers a constantly changing view of the Aletsch Glacier. It’s worth stopping to catch your breath and turn around. After the steepest section of the “Steigle” has been completed, we enjoy the last view of the impressive mountain panorama and the suspension bridge, which appears tiny from this perspective, from the viewing platform at the Hotel Belalp and then hike the last 20 minutes to the gondola station.

By the way, in terms of weather, we had the whole program on the way – from a short downpour, to wafts of fog, thick clouds to blazing sunshine. But it would have been no different in the Bernese Oberland.

The map shows our route. The route is about 11 km long and includes an ascent of 870 meters and a descent of about 675 meters in altitude. The pure runtime is around 4.5 hours. Belalp can be reached from Brig by post bus and cable car (7 CHF for GA travelcard holders) and Riederalp from Mörel by cable car (free for GA travelcard holders).