Climbing in the Aletsch Arena

The abyss on one side, the sheer rock face on the other: clambering along a via ferrata is loads of fun, but also delivers some thrills. In the Aletsch Arena, the Aletsch via ferrata (difficulty level K3–K4) and the Eggishorn via ferrata (K2–K3) await adventurers with a head for heights or those who want to push their personal comfort zone to the limit and try out a new sport. The Eggishorn via ferrata is located on Eggishorn. You’ll find the signposted entrance if you head in the direction of Höhenweg/Bettmerhorn. Tip: Combine the climbing adventure with a trip to the nearby view point. From there, you can take in the entire 20 kilometres of the Great Aletsch Glacier not to mention parts of the smaller Fiescher Glacier, and you can see the Matterhorn as well as other 4000-metre peaks. The Aletsch via ferrata takes you around the Gibidum reservoir. This is located in the area of the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site in Blatten-Belalp, a partner destination of the Aletsch Arena.

If you want to tackle a challenge in nature in the Aletsch Arena, there’s no better place than the Bettmeralp Adler, Bettmerhorn-Hohbalm, Bettmersee and Fieschertal climbing parks. The various routes among the natural rocks have different levels of difficulty – making it an ideal place also for inexperienced climbers. One thing remains the same for everyone: reaching the top of the climbing wall is a thrill of the highest order. The Adler Climbing Park is located behind Restaurant Adler between Bettmeralp and Riederalp and is a 20-minute walk from Bettmeralp mountain station and 30 minutes from Riederalp Mitte mountain station. There are 18 recently refurbished routes to choose from. The newly built Bettmerhorn-Hohbalm climbing garden is easily accessible from the Bettmerhorn mountain station. It offers over 30 routes. The climbing garden directly at Bettmersee has 15 routes. The climbing wall in Fieschertal can be found around the Burghütte. The red granite slabs, polished by the glacier, are a very popular climbers’ paradise in the pre-Alpine terrain.