Luca In The Alps

Overview Starting point:  Alpnachstad Station (450m) Summit:  Pilatus Kulm (2070m) + Esel (2118m) Highest point:  Esel Distance:  1,680m of elevation gain incuding Esel Duration:  around 4-5 hours up Optional shortcut:  Take the funicular to Ämsigen mid-station (1350m) to cut the hike in half Descent:  Funicular down (or same way on foot for an even bigger adventure!) Download GPS file I started from  Alpnachstad Station  at 450m, right at the base of the Pilatusbahn funicular. Parking can fill up quickly, so it’s best to arrive early or avoid weekends if you can. From the base, you backtrack slightly through town to find a sign pointing uphill to  Pilatus Kulm . Within minutes, you rise above the houses and get sweeping views of the lake below. The first stretch follows the funicular tracks across green pastures—an idyllic start! Eventually, you pass underneath the funicular and enter the forest. A short road section follows, until a pa...

Overview Starting point:  Moléson-sur-Gruyère funicular base station (1100 m) Highest point and destination:  2022 m Ascent time:  ~2.5 hours Difficulty:  Moderate (steep sections) Options:  Hiking trail or via ferrata (K4 or K5) Download GPS fIle Moléson is another of my classics. I do it almost every year—it’s a perfect spring hike: long enough to train, low enough to be snow-free by mid-May, and with the added bonus of the Magic Pass cable car for a quick descent. It’s ideal for a half-day outing. The hike begins just left of the funicular station in Moléson-sur-Gruyère. A gravel road leads up through picturesque pastures dotted with alpages and cows—it looks like being in a Swiss postcard. After about 15 minutes, the road steepens significantly (it is a good training trail I said after all!). Here, you’ll see a trail sign showing two options for reaching the summit. In fact to get to the summit you have to turn around the mountain and reach it from behind ...

Hiking the Stoos Ridge: Fronalpstock to Klingenstock Overview Starting Point: Stoos village (1,300m) End Point: Klingenstock (1,925m) Total Elevation Gain: Approx. 900m (600m to Fronalpstock + 300m undulating ridge climb) Distance: Approx. 10 km Duration:  5 to 6 hours ( or just 2 if you use the chairlift) Difficulty: Moderate – steep ascent initially, exposed ridge but safe Best Season: Late spring to early autumn Special Features: Europe’s steepest funicular, stunning ridge walk, panoramic views of Lake Lucerne Download GPS file Reaching Stoos This hike is set at the heart of Switzerland, above Lake Lucerne (also knows as Four Cantons Lake), in Canton Schwyz. It is known as one of the most dramatic ridge walks in Switzerland, yet remains completely safe. The hike starts in Stoos, a car-free village accessible only via the steepest funicular in Europe . In classic Swiss marketing style, everything must be the "top" of something, and this funicular certainly lives up t...