Gemmi Pass

View Gemmi Pass in a larger map

With the less than satisfying Parisian winter instilling a desire for snow which had been quenched neither by a trip to the Arctic nor a week of skiing, we headed into the Bernese Alps to traverse one of the more famous passes in Switzerland, the Gemmi Pass. Sandwiched between the Rinderhorn and the Daubenhorn, the pass itself has an elevation of 2250 metres and runs between the small town of Kandersteg and the thermal spa town of Leukerbad.

We left bright and early from Geneva with an initial destination of Kandersteg, which was reached via a change in Brig. Now this was the first time we had taken the train into the “deep” Alps, previously the furthest we had gone was up to Aigle. But the stretch between Aigle and Brig is absolutely stunning. It is a deep wide open valley with enormous mountains towering on either side, and incredible canyons and waterfalls every few kilometres. When passing through you only get a glance, but it is enough to appreciate how pretty the area truly is.

Atop Sunnbüel. Not a bad view!

Somewhere around Sion is the language border, which is really quite bizarre, as not only do all signs in the towns abruptly change into German, but the announcements on the train change and you feel like you have just changed country. As we were closing in on Brig, we noticed some really impressive viaducts up in the hills and speculated on their use, but after our change in Brig, it quickly became apparent that they were for the narrow gauge rail that runs between Brig and Bern, stopping at Kandersteg.

Taking a rest on the novelty sleigh.

Arriving in the Kandersteg, we knew we had to walk to the base of the Sunnbüel cable car and the start of the hike. Our itinerary had been copied from here which also includes a bonus video describing the walk, worth watching just for pure entertainment value. Unfortunately for us, the town of Kandersteg serves as a cross country skiing portal, meaning that there are cable cars leaving from the north, south, east and west of the town. With no map we were quite disoriented and the unclear signage did not help. We wandered around hoping to come across something which could point us in the right direction, but it was not until we found the info centre on what would be the wrong side of town that we managed to find a map and orient ourselves. We picked up some lunch supplies and started the walk to the cable car. It took about 30 minutes once we knew where to go, but when we were some minutes away from the station, we saw the car heading off, which was a little annoying, as they go once every 30-40 minutes. What was also weighing on our minds was the time; the walk was only 10 or so kilometres, but on snow that takes time and combined with the 1700 closure of the cable car on the other side of the pass, we wanted to make sure we could get down. It was already about 1330 by the time we had our tickets up and I had had a conversation with the ticket vendor whose French was only slightly better than his non-existent English, who explained to me that the conditions were good and the walk would take 3 to 4 hours and so getting up there at 1400, we would have plenty of time. His flawed maths was disconcerting, but we are generally on the pointy end of estimated times, so we committed and headed up.

The lowest point of the pass, complete with ducks!

The sheer scale of the place is something special

Arriving at Sunnbüel, there was a restaurant and a handful of “magic carpet” drag lifts along with some pomas for anyone with an inclination for skiing, but it really was cross country terrain. After only a few minutes of walking, we escaped the few people that were around and the pass really opened out. It is pretty hard to describe something on the scale of the Gemmi Pass, as it really is incredible. The dodgy video says something along the lines of “the mountains are standing to attention and giving you a guard of honour” which is clearly just wank, but on some level it is true. The pass is quite flat and tranquil, but once the mountains rise, they shoot up over a kilometre on all sides.

The path passes by a few lakes, the only one not frozen was the Spittelmasttess, where a large sled-like seat was also placed, making it a nice place to sit and relax. It also marked the lowest point of the walk and from that point on we were climbing – not steeply, but approximately 500 metres over 4.5 kilometres. During the first climb, there was a crossing from the Canton of Bern to Valais, but there was nothing notable to mark the event. We passed a few groups walking the other way, which is the recommended route as it is primarily downhill; however we wanted to end up at Leukerbad since there are thermal baths. I always launch a greeting at whomever we come across, which given our location was Hallo, but I was getting responses that I had never heard before and by the end I was just mumbling incoherent babble, which was receiving the same back, so I practically felt like a local.

The weather really turned nasty; blowing icy gale force winds around.

The weather was holding up pretty well, it was cold and cloudy, but there was no snow. But it was not to last. A few kilometres from the Leukerbad side, we passed the Berghotel Schwarenbach refuge and the weather started to deteriorate. The path had been diverted due to a recent avalanche which added a little delay, and by the time we were starting the final climb up to the col it was snowing pretty heavily. Before long we arrived at the Dauvensee, which is apparently a picturesque lake, but in winter you would not know it was there and with our minimal visibility, it did not exactly enthral. As we saw the station/restaurant atop the col, the wind simultaneously started to become intense. By the time we reached the col, in was blowing with such ferocity that staying upright was not always possible, particularly as the area was really icy. I decided I was going to take a photo which was torture to my hands and resulted in Mia and I becoming separated, which lead to unnecessary wandering around in the bad conditions rather than toasting ourselves in the restaurant while waiting for the cable car.

After descending the Gemmi Pass, you really appreciate how brutal the landscape is.

We were informed once we arrived that the last cable car was actually at 1730, which was good to know, but as it happened, we arrived at 1645 so we had a little time to spare. Eventually we loaded into the car and started to descend - it did not take long to leave the cloud where we got our first glimpse of the most famous section of the Gemmi Pass, a path which climbs a near-vertical cliff: some 1000 vertical metres in about 1000 metres. The sheer scale of the mountains here was unlike anything I have seen before and will remain one of the most amazing pieces of scenery I have seen, both in Switzerland and in the world. Arriving at the bottom, we made our way to our accommodation and decided that we were too buggered to go to the thermal baths that evening, so we grabbed some dinner at Pizzeria Choucas which was really pleasant (even accounting for the creepy giant crow that can serve children their food). One of the most exciting aspects of going into town was a fountain in the centre which was distributing thermal spring water, and in the negative temperatures was steaming away and making quite a scene. It certainly got me excited for the imminent bathing, but that would have to wait, as it was necessary that we hit the hay.

The Daubenhorn in clearer conditions.

The main drag in Leukerbad.

For Sunday, our mission was to try out the thermal waters and get back home, so it was a lot more relaxed compared to the previous day’s hiking. It was nice to see that the nasty weather that had battered us the previous evening had dissipated and we had clear skies, making the view of the surrounding mountains even more spectacular. After our breakfast, we investigated how one goes about bathing. Naïvely, I had expected an actual hot-spring style scenario, but instead there are just two pool facilities that use the water. We ended up choosing the "Leukerbad Therme" pool as it was in a slightly more convenient location for us, but it seemed as though there was little difference between the two. Our accommodation provided us with discount vouchers, but even with that an adult admission still costs 20 CHF.

After showering and having pretty bad luck picking 3 broken valuables lockers in a row and subsequently doubting my ability to put a coin in a slot and turn it, we managed to secure our goods and head to the water. There were nine pools in total, ranging from really hot (about 45 C) down to ambient (0 C). In the most comfortable pools, there were water features, such as fountains and showers which alternated in a very clever way, allowing people to line up for them. The best by far was the lounge chair-type seats which bubbled in a therapeutic fashion for 5 or so minutes. These were definitely hot property, but essentially by luck, we managed to snag two of them with very little waiting. Obviously we tried all the pools, and the only one worth mentioning is the hottest, which was just ridiculous. This pool, unlike the others, was indoors and isolated, making it much like a sauna. There was a shower in the middle which was so unpleasant to be under that I could not force myself to be in for more than a few seconds. But of course, there were some Russian women that came and just sat under it after I tried. All in all the pools were fun, but as I had imagined a more “natural” experience rather than a spa experience, I was a little disappointed. Not to mention, that spa must have the highest average BMI in Europe, which, mixed with some extremely gratuitous displays of affection, does somewhat alter the experience. Still, sitting in thermal pools with a stunning view of the surrounding Alps is something pretty special.

Waiting a Leuk HBF.

The thermal spring water exits a fountain in the centre of town.

Once we were done with the pools, we headed out on a walk around town, with the highlights being a lovely hut at the base of the village, as well as the narrow medieval streets in the village centre. We did not have much time to look around before we had to take our bus, which was direct to Leuk (departing once an hour) to catch our connecting train to Geneva and then on to Paris.

The bus ride was quite an adventure as the gorge leading up to Leukerbad is really quite something, and the road is certainly not for the faint-hearted; however one will get great views and see some impressive waterfalls along with some very pretty villages. 45 minutes later we were waiting on the Leuk platform for our train, and just before our train arrived, I experienced one of the most un-Swiss things I can imagine, namely people throwing a cup of ice-water from a (moving) train window and with good enough aim to tap me on the noggin. I understand every country has its chumps, but such action considered alongside the attitude of the Swiss just strikes me as super odd. Luckily it deflected off me rather than exploded, because that would have been cold!

Toot toot!