SUMMER IN SWITZERLAND FOR HIKERS AND MTB-ERS
Think of Switzerland and you think of mountains. Big mountains. Grand, soaring massifs, lacing the entire country. And you think of snow; no other nation is as obsessed by winter sports as Switzerland. But while it may be better known for its ski resorts and wintery pursuits, in summer the country becomes—to use a cliché that in Switzerland’s case is hard to avoid—an adventurer’s wonderland. Hiking, mountain biking, trail running, paddling, canyoning, climbing and mountaineering: once the snow melts, Switzerland offers seemingly limitless possibilities.
In many regions, tourists in the warmer months now outnumber those visiting in winter. And little wonder—the country is almost unfathomably beautiful; one of the greatest difficulties confronting visitors is not stopping to take photos every hundred metres.
Postcard-perfect vistas abound. Nestled between the massive snowcovered peaks is a patchwork of lushly-grassed meadows complete with quaint timber farmhouses and Milka cows. If you’ve ever hiked the Snowy Mountains’ Main Range Walk and been impressed, then be warned: Switzerland will blow your mind.
I’d need an entire book to cover the gamut of Swiss adventure activities and regions so I’ve narrowed exploration here to three mountainous regions in Central and Southern Switzerland—Engelberg, Jungfrau and Zermatt. And I’ve focused
