Mürren to Gimmelwald Via Ferrata

Nearby Guides

Viewed 10768 times

(3 votes, 1 review)

Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 1.4 miles / 2.3 km

Download to Phone

View Large Map

View Photos

Overview: “Come here,” my wife, September, beckoned. “I want to show you something.” I followed her into the sportzentrum in Mürren, Switzerland where a 32 inch flat screen monitor was waiting. “What do you think of this?” she asked, pointing at the monitor.

I looked at the image and considered the juxtaposition of a man smiling while clinging to the edge of a cliff.

“We could do that tomorrow!” September exclaimed. “It’s called a via ferrata and looks totally doable. You wear a climbing harness and are always clipped into a safety cable.”

Back home our family of four had been sporadic users of the local climbing gym, but to say we are climbers is like saying I’m a photographer, simply because I can snap a photo. “There clearly aren't enough lawyers in this country,” I muttered.

Since our arrival in Switzerland’s Lauterbrunnen valley, we had been partaking of the high-adrenaline offerings throughout the region. The following day, however, would be our last before returning to our cubicles in Silicon Valley. We had been planning a train ride on the Jungfraujoch, to the “Top of Europe.”

“I thought we were going do the Jungfrau thingy tomorrow,” I replied.

“This could be the highlight of our trip,” September replied.

It was.

Literally, via ferrata translates from its native Italian to iron road. A via ferrata is simply a mountain route with cables, steps, ladders and other aids traversing terrain that would be otherwise inaccessible to people with average abilities. Its austere beginnings are traced to World War I as a method of moving troops through the Dolomites. One hundred years later, vie ferrate (plural) are wildly popular in the Alps. Our introduction to them was traversing this route from Mürren to Gimmlewald.

Follow the Points of Interest to learn more about the equipment, how to use it, but more importantly, to learn about this fabulous route in the most beautiful spot in the world.

Tips: The via from Mürren to Gimmlewald is a great place for your first via ferrata experience. The route traverses the cliff that is the prominent feature of the Lauterbrunnen valley with a minimum of elevation loss or gain. It is easy enough that anyone in good physical condition can do it, short enough that you can tackle it in the morning and be done by lunch time, yet challenging enough to feel as though you really earned that T-shirt.

The via is strictly one way from Mürren to Gimmlewald and turning back en route is verboten. If you have doubts about your vertigo, Do. Not. Attempt. This. Climb.

You will need gloves as the cables will rub your hands raw without them. Via ferrata specific climbing gear is required. If you bring your own, no fees are required. You can rent high quality equipment at the sportzentrum in Mürren for CHF 50. Equipment rental includes a helmet. Fellow climbers above you will undoubtedly dislodge the occasional rock. Wear the helmet.

A guide is available for CHF 90 per person. Most people do not use a guide. This via ferrata was our family's introduction to the sport, did not use a guide, and have no regrets about that decision.

Points of Interest

map

Sportzentrum

The sportzentrum is a prominent fixture in the tiny mountain village of Mürren. There is a public indoor swimming pool, miniature golf, squash courts, but most importantly, you can rent everything you need to hike the via ferrata to Gimmelwald. You want the gloves.

We rented the requisite equipment for our climb from the sportzentrum in Mürren and the staff instructed us on what we needed to know. Since we were occasional users of a rock climbing gym, the equipment was familiar, yet unique. The body harness was standard, but a special energy-absorbing lanyard was secured to the harness. The lanyard was Y-shaped with two ends, each end containing a purpose-designed, yet familiar, carabineer.

“Just make your way down to the hotel, then behind the tennis court,” the helpful staff pointed down the street. And without the benefit of liability waivers, we were out the door.

map

Start Here

This via ferrata starts by way of a tunnel next to the tennis courts. Through the door and into the tunnel!

map

OK, this starts easily enough!

After passing through the tunnel, you are behind the tennis court. Surprise! The Swiss leave no space unfarmed. Behind the tennis courts is a field of what looks like alfalfa. No matter that it drops off sharply to a 1,000 foot cliff.

Here you can get a feel for the equipment and how to safely move the carabineer across the anchor points.

In fact, when we did this route it has harvest day. A father and his two small children were busily going about their task. While we were safely tethered to the safety cable, a little girl of about six was staring at me, mouth agape, wondering what all the fuss was with the climbing gear.

going down the steps behind the tennis courts-1.jpg Photo

map

Inching closer to the edge

After leaving the area of the tennis courts, the trail descends steeply and, if you are like me, your anxiety level will start to rise.

It is impossible to get lost, because you are harnessed to the safety cable. Here we are making our way to the edge of the cliff.

going down the steps behind the tennis courts-2.jpg Photo

map

Over the edge

Time to scale down this sheer face.

The safety cable is securely anchored into the rock. Every 3 to 15 meters you are required to unclip one carabineer and move it over the anchor point. Only when the first carabineer is moved past the anchor point is it safe to move the second carabineer.

Here you can clearly see the steps that give the via ferrata, literal translation the iron way, its name. The steps are made of rebar and, like the safety cable, are securly fastened into the rock.

map

1,000 feet of air

By this point in the climb you should be feeling pretty confident about this via ferrata thing. With harnesses secure, you have been creeping along the edge of a cliff, moving your carabineers over the anchor points with ease and taking in the scenery and in general starting to get comfrotable with your surroundings.

Then you round the corner and are greeted by this.

That's my foot and 1,000 feet of air. The valley floor below was being warmed by the sun and the warm air was rising rapidly, blowing straight up my pant leg. Notice the strap from the climbing harness enjoying the breeze.

I had to let go of the safety cable to take this picture. Even though I was harnessed in and had my elbow tightly wedged between the safety cable and the granite cliff face, my hands were shaking badly. I worried the photo would be blury -- thank goodness for my camera's jitter control!

map

Funambulism!

Funambulism is the art of tight wire walking. Who woulda thunk there was a name for that? Luckily, they give you something to hold on to.

The Lauterbrunnen valley is encircled by 72 waterfalls that cascade down the cliffs and into the valley below. Here we cross the top of the largest waterfall that is visible from town.

map

Via Ferrata Equipment

Here you can see the lanyard that is specifically designed for climbing a via ferrata. Each harness has two lanyards (the red strap) that fasten to the safety cable.

In traditional climbing the distance you can fall is limited by the amount of rope between you and your anchor point. On a via ferrata, the distance you can fall is limited by the vertical drop between two anchor points on the safety cable that the lanyard is connected to. This is of little importance if you are on a flat trail, even if that trail is on a 1,000 foot cliff face, because on a horizontal trail there is no vertical drop. But if you are climbing, say a ladder, the vertical distance between two anchor points can be quite large. So a via ferrata climbing lanyard has a special shock absorber, which is the little brown bundle near where the lanyard attaches to the harness. If you fall far enough, a bungee type cord absorbs the shock. I'm glad we didn't test how effective they are.

map

Via Ferrata Technique

There are a lot of anchor points along a via ferrata, and each one must be negotiated. These two photos shows the proper technique, as well as the inherint risk of a via ferrata.

In the first photo, Jordan is demonstrating transfering each laynard's carabineer across the anchor point one at a time. Ensuring that the first carabineer is securely fastened after it is moved across the anchor before moving the second is the key to being safe -- you are always harnessed to the safety cable. It is surprising how quickly you come to loathe those anchor points! With an anchor point about once every 10 meters, that's about 200 carabineer unclips and re-clips per kilometer. To ease the tedious nature, via ferrata carabineers are a special design with a larger-than-normal opening and a spring locking mechanism that can be opened with one hand.

The second photo shows the what is meant by the higher fall factor associated with climbing a via ferrata. Even though you may be safely harness to the safety cable, a tumble here and you would fall perhaps 10 meters before your carabineer/laynard would be stopped by an anchor point. Probably not fatal, but there could be broken bones. It is therefore common that in vertical sections such as this, that the anchor points are spaced more closely.

The message here is that while relatively safe, a via ferrata is not perfectly safe.

map

A Perfect View

There probably is no better place to get a bird's eye view of this postcard perfect valley.

Although there are lots of opportunities to see the valley from above, climbing the via ferrata affords the best views. The gondola ascents and paraglider descents are simply over too fast...

map

Omigosh!

At this point you have moved your carabineers perhaps 400 times (no, I did not count them). You can bravely wave to the people who are in the gondola that will soon return you to the valley floor.

But you still have to cross this bridge. It is scarrier than it looks.

Traffic on this via ferrata is one way, so there is no turning around. When we climbed this particular via ferrata, a father had his 8 year-old daughter with him. We couldn't understand what she was saying but it was clear she did not want to cross this bridge and was terrified. But there is no turning around. It took him perhaps 30 minutes to coerce her across this 100 meter span.

map

The End

This via ends at the gondola in Gimmelwald. From here you can either take the gondola back to Mürren, or down to Stechelberg on the valley floor. From Stechelberg it is easy to make one of the frequent bus connections back to Lauterbrunnen.

There is also a well sign posted hiking trail back to Mürren (about 90 minutes at a leisurely pace).

If you rented your climbing gear in at the sportzentrum in Mürren, you can arrange to return it directly that same day, or at your hostel.

Near the gondola station in Gimmelwald, there is a playground and a small store for snacks.