IAESTE Hard Hiking Weekend
September 20-21, 2008

 IMPORTANT: The date of the weekend has been postponed by one week to 20th/21th of September.

Please note that apart from the date all the details described still hold. As there are again a few places free you get the possibility to register again. The registration will be reopened till Tuesday evening 18:00. We still cannot guarantee that this second trial will be successful. But let's hope so :-)

What is the Swiss population's most popular domestic holiday activity?

Exactly it's hiking...

 

Oeschinensee

Highest, biggest, longest... No, for this event the record is: The "steepest" bus ride in europe which we take first before starting our 2 days mountain trip. That means further that we will stay overnight in a mountain cottage on 2834m getting half-board service. But read through to know that we will do even many more activities apart from hiking. Putting it short that means we will get the possibility for a bath in the Oeschinensee while touching glacier ice at the same day a little bit further up. We will cross forest, grass and rocks a marmot paradise and probably some snowfields. Of course we will also not miss the toboggan on the way down. And last but not least, seeing the overwhelming scenery over Switzerlands alps is an experience by itself.

You don't need to be an experienced super-sportive mountain hiker, but you need to be in good average shape. And don't worry, e.g. people who got over the biking this year will also get over the the hard-hiking this year. ;-)

So if you have good shoes (see below) there is no question. Don't miss it, sign in!

Panorama

Program

Saturday, September 20

  • General meeting point for everyone in Bern train station track 3 at 08:30
  • Steepest bus ride in Europe to Griesalp (1407m) arriving at 10:16
  • 4-5 hours of hiking within the breathtaking scenery of the bernese alps (we will have additionally 1.5-2 hours breaks in between)
  • Lunchbreak in between and the possibility to see an original alpine artisanal cheese factory( Bundalp )
  • Having dinner while enjoying the view from 2834m in the Bluemlisalphütte.
  • Sleeping in the Bluemlisalphütte.
Bluemlisalp hut

Sunday, September 21

  • Wake up, breakfast at 08:00
  • Hiking for 3 hours downhill toward Kandersteg (we will have additionally 2.5 hours breaks in between, see points below)
  • On the way down we take a ride on a 750m long toboggan
  • Swimming in the Oeschinensee or having a short boat trip
  • Departure from Kandersteg at around 18:00
Toboggan

Participation fees

  • With SBB General Abonnement (GA): 55 CHF
  • With SBB half-fare (1/2) and Gleis 7: 75 CHF
  • With SBB half-fare (1/2) but no Gleis 7: 75 CHF
  • Without SBB half-fare (1/2): 105 CHF

If you do not yet have a SBB half-fare card, we recommend you buying one! Check the SBB website!

A surcharge of 30 CHF will apply for participants who are not affiliated with IAESTE or its partner organisations.

The money will be collected at the start of the weekend . Only cash is accepted! :-)

Included in the participation fee

  • Train ride from Bern to Griesalp
  • Visite of an alpine cheese factory
  • Dinner on Saturday
  • Accommodation at 2834m
  • Breakfast on Sunday
  • One ticked for a toboggan ride
  • Train ride from Kandersteg to Bern
  • Singing lessions of a song about the Bluemlisalp
The view over the Swiss alps is for free! :-)

Not Included in the participation fee

  • Train ride from your place to Bern and back
  • Lunch on Saturday and Saturday

Cancellation Policy

If you cancel your registration
  • less than 12 hours before the start of the event (that is, 7:30 AM, Saturday 20.09.2008), you pay the entire participation fee
  • 12-24 hours before the start of the event, you pay 75% of the participation fee
  • 24-48 hours before the start of the event, you pay 50% of the participation fee
  • 48-72 hours before the start of the event, you pay 25% of the participation fee
Postal car and Griesalp

Checklist - Remember to Bring

  • Train ticket from your place to Bern and back
  • Lunch for Saturday and Sunday. We recommend bread, cheese, dried meat, dried fruit and chocolate.Don't forget to bring at least 1L to drink
  • If you have a light sleeping bag (below 1 kg!) bring it and make a note in the registration form. Otherwise you'll have to rent it in the cottage ( costs 8 CHF, not included)
  • Hiking/trekking shoes with a good profile and waterproof if possible
  • Sunglasses and sun cream
  • rain coat
  • Optional: swimming suit, small towel if you intend to swim
  • Small backbag to carry your stuff (all in all not more than 8kg)
  • Cash for the participation fee (please have the exact change ready)
  • ... and don't forget to bring your alpine spirit!

Hiking shoes

Good shoes are important for comfort and safety reasons. We will walk on mountain path. Therefore you need to be sure-footed. High shoes such as shown are necessary in order to stabilize your foot. Waterproofness might be an advantage when crossing snowfields.

Hiking shoes

If you don't have yet we recommend them since you may use for a lot of other occasions later on. Good quality shoes hold for 10 years and more and cost from 150 CHF upward. Best quality brands are e.g. LOWA or RAICHLE.

Meeting point and train connections

  • Meeting point for participants traveling from Zurich: Zurich main station, meeting point (under the big clock), at 07:15).
  • Participants from any other directions we meet in Bern directly on the track 3 at 08:30.

From Basel

From Basel

From Zurich

From Zurich

To Basel

To Basel

To Zurich

To Zurich

For further information on train connections, check the SBB website.

Registration

The maximum number of participants allowed for this event is 15 (including organizers and helpers) and the registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. If your registration is not among the first 15, it will be put on the waiting list.

The online registration closed on Tuesday, 16 September 2008, at 18:00:00.

Check out the list of participants for this event.

Contact

If you have any questions, write to Show e-mail address.