IN THE EIGER'S SHADOW:
HUT TO HUT IN SWITZERLAND'S JUNGFRAU REGION
Saturday-Saturday, August 6 – 20, 2016
Join us for the unforgettable Tour of the Jungfrau Region, a classic among the best in Europe, and
considered by many one of the great walks of the world. We will follow the most scenic trails
enjoying the extraordinary beauty of the region and stay at atmospheric hostels, hotels, lodges and
mountain huts similar to the AMC’s, but with the important difference that they all serve wine and
beer and most have hot showers.
The Jungfrau region itself is approximately halfway between Geneva and Zurich. Despite the
proximity of the well-known resort towns of Grindelwald, Mürren, Lauterbrunnen and Interlaken, we
will explore and enjoy surprisingly remote landscapes, ridges, summits and mountain passes, lakes,
waterfalls, gorges, and glaciers.
In 11 hiking days, we will trek about 76 miles. Our average elevation is almost 6,000 feet, with our
five daily high points including three around 7,500 feet, one of 8,800, and one of 9,740. Our average
daily climb is just over 2,000 feet, including three days with more than 3,000 feet of gain. Expect to
traverse a few snowfields and some stiff, steep, climbs, although most of the trail is graded with
switchbacks and good footing. Although we will not be carrying full backpacking gear (see the
Equipment List at the end of this document), this will be a physically demanding trip.
Our route does not traverse a wilderness area, but some spots will feel remote and pristine. Each
stage has its challenges and its rewards, but there are no scrambling sections and no lengthy stretches
exposed to either falling rocks or vertigo-inspiring exposure.
The route was pioneered for the AMC Adventure Travel Committee in 2013 by a group led by Steve
Cohen. Many of the photos in this prospectus are his.
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9 October 2015
ACCOMMODATIONS/REFUGES
We will spend each night in refuges, hostels, or small village inns. Swiss refuges serve wine and beer,
and may have full bars. Snacks and beverages are typically available at most times. Beds are
comfortable, the food delicious, and most refuges have
hot showers. Although all accommodations are clean and
comfortable, they will not be luxurious, except for their 5star views! (Gleckstein Hut at left)
We will typically get beds in bunkrooms for 4-12 people.
Blankets and pillows are provided, but we must bring
sleeping bag liners (a.k.a. sleep sacks) to be used instead
of sheets, and you may wish to bring your own pillow
case.
Dinner is usually at 6:30 or 7:00 pm. Most dinners will
be substantial and delicious. Most guests are in bed by 910 pm. Breakfasts are simple and usually consist of
bread, jam, cheese and sometimes yogurt and muesli –
you may wish to bring some supplemental items for morning snacks. Bag lunches or sandwiches are
available at the refuges, and/or some non-perishable food can be brought from Interlaken.
Potable water is not available at a couple of huts and we suggest you consider bringing some means
of purifying your drinking water or plan to buy bottled water at those huts. (This can be expensive,
as much as 13 CHF for 1.5 liters.) Potable Aqua (iodine) or Aquamira (chlorine dioxide) are two
products available for this purpose. Sometimes the huts are able to boil water for us, but we cannot
count on this in all locations.
ITINERARY
Our route is a loop described in the Tour of the Jungfrau Region guidebook by Kev Reynolds,
published by Cicerone. We will start and end in the town of Interlaken, which is easily reached by
train from Zurich or Geneva. To ease our adjustment to European time, we urge participants to
consider arriving in Interlaken a day early – this will also give us time for catch-up in case flights or
baggage are delayed and to explore Interlaken. At least one of the leaders will arrive on 6 August.
A typical day will have us waking up at 6:30 am and on the trail by 8:00 am. We may pass other
refuges along the way and enjoy homemade pastry and a cold (or hot!) beverage along with our lunch
or snack. We aim to arrive at our destination by 4 pm each afternoon.
Below is a day-by-day summary of our trek. The leaders reserve the right to change the itinerary for
reasons such as weather, trail conditions, availability of accommodations, and group preferences.
Date
Day
8/6
8/7
8/8
8/9
8/10
8/11
8/12
8/13
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Time (hours)
Guidebook AMC1
6:00
5:00
5:30
4:00
4:00
In the Eiger’s Shadow
5.8
4.6
4.0
3.6
3.6
Distance
(miles)
9.3
6.8
6.2
5.6
5.0
Elevation (feet)
Gain
Loss
~4600
nil
2,340
1,690
2,490
2,000
1,790
3,570
1,650
1,640
2,300
850
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Lodging
En route to Europe
Alplodge, Interlaken
Schynige Platte via bus, cog
Berggasthaus First
Gleckstein Hut
Berghaus Baregg
Alpiglen
Restaurant Grindelwaldblick,
Kleine Scheidegg
9 October 2015
8/14 Sunday
5:00
4.7
9.3
0
4,250 Alpenhof Stechelberg
8/15 Monday
6:00
5.1
6.2
3,990
330 Obersteinberg
8/16 Tuesday
5:30
5.4
6.8
3,920
2,740 Rotstock Hutte
8/17 Wednesday 5:00
4.6
6.2
3,050
3,640 Pension Suppenalp, Blumental
8/18 Thursday
3:30
3.6
6.2
1,090
1,150 Suls Lobhorn Hut
8/19 Friday
4:00
4.4
8.7
140
4,640 Alplodge, Interlaken
8/20 Saturday
En route home
2
Total km&meters
117
6,839
7,9742
2
Total miles&feet
76.3 22,770
26,4902
2
Avg miles&feet
6.9
2,070
2,4102
Notes:
1
AMC time is calculated as 30 minutes/mile, plus 30 minutes for each 1,000 feet of altitude gained.
2
Altitude gain and loss figures from the Guidebook don't add up correctly. The first day train from Wilderswil
to Schynige Platte accounts for most of the difference.
PARTICIPANT PROFILE
This is a strenuous hike geared towards the outdoors adventurer who also appreciates a warm bed and
cultural exploration and a group to share it with. Since breakfast, dinner and lodging are provided we
will be traveling light, with backpacks in the range of 20-30 pounds fully loaded. The average day is
6.6 miles long with a gain/loss of more than 2,000 feet.
Our largest single day ascent is
almost 4,000 feet and our largest
descent is 4,250 feet. Our highest
point will be about 9,750 feet,
although the average of our daily high
points is almost 2,000 feet lower.
The altitudes of our overnight stops
average over 6,100 feet, with the
highest at 7,600.
You should have at least intermediate
to advanced hiking experience and
skills. While no technical climbing is
required, there may be areas with
narrow trails on scree slopes, and
snowfields. We may use ladders, or
cables or ropes bolted to the
mountainside, for short ascents of steep terrain, although these will not be common on our route,
which for the most part is on wide paths with good footing. We will hike at a moderate pace. For
more specific information about the kind of experience we are looking for, please read about the
Experience and Risks section below.
We expect a group size of 12 people, including the 2 leaders. This trip is likely to fill quickly. If you
are interested, please apply as soon as possible. When registration is complete, we will send all
participants the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all those going on the trip.
We plan to schedule an optional pre-trip get together so that accepted participants can meet each
other prior to the trip. This will also be an opportunity to discuss any final questions you may have
about the trip and to find out what others besides the leaders are thinking. Details TBD.
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9 October 2015
We are good communicators and will try very hard to keep everyone well informed. We will be
using email as our primary source of communication to accepted participants as a group.
COST
The trip cost is $2,450 for AMC members. Non-members can join the AMC for $50, and get the
same price. This will cover the following items:



Lodging, breakfasts, and dinners, from dinner on Sunday August 7 through breakfast on
Saturday August 20.
Train, bus, cable car, gondola rides taken by the whole group during the same period.
Emergency medical and evacuation insurance coverage
AMC Adventure Travel program overhead fee
Lunches, trail snacks, alcohol, and other personal expenses are NOT included, nor are air or ground
transportation to and from Interlaken, our starting and ending point. Lunches are easily obtained at
refuges or inns.
The final trip cost will be adjusted to reflect currency fluctuations and the best final arrangements we
can make. Any savings we achieve, as well as any unforeseen cost increases, will be passed back to
you. Our cost estimates are conservative, and so a refund is considerably more likely than a price
increase.
Please be aware that, in accordance with AMC policy, you are subsidizing the leaders' costs. The
subsidy from each participant is limited to 20% of one leader’s costs. Beyond this, the leaders are not
compensated or allowed to realize any profit from this excursion. The trip price also includes an
AMC overhead fee to cover the administrative expenses of offering Travel Adventures, including the
trip's publication in AMC Outdoors for several months, and emergency support from AMC staff.
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The trip fee includes emergency medical and
evacuation insurance coverage, which is
required by the AMC. It does not include
insurance for travel delay, interruption, or
cancellation, or for baggage loss. Therefore,
if you are concerned about these
possibilities, we suggest that you purchase
individual travel insurance. If your
application is accepted, we will send you a
link to an AMC recommended vendor,
although you are free to use whatever vendor
you choose.
Any unspent funds will be refunded to the
participants once all financial accounting is
completed.
TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
The transportation prices mentioned here are
accurate as of early October 2015. They are
presented as illustrations although they are
likely to be obsolete by the time you go to
purchase tickets.
While you must pay for and book your own
air transportation to Europe and rail transport
to Interlaken, the trip leaders will advise you
and assist as necessary. We will provide
train schedules and consult with you on your
plans.
All the airfare information below is as of now, and will certainly change in the future.
The airport closest to Interlaken is Zurich, although good rail connections make others practical.
Non-stop flights from Boston are running around $1450 as of October 2015 and one-stop flights
around $1000. The leaders will send more detailed info to accepted participants.
Swiss rail service runs from the Zurich airport to Interlaken, with one or two connections, depending
on the start time, at a price of CHF (Swiss
francs) 73 CHF, 146 CHF round trip.
As mentioned previously, we advise you to
consider arriving a day ahead of time to
recover from the overnight flight, to adjust
to European time and to accommodate
possible airline delays. (If you cannot do
this, and you are delayed so that you
cannot travel with the group on the first
hiking say to Schynige Platte, provisions
will have to be made for you to catch up
with the group along the way. The leaders
and some participants will arrive early in
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9 October 2015
Europe, and/or stay on after the AMC trip for a few days or more of personal travel.
REGISTRATION and CANCELLATION
To apply, you must request, complete, and submit the Application, Confidential Medical form, and
Acknowledgement and Assumption of Risk and Release form (all available on request), enclosing a
registration deposit of $500. You will not actually be accepted, and your check will not be deposited,
until the leaders have determined by telephone conversation with you that the trip seems to be a good
fit for you. A second payment of $750 is due two weeks after your acceptance. The final balance of
$1,200 is due June 1, 2016.
Deposit checks from wait-listed applicants will not be cashed until we accept them AND they
confirm continued interest. Please make
payments by check payable to the Appalachian
Mountain Club.
Our cancellation policy is based on several
considerations. Cancellation by one
participant will not be allowed to raise the cost
to the other participants or to the leaders.
Published minimum penalty schedule: zero
before March 2016, $200 in April-May, and
$400 after May 2016. If actual costs (expenses
already incurred on your behalf, and any
unavoidable future expenses that will be
incurred as a result of your registration and
cancellation) are higher, they will be assessed
instead, unless they can be applied toward another acceptable participant. That means that if another
qualified participant cannot be found to replace you, you may have to forfeit substantially more than
the minimum payment.
In the unlikely event that the trip is cancelled because not enough acceptable participants apply,
everything you have paid will be refunded in full.
EXPERIENCE and RISKS
This trip is demanding and strenuous, involving significant elevation change nearly every day, and
reaching a maximum elevation of 9,800 feet. Although the elevations should not be high enough for
properly conditioned people to contract acute mountain sickness (AMS), the combination of physical
exertion and slightly lower oxygen levels requires that we pace ourselves and pay attention to proper
nutrition and hydration. People wishing to participate in this trip must have previous backpacking
experience, at the intermediate level or higher. Several of the days are long (up to 9 miles) and
strenuous. You need to be prepared to commit yourself to getting and keeping in shape between the
time you sign up for the trip and the time you depart on it.
When you participate in this activity, you should be prepared both physically and mentally, and
equipped with the appropriate gear. You should always be aware of the risks involved and conduct
yourself accordingly. We are not responsible for your safety; you are. Prior to your being accepted
as a participant in this trip, you will be asked to discuss your capabilities and experience with us.
Please do not be offended by our questions. They are for your safety and for the safety of the group.
The weather is likely to be temperate and sunny, although there is always a possibility of some
precipitation. Temperatures may range from 25 to 75 degrees, and snow can fall in every month of
the year. In brief, mountain weather there is as unpredictable there as here.
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QUESTIONS and REQUESTING APPLICATION MATERIALS
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. We prefer to handle your questions by
phone unless you think the answer is likely to be straightforward. Certainly e-mail works well for
requesting application materials. Our contact information is immediately below, included with the
leader biographies.
TRIP LEADERS
Sam Jamke is a four-season hike leader with the NH chapter and former
Chapter Chair. She has led about twelve Adventure Travel trips, including
six hut-to-hut trips in Patagonia and New Zealand. She is also is a hike
leader for AMC August Camp. She has climbed the White Mountain Four
Thousand Footers and the New England Hundred Highest in winter. Her
other hiking venues include many western states, Morocco, Patagonia, the
UK, and Canada. Sam is an AMC information volunteer and a member of
the Club’s Board of Directors. She is looking forward to dusting off her
once good German language skills. Phone: 603-472-2536; e-mail:
samjamke@myfairpoint.net.
Jeanne Blauner is a backcountry leader with the Family Group of the
AMC Boston Chapter, and has been leading hiking, camping, and
winter trips for them since 2000. She is the current Chair of AMC
Boston Family Group and former Boston Chapter Membership
Chair. In addition, Jeanne has led over thirty national and international
week long Sierra Club trips since 1980 including trips to the Dolomites
in Italy, the Dordogne region in France, the Austrian Alps, and most
recently a Hut to Hut Presidential Traverse in the Whites Fall
2015. Jeanne was also the co-leader of the 2015 Adventure Travel
Jungfrau trip. Jeanne can be reached at 978-202-5606 and
jablauner@comcast.net.
EQUIPMENT LIST
Here is a list of the required and recommended gear for the trip, as well as a list of items which some
people will bring and share. If your personal equipment philosophy is different in significant ways,
please consult with the leaders.
Required and Essential Gear
 broken-in waterproof hiking boots
 at least 2-3 sets of hiking socks (and liners, if you wish)
 non-cotton shorts (or long pants if you prefer) and shirt for hiking
 backpack (aim for 35 liter)
 sleeping bag liner (a.k.a sleep sack)
 waterproof wind and rain gear (tops and bottoms)
 synthetic pile/fleece jacket, or wool sweater
 long underwear top and bottom
 hat for warmth, and gloves or mittens
 polypropylene, Coolmax, Bergelene or other synthetic extra layer clothing
 sunglasses
 hat, sunscreen, and/or bandana for sun protection
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9 October 2015








Tevas, Crocs or other sandals (to wear in refuges, which do NOT permit the wearing of hiking
boots outside of the public areas)
headlamp or flashlight with fresh batteries
unbreakable bottles or hydration bladder (at least 2 - 3 liters total capacity)
waterproof pack liner and/or pack cover
high-energy trail snacks
toiletry kit (most refuges do not supply soap or shampoo)
camp towel (many, but not all refuges, supply towels with shower, but not otherwise)
personal first aid kit (leaders will have group first aid kits) (Your personal kit should include
all your medications and anything you need to care for your feet – such as moleskin. Best to
be prepared for hot spots to prevent blisters.)
Optional Gear
 casual clothing for use in a refuges and in towns
 gaiters (for keeping out rain, pebbles and other debris)
 hiking poles
 whistle
 knife
 camera and extra batteries
 ear plugs
 Wet wipes or similar (for the two or three huts which do not offer showers)
Join us on this great adventure in one of the world’s most spectacular mountain regions!
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