Aletsch-Fieschertal
Description
You can save yourself the first few meters of altitude. Take the gondola lift from Bettmeralp to Bettmergrat station for a veritable cold start. The going gets tough right from the start. The single trail to Märjela high above the Aletsch Glacier is a technical challenge and requires a safe and experienced riding style. The landscape is all the more breathtaking for it. Far below, the huge Aletsch Glacier fills the valley floor, with the striking mountain and rock peaks towering into the sky behind it. As you have to concentrate fully on the trail here, it is advisable to take a break or two to fully take in the panorama. At Lake Märjelesee, a detour to Platta, a viewpoint relatively close to the glacier ice, is a must. Back at the Gletscherstube inn, it's time to descend into the valley. The path is easy and flowing, but also has tricky sections and a longer passage where the bike has to be carried up to the "Burg" ridge and then pushed back down again. Almost at the bottom of the valley, you maintain altitude on the right-hand side of the valley and reach Fiesch on a Suonen trail. For those with good riding technique, the Aletsch tour from Bettmergrat to Fiesch is one of the best and most impressive tours in Switzerland - thanks to the glacier scenery and the singletrail descent.
Note: In high season and at weekends, there are a lot of hikers on the route between Moosfluh station and Bettmerhorn and Märjelensee. The tour should therefore only be tackled outside of these times.
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Details of the tour
20 km
250 m
1975 m
1055 above sea level
2651 above sea level
1 day
Bettmeralp
Fiesch
1008
well suited
More information
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User comments (2)
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.
The landscape is still impressive, but the tour as described here is unfortunately no longer feasible. We did the 'adapted' tour on August 21, 2020. The route from Bettmergrat via Grosse Gufer to Roti Chumma is permanently closed (as already mentioned in the previous comment). The alternative route first goes down about 300 meters in altitude (rather not rideable) before it goes through the Wysse Löub along the Aletsch Glacier towards Märjelensee. The landscape/view here is simply breathtaking and makes up for the botched descent. The ride (!) through the Märjela and Märjelawang is a lot of fun. At the top of the Fieschertal, however, there is another setback. The direct trail down is also permanently closed and you have to take a detour via the castle. Although the detour offers an impressive view of the valley created by the Fiescher glacier, it unfortunately also involves a number of stretches on foot. Only after the climbing garden at the Burghütte is the descent back down to Fiesch flowy.
Conclusion: two flowing sections of the original tour are unfortunately no longer rideable due to road closures. But if you can take on a few stretches, the tour still offers an exhilarating landscape. But it might be better explored with a hiking rucksack. :-)
Current 2x ROAD BLOCK!
Did the tour last week & had to ride the traverse along the Aletsch Glacier further down at the beginning due to road closure (danger of falling rocks/permafrost problems). Apart from the approx. 200m descent (very difficult with large steps) it is also very beautiful & even a little closer to the glacier. Furthermore, the path from Märjelesee to Fieschertal is great & difficult in the upper part, but then comes the big SURPRISE! A STONE LAWINE has completely buried the lower part of the path & is therefore currently also officially CLOSED (unfortunately only at the access from below). We were able to find a way through the stones (with the bike on the shoulder & pushing), but the flow is gone. Unfortunately, the alternative route via the "castle" is also not recommended as a via ferrata passage & steep passages with loose stones should restrict the ride very much (information from hikers)! So not the best tour at the moment...