In summer, we head to the canton of Valais for a multi-day trip. Our programme beforehand is finger-licking good. By train to Brig. From there, first tackle the climb to Moosalp, the next day the Nufenen-Furka-Tremola trinity (Gotthard). Then to Crans-Montana and still have a bit of fun there. A great prospect. We also meet another old acquaintance on this trip: Alain Rumpf. As a guide and photographer, he is going to capture our adventure in pictures. Cycling in Switzerland and certainly in Valais is always a treat. Only the weather you have to take into account. Sometimes we get lucky, and sometimes we don't. What our programme ended up looking like? You can read about it in this article.
Text: Sander Kolsloot - Photos: Alain Rumpf
Climbing Moosalp in valais
Basecamp Brig
Before we travel to Valais we start puzzling. After all, if we want to do both Moosalp, Crans Montana and the whole trinity, a basecamp somewhere in the middle would come in handy. Eventually we end up in the town of Brig, in the Ambassador Hotel. This hotel is close to the railway station and has all the minimum facilities you need for a good cycling holiday. The town itself has a nice centre, with a castle of sorts. So the station is easily accessible and also offers good possibilities to travel later towards Obergoms or Crans Montana. So far, nothing to complain about.
When life gives you lemons
We end up travelling by train towards Brig. Everything goes very smoothly. Only downside is that we cannot take the bikes with us, so rely on rental equipment. In this case, we get two basic Scott bikes. Not bad, but not world-class material either. Once we arrive in Switzerland, we make an enforced stopover in Bern. While looking for (the roots of) Fabian Cancellara, we also check the weather forecast. In the mountains, the weather is quite changeable and it can change overnight. For days now, a complete armageddon has been predicted for our planned trip to Nufenen-Furka. It remains so. We already chat with Alain about alternatives, but things are looking bleak. Once we arrive at the hotel, we meet Alain. After a cordial meeting, we go over the days: 'day 2 is going to be horrible', he says, 'probably no cycling at all'. We get to work on a back up plan, but much beyond a day in the thermal baths of Leukerbad doesn't seem to be in it.
Climb to Moosalp
The ascent of this mountain, which leads to a height of 2048 metres, has many variants. You can technically start it from three directions, with two variants having the same ending. We choose the variant via Turtmann. The chosen ascent is actually cut into two. First, you ride up to the village of Eischol with some tough percentages already there. Then it is flat for a while and even descends a little bit towards Unterbach. From Unterbach it is only uphill and therein lies the devil.
Messy run-up
The first part of our drive is messy. The tarmac is not particularly good and we have to make quite a few turns and turns. Actually, this distracts me a bit from the scenery, which, combined with the summer sun, is actually beautiful. We are surrounded by, among others, the Breitlauhorn on which the snow can still be seen. Anyway, it is only 'mountain' what we see around us. Valais is also known for its quantity and high mountains. With more than 40 peaks above 4000m, the canton is truly unique. The highest peak is the 'Dufourspitze', which you can get a good view of on the climb to Zermatt. The Dom, at 4545m the third highest mountain, we get a good view later in the afternoon. After a ride of about 25 kilometres, we turn left over the Rhone River into the mountains. The party can begin!
All the way up!
Today's climb to Moosalp is one with stunning views. Because of its location and because of its proximity to the valley, you have great views early on in the ascent. Especially also to the 'other side' where the high peaks smile happily at you. Here and there, you can also discover vineyards. Because that too is Valais/Wallis: the largest wine region in Switzerland. We will see that later during our visit as we head towards Crans-Montana drive.
Quiet
Said earlier, this variant of the climb to Moosalp is rarely ridden. On Strava, we easily ride in the top 200 of all time, despite photo stops and especially my pace, which leaves quite a bit to be desired. The first stretch towards Eischol is fine paddling, without much traffic. Largely between the trees, with the occasional opening to look down into the valley. It's a quick look as I also have to keep pushing the pedals briskly. It is a vicious stretch, with peaks towards 10-11%. The first part you don't actually get below the 8% ascent. That's not bad!
The great thing about cycling with a guide: you don't have to think about anything. The route is clear, especially with a guide like Alain. All I really have to do is cycle behind my two travelling companions. Lovely. When we have stopped at one (of the many) fountains in the village of Unterbach to refill water, we take a few more pictures. That's also the advantage of Switzerland. If you come away from there with bad photos, something is wrong. The fountains can be found in every village. Handy, that way you are never without (fresh) water.
Part two: we've had the hardest part
If you rely blindly on a guidebook, you might be in for a surprise. To be honest, the legs were not perfect for our first stage. Better said, there was concrete in them. So after the first part of the climb Alain already tipped us off: from here on it only gets better, 'we've had the hardest part'. Not so. Both Ruben, photographer, content creator but also good amateur rider, and I toil uphill. We make some extra metres for the photo, but it really is a painful bit of climbing. The climb to Moosalp is a painful one. Once at the top, we are pleasantly surprised by a big red announcement board: this is where a stage of the Tour of Switzerland will finish in 2022. We are ready for it.
Lunch at the summit
We park the bike at restaurant Moosalp and let the inner man have a good taste of typical Swiss cuisine. Local tip: the raclette is very good and is still traditionally made. The plate of pasta in front of us is also highly recommended. You can find a local restaurant on every mountain peak in Switzerland that serves good, decent food. This is really quite unique for Switzerland.
Making friends on the Moosalp 
Downhill
After lunch, we dive into the descent. Warning to the daredevils: this descent is very narrow, there is a bus driving uphill that thinks little of you and there are only a few turns you can take properly and with clear visibility. Therefore, rest and caution is called for, at least, if you want to arrive at the bottom alive. So that also gives time to take a look to the left and right. The view across the valley (a tributary of the main valley in Valais) is again one to frame.
Once down, you drive on a somewhat busier road for a while, but fortunately it slopes down. It is nice to speed up, although we are almost overlooked by a motorist there too. We are still alive, but it scared us for a while, and eventually, with almost 90 km and a lot of altitude metres, we happily turn in at the hotel. The bikes neatly stowed away and to dinner, what a fine day. The Klim to Moosalp is definitely recommended in our version!
