In the summer, we are planning a multi-day trip to the canton of Valais. Our program is designed to leave you breathless. We’ll take the train to Brig. From there, we’ll tackle the climb to Moosalp first, and the following day we’ll tackle the Nufenen-Furka-Tremola (Gotthard). Then to Crans-Montana and have some fun along the way. A great prospect. We will also meet an old acquaintance on this trip: Alain Rumpf. As a guide and photographer, he will bring our adventure to life. Cycling in Switzerland and especially in Valais is always a party. You just have to take the weather into account. Sometimes we get lucky, and sometimes we don’t. How did our program end up looking like? You’ll find out in this article.
Text: Sander Kolsloot – Photos: Alain Rumpf
Basecamp Brig
Before we leave for Valais We're going to start working on the puzzle. Because if we want to do both Moosalp, Crans Montana, and the whole three-in-one combo, then a base camp somewhere in the middle would be very useful. In the end, we end up in the town of Brig, in the Ambassador Hotel. This hotel is located close to the station and has all the facilities you need for a good cycling holiday. The town itself has a nice center, with a kind of castle. The station is therefore well accessible and also offers good opportunities to travel later on towards Obergoms or towards Crans Montana. So far, there is nothing to complain about.
When life gives you lemons
We finally travel by train towards Brig. Everything goes very smoothly. The only minor drawback is that we can’t bring our bikes with us, so we have to rely on rental equipment. In this case, we get two basic Scott bikes. Not bad, but not world-class either. Once we arrive in Switzerland, we make a forced stop in Bern. While we are looking for (the origins of) Fabian Cancellara, we are also checking the weather forecast. In the mountains the weather is quite changeable and can change from one day to the next. For days now a complete armageddon has been predicted for our planned trip to Nufenen-Furka. That remains the case. We have already discussed some alternatives with Alain over the phone, but it looks grim. Once we arrive at the hotel we meet Alain. After a cordial meeting we get through the days: ‘day 2 is going to be horrible’, he says, ‘probably no cycling at all’. We start working on a backup plan, but we don’t go much further than a day in the thermal baths of Leukerbad It doesn't seem to be stuck.
Climb to Moosalp
The ascent of this mountain, which leads to an altitude of 2048 meters, has many variants. Technically speaking, you can start from three different directions; two of these variants have the same end point. We choose the route via Turtmann. The chosen ascent is actually split into two parts. First, you drive to the village of Eischol, where the slopes are already quite steep. Then it is flat for a while and even a small descent towards Unterbach. From Unterbach it is just uphill and that is where the danger lies.
Messy start
The first part of our ride is bumpy. The asphalt is not very good and we have to make quite a few turns and turns. Actually, this distracts me a little from the surroundings, which are actually beautiful in combination with the summer sun. We are surrounded by things like the Breitlauhorn where the snow can still be seen. In any case, it is just ‘mountain’ that we see around us. Wallis is also known for the number and height of its mountains. With more than 40 peaks above 4000m, the canton is truly unique. The highest peak is the ‘Dufourspitze’ which you can easily see when climbing to Zermatt. The Dom, with 4545m the second highest mountain, gets a good look at us later in the afternoon. After a ride of about 25 kilometers we turn left onto the mountains along the Rhone river. The party can begin!
All the way up!
Today’s climb to Moosalp is one with stunning views. Due to the location and the proximity to the valley, you have a beautiful view early on in the climb. Especially towards the ‘other side’, where the high peaks make you smile happily. Here and there you can also discover a vine growing somewhere. Because that too is Valais/Wallis: the largest wine region in Switzerland. We will see that later during our visit when we head towards Crans-Montana driving.
Calm
As mentioned earlier, this variant of the climb to Moosalp is not very frequently ridden. On Strava, we easily make it into the top 200 all-time rankings, despite photo stops and especially my pace, which leaves a lot to be desired. The first stretch towards Eischol is pleasant paddling, with little traffic. Mostly between the trees, with occasional openings to look down into the valley. It’s a quick glance because I also have to keep pushing hard on the pedals. It’s a treacherous stretch, with spikes towards the 10-11% mark. The first part doesn’t really get you below 8% slopes. That’s not a bad thing!
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. The only thing I really have to do is ride along behind my two fellow travelers. Delicious. When we stop in the village of Unterbach at one of the (many) fountains to refill our water bottles, we take a few photos. That’s also the advantage of Switzerland. If you come away with bad photos, something is definitely wrong. The fountains are basically found in every village. Handy, because you never really run out of (fresh) water.
Part two: we’ve had the hardest part
If you blindly trust a guide, you might get a surprise. To be honest, the legs weren’t perfect for our first stage. To be more precise, there was concrete in them. So after the first part of the climb, Alain already tipped: ‘From here on it only gets better.’ But that wasn’t the case. Both Ruben, the photographer and content creator, as well as a good amateur cyclist, struggled to climb up. We worked hard to get to the top. We even did a few extra meters for the photo, but it was really a painful climb. The climb to Moosalp is a painful ordeal. Once we got to the top, we were pleasantly surprised by a large red sign: this is where a stage of the Swiss Tour will be finished in 2022. We are ready for that.
Lunch at the summit
We parked the bike at the restaurant Moosalp and let the inner self get acquainted with the typical Swiss cuisine. Tip from the local: the raclette is very good and is still traditionally prepared. The pasta plate we ordered was also a real treat. You will find a local restaurant at every mountain peak in Switzerland that serves good, solid food. This is truly unique for Switzerland.
Downhill
After lunch, we head down the descent. Warning for the daredevils: this descent is very narrow; there is a bus going up that doesn’t seem to care much for you, and there are only a few turns that you can approach safely and with good visibility. Therefore, patience and caution are required, at least if you want to get down alive. That also gives you time to look to the left and right. The view over the valley (a tributary of the main valley in Valais) is another one worth capturing.
Once down below, you drive for a while on a somewhat busier road, but fortunately it ends. It’s a nice ride, although a motorist almost overlooked us on our way there. We’re still alive, but the fear was there for a moment. We end up with almost 90km and a few more altitude meters at the hotel. The bikes are neatly stowed and we’re back at the dinner table, what a nice day. The climb to Moosalp is definitely a must-try in our version!
Questions & tips
Do you have any questions about this route, or have you been there yourself? Share them here. We read everything and usually respond within a few days.