Gruben – Hotel Weisshorn

This thirteenth stage takes place in the high mountains and, depending on the season, may involve crossing snowfields. The trail is shared with the Apenpässe-Weg, marked with green vignettes No. 6. From the hotel, the trail climbs towards the Augstbordpass, crossing alpine pastures to Grüobu Oberstafel. Then the landscape becomes increasingly rocky until you reach the Augstbordpass. At the pass, you will have earned a well-deserved break. The descent continues through numerous scree slopes and rock fields, but the path is always well marked. From Abiheiji (Twraa Ridge), the route to Jungen is more pleasant and the path is often paved. From Jungen, there is still an 850-metre descent to Sankt Niklaus. (You can take the cable car to avoid this last descent.)

Stage2 of the northern section of the Tour du Cervin: this takes you to the Val d’Anniviers.NB: Originally, we had planned to walk all the way from Grüben to Zinal, but in two stages: stage 1 from Grüben to the Hôtel Weisshorn, and stage 2 from the Hôtel Weisshorn to Zinal. For financial reasons, this wasn’t possible; so we carried on to Saint-Luc, from where a bus service took us to Zinal.The first section (up to Meidu) does not follow the classic Tour du Cervin route; the section through the forest and mountain pastures between the end of the track and the buildings at Jäniltigu Oberstafil is no longer marked at all; that said, there are no particular difficulties: the track reflects the route I took, based on the path as shown on the maps and the terrain.

Another high-altitude stage with a stop in Saint-Luc, then transfer to Zinal by post bus.

Today's stage is divided into three parts: on foot from Gruben to Jungu, by cable car from Jungu to Saint-Niklaus, and by bus from Saint-Niklaus to Grachen.

One of the highest hikes in Europe that requires no mountaineering equipment, the ascent to the Barrhorn crosses and runs alongside a variety of environments and landscapes (forest, mountain pastures, glaciers, torrents, moraines, high-altitude ridges, etc.), offering a truly breathtaking spectacle. The summit, surrounded by other peaks of similar height or even more imposing, offers a breathtaking panorama combining black rock and white glaciers. Suitable only for experienced hikers accustomed to high altitudes.

This eleventh and final stage will take you from the Hôtel Weisshorn to Grimentz. The route partly follows that of the SIerre-Zinal trail. It passes beneath the Pointes and the Bec de Nava. From this scenic trail, you can see the Weisshorn, the Zinalrothorn, the Matterhorn and the Dent Blanche. The route continues with a long, winding descent to Ayer. After crossing the River Navisence, a final gentle climb will take you to Grimentz.

This twelfth stage takes place once again in the high mountains and, depending on the season, may involve crossing snowfields. The trail is shared with the Apenpässe-Weg, marked with green stickers no. 6. From the Hotel Weisshorn, descend to the Combavert barn. The ascent to the Meidpass begins on a good path that passes close to Lake Combavert. The route is pleasant until the junction with Lake Armina. The final climb is over scree. The descent, which is steep at first, becomes gentler as you approach Meidsee. Then scree and pastures alternate until you reach the hamlets of Oberstafel and Mittelstafel. A good path then descends to Meiden/Gruben.The Meidpass is the French/German linguistic border.

After a night in this historic hotel, the third stage will take you to Zinal, a traditional village in the Val d'Anniviers. You will soon discover the Weisshorn and Bishorn mountains. At the small Bella Vouarda pass, you can admire the so-called imperial crown with five peaks over 4,000 metres high. As you descend towards Zinal, you will follow the end of the famous Sierre-Zinal race, more commonly known as the "Race of the Five 4,000s".