Nendaz

While Nendaz may serve as a freeride skiing and snowboarding Mecca during the winter, the playful terrain becomes a fantastic playground for hikers once the mercury begins to rise and the trails are revealed beneath the snow.

Next up on on the locals front was Jean-Noël Glassey (aka Jackson), and his huge, extremely Swiss, St. Bernard – Kenzie. Jackson planned to take us for a walk amongst the artistry of the Valais forest. The ancient larch grows here, and is the only European conifer to grow fresh needles every year. The colour palette of this natural paradise would make Picasso envious. 

If you arrive in spring, you’ll find pale green shoots complemented with golden pollen cones and red cone blossoms. When summer begins to take its grip, vibrant green cones and needles arrive. Then autumn rocks up and paints the mountainside gold – an epic contrast with the dark green of the pines. The trees here can reach an impressive size too, with one tree in the forest having a whopping circumference of 14.6 metres.

Must–do walk in Nendaz: The Larches of Balavaux

Aletsch Arena

Approaching the German-speaking side of Valais, Aletsch Arena is tucked right in the eastern end of the canton. Like other high-alpine resorts such as Zermatt, Aletsch Arena is a car-free zone. This, as you can imagine, greatly enhances the intimacy you have with nature – no spluttering diesel engines to ruin the atmosphere, just you, your group, and the mountains. Aletsch Arena is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We met up with local mountain guide Martin Nellen, whose family has lived and farmed in the region for centuries. They don’t come much more knowledgable about the Aletsch Glacier than Martin. The glacier, which consists of 11 billion tonnes of ice and could supply a litre of water per day for every person on earth for four and a half years, snakes its way for 23km down from Jungfrau to Reiderhorn and is the longest glacier of the Alps.

The Moosfluh, Hohfluh, Bettmerhorn and Eggishorn viewpoints of Aletsch Arena are all perfectly situated to view the glacier from above. Martin took us up to the Moosfluh viewpoint before we started our descent down the steep slopes that have been carved out by the glacier.

Once down on the ice, we donned crampons, ice axes and ropes to explore the labyrinth of ice caves, crevasses and seracs that have been carved out by thousands of years of the glacier slowly creeping its way down the valley. It’s not until you’re on the ice that you understand the awe-inspiring size of the glacier, and can explore the connection we have as humans to this natural wonder. It’s an experience that really brings home how important it is for us to do everything we can to protect these natural beauties.

Must–do walk in Aletsch Arena: The Great Aletsch Glacier