The Best Rock Climbing Routes in Bern

There cannot be many alpine glacier hikes which offer such a Himalayan feel as this one - it's a truly magnificent trip through some of the highest, most dramatic mountains in Europe....

This is a short day that links one high hut to an even higher one. Whilst you can go straight from the Jungfraujoch to the Finsteraarhorn Hut in a day on foot, it is not recommended as the distance is large and the snow conditions are likely to be very poor....

The Aar bivouac hut is truly remote, requiring one of the longest hut approaches in the Alps. It is non-technical but involves walking a long way up several glaciers, covering a lot of horizontal distance....

This is an ideal first glaciated summit because it's relatively close to civilisation and features no technical terrain. That said, it's high enough that doing it unacclimatised is tough, and climbing it involves crossing some huge glaciers, so only do it when you've got a perfect weather forecast and a few preparation days under you belt....

This is a classic excursion down the longest glacier in the Alps to perhaps the best situated mountain hut in Switzerland. Start the day by riding the Jungfraujoch train up from Grindelwald, through the Eiger's north face, to the Jungfraujoch station....

The Gross Grünhorn is often climbed in spring on skis via the W flank, from the Ewigschneefeld Glacier. This is a less popular route in summer, due to the serac danger, and also the glacier is less likely to be in a suitable condition....

The Gross Fiescherhorn is undeniably a major mountain, with its huge N wall, the Fiescherwand, dropping away impressively from the summit. However from the S it is quite accessible in standard, from the Finsteraarhorn Hut....

Many people approach these two peaks from the Finsteraarhorn Hut, separately described. This is technically easier, but much longer, requiring an extra day of approach. Our route can be descended to the valley via the Jungfraujoch railway....

The Jungfrau is a famous and beautiful mountain with no very easy route to its summit. As described here this is an out and back route from the Jungfraujoch railway. However this is only suitable for very acclimatised and very fit people....

Descend on the path from the hut then fork L down to the Obers Isch glacier. Go up the debris strewn glacier to the S, to the base of the spur coming down from pt 2843m....

The Wetterhorn is a lovely remote summit, looking miles down to the Grindelwald valley, with great views of all the Bernese Oberland Giants too. It is much photographed from afar, as its subsidiary summit, the Scheideggwetterhorn, which has a very impressive 1000m W Pillar....

The Lauteraarhorn - by any route - is an inaccessible and difficult mountain. It can also be climbed from the Schreckhorn hut, by this route, over the Strahlegg Pass, but this adds to the time taken, on an already time-critical route....

This is one of the most popular 4000 metre peaks because it is easily accessible, not overly technical and incredibly well situated. Despite not being "difficult", the route is very exposed in places so you'll need to be confident scrambling and cramponing surrounded by some pretty impressive drops before taking this on....

Of all the routes on the Eiger the Mittelegi Ridge is possibly the best of the more accessible lines, for several reasons. Beginning with Jungfraujoch railway, steeped in history, as far as Eismeer, this hut approach is a mountaineering route in itself....

Famed worldwide, any ascent of the Eiger is a cherished prize and the Mittelegi Ridge is aesthetically the most pleasing of the ridges on the mountain. In combination with a descent of the S Ridge it makes for a traverse of the highest calibre, as the S Ridge is over very good rock and extremely enjoyable in descent....

This is without doubt one of the most revered and best traverses in the Alps. It links two magnificent summits, and, whilst it's not inescapable, it feels committing and is certainly very long....