I love historic images of the Alps, so I was really excited when my friend Denny, owner of Second Story Used Books in Durango, CO, gifted me this vintage postcard from the Berner Oberland region of Switzerland. Denny knows that I lead trips in the Alps, so he squirrels away interesting alpine books and photographs that he thinks I might enjoy. When he handed me the postcard he said, “You probably know where this is, right?”
I replied, “Boy, DO I EVER!” I’ve led a lot of trips over this spot during the years, including a celebratory honeymoon hike with my lady!
This is Kleine Scheidegg, one of the most popular destinations in the Swiss Alps.
Kleine Scheidegg means “little watershed” in German which makes perfect sense given its position on the top of a mountain pass above two gorgeous valleys. Standing on the pass, it’s easy to imagine water flowing eastward toward the village of Grindelwald (nestled in the valley in the background of the postcard) and westward (off the bottom of the postcard) toward the Lauterbrunnen valley.
During the winter, Kleine Scheidegg is a cornerstone of the world famous Jungrau Ski Region that links the resorts of Grindelwald-Wengen, Grindelwald-First, and Mürren-Schilthorn. During the summer, Kleine Scheidegg is a popular waypoint on the famous Berner Oberland Traverse and Via Alpina inn-to-inn hikes. It’s also the final jumping-off point for the world-famous and ridiculously scenic Jungfraujoch, the highest rail station in Europe.
The large hotel that you see in the photo is called the Hotel Bellevue des Alpes which enjoys a privileged position at the foot of the famous Eiger. You can see the Eiger’s shadow entering from the right hand side of the postcard. To read more about the Bellevue and to see a photo of the dramatic north face of the Eiger, click here.
The little train that you see in front of the Hotel Bellevue is called the Jungfraubahn. People travel from all over the world to ride this train to the “Top of Europe.” Click here for a view from the top. And click here for more good stuff.
The mountain in the background of the postcard is called the Wetterhorn. It’s one of my favorite mountains in the Swiss Alps. The Wetterhorn looks like one mountain, but the individual summits on top have names. From left to right, the three prominent peaks are the Wetterhorn (3,690 meters), the Mittelhorn (3,701 meters), and the Rosenhorn (3,688 meters).
Dropping off the face of the Wetterhorn (the second ridge below the crease in the postcard) is a mountain pass called Grosse Scheidegg. Grosse Sheidegg means “large (or major) watershed” which is ironic because it’s actually lower in elevation than Kleine Scheidegg. Hike, bike, or ride a Swiss PostBus over the Grosse Scheidegg and you’ll end up in the Reichenbachtal (Reichenbach Valley) which drains to the village of Meiringen. Sherlock Holmes fans should recognize the word Reichenbach. Reichenbach Falls in Meiringen is the place where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional hero, Sherlock Holmes, fought to the death with Professor Moriarty at the end of "The Final Problem." The story was first published in 1893.
