UKC

Hi folks,

Does anyone have experience with camping or bivying in the Swiss Alps?

I'm going to be based in Arolla for 1 week followed by 1 week in Saas-Fee in July. I have been before but keen to try and reduce the costs this year.

Thanks

Many years ago we 'wild camped' a little outside Arolla at a delightful spot near a stream (no car). All went well at first but after 4 or 5 days we had a visitor in the evening who said he's been trying to talk to us but we were always away. He then went on to explain that we had to move to the official campsite & that we owned the village 4 or 5 nights 'tourist tax' (& that he was the collector).

Long time ago but I suspect camping anywhere in the valley bottom is still forbidden except on an official campsite. But clearly bivying up high will be different...

Im pretty sure wild camping is policed as much as it can be (especially around the hornli) in Switzerland, although it is impossible to fully enforce. If you stick to dark hours and in inconspicuous locations you will be fine, obviously taking your rubbish with you is a must. If this is going to be a full time camp in the valley then im thinking the chances of getting away with it is extremely slim.

The swiss take their tourism income very seriously.

Thanks for your reply guys, I should have probably clarified that I will be camping in official camping area's while I'm based in Arolla and Saas-Grund/Fee.

However, I was more keen to hear how people get on with camping/bivyying in the mountains - As an alternative to staying in huts (which cost a fortune) 

Ah! ok yeah bivvying in the mountains in saas was un-problematic. I suppose the cost side of things depends on what kind of kit you are taking as a decent bivvy set up can run up to many hundreds of pounds, yet with an alpine club insurance (which you should definitely have) the huts go down to i think around 35CHF off top of my head. But if you're doing it for the experience then go for it its lovely when you arent frozen to death. 

Another thing is if you have a receipt for a mountain hut the campsite will give you a discount off that nights stay. They dont take your word that you have bivvied 

Yea, so its similar to the French rules I assume - I wasn't sure whether they had a more unforced system in Switzerland.

I have stayed in huts before and they are fab, but the cost of staying in a hut every second night adds up over 2 weeks.

I guess this depends on what our objectives will be, but say we walked up to a hut and found somewhere discreet to bivy/camp for the night, obviously we wouldn't carry all the extra equipment up the hill, so how have people found stashing kit in this area? and would it be acceptable to store kit in the hut before leaving for the summit in the morning?

I'm wondering the same thing.  Last 2 years we have stayed in huts and apart from the cost (especially food), the noise and snoring room mates, I don't think I can do the same this year. Many huts I have stayed in have spots roundabout where people have obviously camped.

I think the hut guardians will be suspicious if they saw a large amount of bivvy gear in their boot room and it would probably be safer well hidden in your inconspicuous bivvy spot. Just dont forget exactly where it is, maybe mark it on your map.

I bivyed in Arolla two summers ago, a couple of nights on the high ground above Cabane des Dix (a pleasingly dramatic location), and a couple of nights near Cabane des Vignettes (beyond the col, below Pigne d'Arolla). In all cases we spent the late afternoon in the relevant hut, buying a couple of drinks to justify use of their facilities. We stashed bivy gear under rocks close to where we slept. I imagine the risk of theft is pretty low, especially if you move out of sight of the paths.

The owners of the main campsite in Arolla are very helpful and knowledgeable about the area (and may be able to suggest which climbs are in condition).

Bivvying a couple of nights at a time is fine as long as you do it away from the huts and lifts.

There are good bivy spots above the Mischabel Hut if you're planning Nadelgrat, Lenzspitze or Nadelhorn. Nobody to bother you up there and you can always hop into the hut for an overpriced beer. 

I haven,t been to Arolla but I have camped and bivvied in other places. There is a good map on the Swiss Alpine Club,s site that lets you know where it is possible/allowed to camp. By camp I mean pitch up after 7pm and be gone again in the morning. If you decide to stay in the one place for a few days I would say it is frowned upon at the very least. The same applies to bivvying. Just stop one night and you shouldn,t have a problem.

      Stephen.

         https://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&a...

We were in Saas Tal last summer and even with Austrian Alpine Club membership the cheapest of the huts was almost double 35CHF. Mischabel and Brittania Hutte were over double that.

Probably 35CHF without food is not far off.  At one time Swiss huts would cook your (simple) food for you for a small fee, maybe they still do.

30 plus tax at mishabel and I would think that’s the most expensive in saas maybe. Even with exchange rates it’s cheaper than some popular hostels in the UK. I don’t think it’s that bad really. And the food was great and worth it if you’re doing a committing route imo.