Alp cheese making near Murren

Replying to your separate email, our staff has sent you a note about the Suppenalp area.

Can you forward that information to me as well, please? My wife and I will be there in mid June.

Laura,

Is it possible just to post it? I too am interested in it since I will be going there this June.

Thanks,
DB

Hi,
If you are looking at "The Best of the Alps" video, at the 14:14 min mark, there is a cheese-making operation. I'm quite sure that is the one near Winteregg. If you take the trail from Grutschalp to Murren that parallels the train tracks, you'll walk right past it, and you can look in the large windows as they make cheese. It's the biggest and newest building you'll pass on the trail, and near Winteregg. They seem to be active every day, at least every time I've gone by.
If you want a more personal look at a less modern way of making cheese, I believe they still do it at Schiltalp. They used to do demos on Tuesday mornings, but you should check times with the tourist center at Murren. Schiltalp is above Murren, and is at the highest point on the yellow trail here:
http://www.gimmelwald.com/pics/gimmelwald/hikemap.jpg

Allen

From Mürren,
North Face Trail

For a pleasant, family-friendly 2.5-hour hike, head out along this four-mile trail, starting at 6,385 feet and finishing at 5,375 feet (some stretches can be challenging if you’re not in shape). As with any trail described here, before starting out, get a trail map from the Mürren TI or the cable-car station and confirm the route.

To reach the trail, ride the Allmendhubel funicular up from Mürren (good restaurant at top, see page *TK). From there, follow the signed route, which loops counterclockwise around to Mürren. (You can also cut off at Spielbodenalp, near the end, and descend into Gimmelwald via the Sprutz Waterfall.)

As this trail doesn’t technically begin at Allmendhubel, you’ll start by following signs to Sonnenberg. Then just follow the blue signs. You’ll enjoy great views, flowery meadows, mountain huts, and a dozen information boards along the way, describing the fascinating climbing history of the great peaks around you.

Along the trail, you’ll pass four farms (technically “alps,” as they are only open in the summer) that serve meals and drinks. Sonnenberg was allowed to break the all-wood building code with concrete for protection against avalanches. Suppenalp is quainter. Lean against the house with a salad, soup, or sandwich and enjoy the view. Just below Suppenalp is a little adventure park with zip lines and other kid-pleasing activities.

Notice how older huts are built into the protected side of rocks and outcroppings, in anticipation of avalanches. Above Suppenalp, Blumental (“Flower Valley”) is hopping with marmots. Because hunters are not allowed near lifts, animals have learned that these are safe places to hang out--giving tourists a better chance of spotting them.

The trail leads up and over to a group of huts called Schiltalp (good food, drink, and service, and a romantic farm setting). If the poles under the eaves have bells, the cows are up here. If not, the cows are still at the lower farms. Half the cows in Gimmelwald (about 100) spend their summers here. In July, August, and September, you can watch cheese being made and have a snack or drink. Thirty years ago, each family had its own hut. Labor was cheap and available. Today, it’s a communal thing, with several families sharing the expense of a single cow herder. Cow herders are master cheesemakers and have veterinary skills, too.

From Schiltalp, the trail winds gracefully down toward Spielbodenalp. From there, you can finish the North Face trail (continuing down and left through meadows and the hamlet of Gimmeln, then back to Mürren), or cut off right (descending steeply through a thick forest and under the dramatic Sprutz Waterfall into Gimmelwald--see Sprutz Waterfall, under “More Difficult Hikes,” for details).