Brig to Riederfurka
Setting out from the town of Brig in canton Valais, members of the swissinfo expedition will board the narrow gauge train of the Furka Oberalp Railway for the short journey to Mörel. Aided by pack animals, which according to "Baedeker's Switzerland" in 1897 cost 10 francs for a horse and five for the porter, the party will follow the footpath up to the Villa Cassel, 1,400 metres above the valley floor.
The walk is expected to take about four hours – a cable ride across the same distance would take less than 30 minutes. Built at the start of the 20th century on the Riederfurka ridge, Villa Cassel enjoys a commanding position above the Aletsch Glacier, the longest ice field in the Alps. In the 19th century, climbers often approached the Jungfrau and nearby peaks from the Valais side. A few hotels sprung up to accommodate these mountaineers and early tourists.
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