The plateau is pretty bleak, but is the starting point for many mountain trails. There are farm buildings even at this elevation, and we opened a gate for an old farmer patrolling in his ancient truck. He stopped the truck and shook hands with us, then rumbled off in the truck singing and yodelling at the top of his voice! First hand experience that they really do yodel.
There is also a huge alpine garden laid out on a rocky prominence, but as we’re nearing autumn there wasn’t much life in it. The few plants that were performing were bright and fresh in colour, and an indication of what the garden must be like in spring.
The big views from up here are of the high peaks, and in particular the north face of the Eiger. This is the forbidding photo below: the face is 5,900 feet sheer. Just before we came away we watched a TV programme about the severe challenges the climb presents and how 64 climbers have died since the first ascent in 1938. Chris Bonnington featured prominently, and recounted stories of the extreme difficulties climbers face. It usually involves at least one night on the mountain - there’s even a ledge named “death bivouac”. Bonnington himself climbed it in 1962.
However, right at the end of the programme, we saw speed climber Ueli Steck who scaled the face in 2hrs 47 minutes in 2008! However even-handed traditional climbers like Bonninton are, they must be pig sick that their death-defying exploits lasting for days on the mountain are almost rubbished by some fitness nut tearing up the face in 2¾ hours!
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