Stoneman Glaciaria – In the realm of glaciers in Switzerland

Covering 127 kilometres (79 miles) and 4,700 metres (15,420 feet) of altitude difference, the Stoneman Glaciaria takes you into the breathtaking world of alpine glaciers in the Swiss canton of Valais. You follow great trails through the unique and unforgettable high mountain landscape, which is both beautiful but endangered. This Collection takes you up close to the magnificent mountains, making you appreciate the importance of nature even more. You can already do your part to protect them at the start of your adventure – the Stoneman Glaciaria is accessible by public transport from many regions so it’s a perfect weekend trip.

The focal point of this mountain bike adventure is, without doubt, the massive Aletsch Glacier, after which the ‘Glaciaria’ Stoneman is named. Standing atop the Moosfluh summit, you gaze upon endless ice masses below which are deeply impressive and humbling, give you an unforgettable impression to take home with you.

But that's not all, of course. You’ll work up a sweat on gruelling climbs to make your brakes burn on miles of downhill runs. Along the route, you’ll enjoy breathtaking views as well as the cosy atmosphere of an idyllic mountain village where you’ll find shops and refreshments.

The Stoneman Glaciaria is the perfect mix of challenging bike action and rugged mountain scenery. With enough planning and safety precautions, you can embark on this adventure with a basic fitness level.

The Stoneman is neither an event nor a race, but it is still a challenge. There are various stamping points, mostly at beautiful locations, to motivate you to keep going and push further. It is entirely up to you how big the challenge is. You can, of course, also ride the Tour without a stamp card or only complete sections of the route. Hardened bikers can complete the route in one day – but that’s tough. Completing the route in two days is also possible if you are quite sporty. With three days, you can really relax, which is why I’ve divided the route into three stages for this Collection.

To make it as easy as possible to plan your overnight stays, I have planned the stages so that they always start and end in the town of Fiesch. Of course, you can also find accommodation as you go and tackle the whole thing in bikepacking mode, but that requires more planning. You will also have to transport your luggage yourself or arrange for luggage transport. The three Tours in this Collection work best over a long weekend: If you arrive by noon on Friday, you can easily manage stage 1 in a full day of biking on Saturday, while stage 3 is a relaxed day on Sunday morning, so you can start your journey home without any stress.

And how can you take on this adventure without a car? It’s very simple. The entire Aletsch Arena is accessible by public transport, which includes not only the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, but also the mountain railways that take you up into the partly car-free mountain villages. The Aletsch Arena itself can be reached quickly and easily from Germany via Basel, Bern and Brig. If you don't want to take your bike with you on the train, you can rent high-quality MTBs in bike shops when you arrive. Many hosts are also well prepared for bikers – there are even 20 Stoneman-Logis partners along the route who will take particularly good care of you.

You can find more information about the Stoneman Tour and accommodation here: stoneman-glaciara.com. There you can also book your starter package with lots of information and your personal stamp card.

I wish you lots of fun in the wonderful realm of glaciers!