Thomas Kessler Visuals
Finding Heidi and Peter — run on Switzerland’s Pizol mountain
Running Collection by Pizolbahnen AG
10
Tours
23:11 h
88.9 mi
27,575 ft
Your pulse rises, your breath quickens and your legs burn. Trail running is tough, especially in alpine terrain. In return, you will be rewarded with magnificent views that are even more beautiful when you earn them with your own calf power. In this Collection, we present ten varied running routes on the Pizol mountain in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen.
The Pizol area belongs to the popular holiday region of Heidiland and has true mountain grandeur. It’s so evocative of the classic books that you half expect to see Heidi and Peter skipping across the alpine meadows. But it's not the characters from the well-known books that whiz along the paths. This is your domain now.
In keeping with the Heidi theme, the various trails are named after the characters in the stories. You run in the footsteps of Heidi, Peter and Heidi’s grandfather Alpöhi through the fabulous, picturebook landscape. The starting point for the Heidi trails is the mountain station of the Bad Ragaz cable car while the Peter routes start from the Wangs cable car. Alpöhi, meanwhile, welcomes you to his running trails on the Pizol plateau at the Laufböden station.
To ensure that both beginners and experienced runners get their money's worth, we’ve selected three Tours with different levels of difficulty for you. This way you can adjust your training workload and gradually approach greater challenges. You can expect varied trails and sometimes tough climbs but your effort will be rewarded with fantastic views of the surrounding mountains, the St. Gallen Rhine Valley and Lake Constance. Numerous picturesque mountain lakes turn it into an all-round package.
If you want even more, you can take up Fräulein Rottenmeier’s challenge. One route is dedicated to the strict housekeeper from the Heidi books: a 70-kilometre ultra-trail with almost 4,000 metres (13,100 ft) of elevation gain to master. Definitely no walk in the park, but a runner's high of the grandest order.
On The Map
Tours & Highlights
- 00:332.66 mi4.9 mph775 ft775 ftExpertExpert run. Good fitness required. Sure-footedness, sturdy shoes and alpine experience required.
Are you still new to trail running or do you want to warm up first? Then this trail is ideal for you. The entrance is relatively steep, but short. Then you run through the landscape on relaxed terrain. On the way you will be accompanied by fantastic views of the Rhine Valley - it's a lot easier that…
- 00:584.75 mi4.9 mph1,175 ft1,150 ftExpertExpert run. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Some sure footedness required.
Not too much, but not too little either - this almost eight kilometer long trail offers you a perfect mix of exertion and moderate running. So it is ideal for newbies as well as experienced runners. The route starts at the Pardiel mountain station at an altitude of 1,619 meters.
At the beginning you warm…
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- 01:557.72 mi4.0 mph2,500 ft2,500 ftExpertExpert run. Very good fitness required. Sure-footedness, sturdy shoes and alpine experience required.
On this twelve-kilometer loop, you will run through the best of the Bad Ragaz side of the Pizol. Fantastic views and crystal clear mountain lakes make your run particularly beautiful and reward you for your exertions. Because with its almost 800 meters of altitude, the trail is not without it. Should…
- 00:151.48 mi6.0 mph300 ft325 ftIntermediateIntermediate run. Great for any fitness level. Mostly accessible paths. Some sure footedness required.
Where Peter in the Heide books was tending his goats, you can explore the area today at a run. This two-kilometer trail is ideal for runners who are alpine for the first time. True to the motto: short and crappy. The route does not present you with any major challenges, but offers you a varied run with…
- 02:047.22 mi3.5 mph2,500 ft2,500 ftExpertExpert run. Very good fitness required. Sure-footedness, sturdy shoes and alpine experience required.
The almost twelve kilometer long trail with its 740 meters of altitude will keep you on your toes. At the beginning you warm up with a slight up and down before the steep ascent to the Garmil begins. It's a good three kilometers uphill, which really gets your circulation going. Once at the top, you will…
- 03:2912.7 mi3.6 mph4,625 ft4,625 ftExpertExpert run. Very good fitness required. Sure-footedness, sturdy shoes and alpine experience required.
You want more? Experienced trail runners get their money's worth on Peter's Long Trail. The 20 kilometer long path combines the most beautiful natural experiences on the Wangs side of the Pizol in one round - which is quite a challenge with more than 1,400 meters of altitude. To get in the mood for the…
- 00:201.78 mi5.4 mph200 ft200 ftExpertExpert run. Great for any fitness level. Sure-footedness, sturdy shoes and alpine experience required.
The Alpöhi was probably much slower in the mountains than you. But Heidi's grandpa was definitely a real mountain fanatic in his younger years. Reason enough to follow in his footsteps and discover the mountains around Laufböden. The gondola will take you up to the starting point. In Bad Ragaz, take…
- 00:352.28 mi4.0 mph650 ft650 ftExpertExpert run. Good fitness required. Sure-footedness, sturdy shoes and alpine experience required.
Ascents: moderate, technical challenges: medium, panorama: outstanding. This almost four-kilometer lap is ideal for newbies to running who want to improve or for experienced runners for a short training session. It starts at the Laufböden mountain station. From Bad Ragaz you first take the gondola to…
- 01:426.17 mi3.6 mph2,025 ft2,050 ftExpertExpert run. Very good fitness required. Sure-footedness, sturdy shoes and alpine experience required.
On the almost ten kilometer long Alpöhis Long Trail there is the complete package for passionate trail runners: You run over different surfaces, master one or the other ascent and enjoy the wonderful mountain world around Laufböden. What more do you need for a runner's high? The tour starts at the Laufb…
- 11:2042.1 mi3.7 mph12,875 ft12,875 ftExpertExpert run. Very good fitness required. Sure-footedness, sturdy shoes and alpine experience required.
Anyone who knows the Heidi books knows: It's not good to eat cherries with the strict Fraulein Rottenmeier. So it's no wonder, the Rottenemeier's Ultra Trail is probably only for the toughest runners. A full 70 kilometers and almost 4,000 meters in altitude need to be mastered. After all, you will discover…
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Collection Stats
- Tours10
- Distance88.9 mi
- Duration23:11 h
- Elevation27,575 ft
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