The Great Outdoors: Geneva, Switzerland

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The Great Outdoors: Geneva, Switzerland

Switzerland offers a wide range of outdoor activities including skiing, hiking, cycling, watersports, fishing, hang gliding, ballooning, sailing and canyoning. 

A few of the more popular are listed below.

• Most Tourist Offices have information brochures in English and several have websites with details on activities in each area. 
• Before you head out to the mountains you may want to check the weather 

Skiing & Snowboarding 

The ski season generally runs between December and April in most resorts and from November to May in more high-altitude resorts (over 2000m).

• See AngloINFO INFOrmation Page Winter & Mountain Sports in & Around Geneva

Hiking & Mountaineering 

There is a dense network of footpaths - some 50,000 Km of trails - meticulously signposted with numerous mountain huts or restaurants. The restaurants often close in October for winter.

The alpine hiking seasons generally runs from mid-June through mid-September. Snow may still be lying at the higher elevations earlier in the year and early snowstorms being possible when hiking later in the season. 

At lower elevations and on the south side of the Alps, the hiking season begins in May and continues through October. Many winter resorts keep a few hiking trails open for walkers throughout winter.

Signposts on hiking trails are divided into three categories: 

• yellow for normal hiking routes, 
• white/red for routes in the mountains and 
• white/blue for alpine routes.

Hiking areas include:

• The Berner Oberland (one of Switzerland's most popular regions): Most hikers gravitate to the Jungfrau district around Interlaken. There are hotels and hostels in every price range, hiking distances are short, and there is an excellent network of cogwheel trains, funiculars, cable cars, and other transport make it easy to reach spectacular scenery.
• The Valais (Wallis in German): Tends to be drier than the Oberland.
• Graubünden and the Engadine district: Popular for its beautiful scenery and accessible mountain trails. Ibex, chamois, and other wild animals can be seen in the Swiss National Park.
• Eastern Switzerland: Good for easy walks. Paths lead through pretty hills and valleys, distances are short and there is public transport in the area.
• Ticino (the Italian-speaking canton): Many hiking trails.

Contact:

• The Federation of Swiss Hiking Trails (Schweizer Wanderwege or Federation Suisse de Tourisme Pedestre) 
  At: Im Hirshalm 49, CH-4125 Riehen. 
  Tel: +41 (0)61 606 93 40
  Website (In German and French)
• Website Walking Switzerland provides information on walks in Switzerland with descriptions, maps and photos.
• See also websites Switzerland Flexi Tours and Slowtrav.com

Mountaineering

Mountaineering and rock climbing information is available from the Swiss Alpine Club (Schweizer Alpen-Club or Club Alpin Suisse/SAC) 

• Swiss Alpine Club
  At: MonbijouStr 61, Postfach, CG-3000, Berne 23 
  Tel: +41 (0)31 370 18 18
  Website

Helicopter air-rescue 

Rega (Swiss Air-Rescue) provides 24 hour emergency medical assistance via helicopter throughout Switzerland and its mountainous areas.

In the event of a mountain emergency: Contact the rescue services. Provide clear information on accident/emergency location. If there is no telephone reception for a mobile cellular phone, help may be available at the nearest mountain hut. 

Do not wave to helicopters unless help is needed. If help is needed, wave using both arms so that the body forms a "Y" shape. 

• Rega - Tel: 1414 
• By radio on 161.300 MHz
• Calling from a mobile cellular phone use the Pan-European emergency number Tel: 122
• Rega website

Hiking maps

Swisstopo (Swiss Federal Office of Topography) produce topographical maps on seven different scales. Hiking maps are published on the scale 1:50.000 and include information about which routes are good to walk. They also have information on public transport. 

They are published in collaboration with Swisshiking.

• Swisstopo website (in English). Maps can be bought online.

Cycling

Cycling in Switzerland is at its best from spring through to autumn. 

Switzerland has a well-planned national cycling network with nine interconnecting routes with a total length of more than 3,000 Km. Roads, which are for the most part tarred and low in traffic, pass through landscapes, villages and towns, alongside lakes, over high passes and through alpine valleys. 

Bikes can be hired in most towns as well as from over 150 Swiss railway stations. The Swiss railways (SBB) offers many special cycling tours and trips (brochures are available at railway stations) and bikes rented can be returned to any other participating station.

Contact:

• Cycling in Switzerland Foundation
  At: c/o Swiss Tourism Association, P.O. Box 8275, Finkenhubelweg 11, CH 3001 Berne
  Tel: +41(0) 31 307 47 40, Fax ++41(0) 31 307 47 48
  e-mail
  Website
• See also websites My Switzerland.com and adv-cycling.org

Caravanning & Camping 

Switzerland has about 450 camping and caravan parks with a range of amenities. Many are open all year round. 

Permission is required to camp on private property and campers must have an international camping card (carnet). This camping card is usually available from Swiss camping associations and motoring associations (including the the AAA and RAC in Britain and the American Automobile Association and Canadian Automobile Association). It serves as an identification document at campsites and provides Third Party insurance when camping.

Contact:

• Swiss Camping and Caravanning Federation (Verband Schweizer Campings or Federation Suisse de Camping et de Caravanning)
  At: Banhofstrasse 2, Postfach 3322 Schonbuhl 
  Tel: +41 (0)31 852 0626

Further information online:

• Camping.ch
• Camping Switzerland
• Swiss Tourist Offices and the Touring Club Suisse (TCS) publish lists of camp sites and other information.

Swiss National Park 

The Swiss National Park is a nature reserve in the eastern corner of Switzerland and is the largest protected area in the country with fauna and flora protected from any human interference and left to their natural development. It offers accommodation, shops, nature trails and guided walks.

At the moment it is the country's only national park, though more are being planned.

• For more information, see the website