Cloud Hosting

As our van ascends higher and higher up the narrow mountain road of the Niederhorn, a peak overlooking picturesque Interlaken, Switzerland, I spot them: colourful crescents riding the valleys air currents, gliding against the spectacular backdrop of the Bernese Alps, including its most famous threesome, the snow-covered Eiger, Mnch and Jungfrau.

My heart moves a few inches higher into my throat. Soon I will be among them, paragliding nearly 1,500 metres above the town, chalets and lakes flying like a bird, albeit one strapped into a tandem harness with my local pilot, Sebastien Bourquin.

While Bourquin prepares our equipment for the short run down the slope to inflate the wing, I try to remember how I got here. As a 50-something woman with vertigo and a lifelong fear of heights, paragliding seems, well, a bit wild, if not downright ludicrous. Perhaps my recent, enthusiastic consumption of melted raclette cheese and fortifying kirsch had gone to my head.

But the truth is, Im here in Switzerland intent on taking myself out of my comfort zone. Pre-pandemic, I was an average adventurer, happy to hike on marked trails and ski inbounds. But after so many months of limited thrills, Im eager to live each day to its fullest again. I want to feel the joy, pain and transformative power of pushing my mind and body beyond old limits.

Switzerland strikes me as the perfect place to test my boundaries. Despite its relatively small size, the country brims with outdoor excitement, including hiking on alpine glaciers, catching first tracks at the many ski resorts, and paragliding above charming mountain villages. There is no shortage of soft and hard adventure for travellers of all styles and ages.

We can thank 19th-century British mountaineers (and their local guides) for revealing the beauty of Switzerland to the world. The legacy of their successful summits of iconic peaks like the Jungfrau inspiring a rush of Belle poque visitors, including Queen Victoria opened the country to travellers keen to discover the grandeur of the landscape.

Fortunately, visitors dont have to submit to the rigours of extreme mountain climbing to enjoy the wide variety of outdoor experiences, which are easily accessible in each of Switzerlands 26 cantons.

The country is home to more than 65,000 kilometres of marked hiking trails, and on past trips Ive done my share of the scenic mountain walks, which I found neither too difficult or intimidating. Im ready for a more ambitious challenge, and this time my plan entails embarking on a practically vertical ascent, walking on an alpine glacier and taking to the skies in a paraglider.

Things start poorly. A swollen knee prevents me from tackling a via ferrata named Diavolo, outside Andermatt. Built by Swiss Army soldiers at the crossroads of four mountain passes, this devilish iron path ascends nearly 500 metres up the granite face of the Schllenen, overlooking its famous gorge and Devils Bridge. The Diavolo is categorized as moderately difficult, yet somehow also ideal for beginners, but my knee is in no shape to mount the 265 metal stakes on this foggy fall day.

Fortunately, all I need are a few days of rest, in preparation for my glacier hike above the idyllic alpine village of Saas-Fee. Located in the Valais canton and surrounded by snow-covered, 4,000-metre peaks, this pedestrian-only community is a mecca for outdoor adventure in all seasons, including walking on the Fee Glacier.

As with many glaciers in the Alps, the ice sheet is retreating. I can hear water running below me as our small group of roped hikers navigates the blindingly white surface. I do well on the wide, flat portions of our walk, but the narrow ledges that drop into crevasses on either side have me gripping my poles with sweaty palms.

I carefully plant each crampon-booted foot one after the other until our mountain guide stops. A two-foot-wide crevasse looms ahead, and Im suddenly rooted in place, unsure of what to do next. Its obvious we have to cross the yawning gap, but fear has me almost hyperventilating.

Put your pole on the other side of the crevasse, then take a big step across, instructs Michael Schwarzl, an Austrian whos been guiding in Saas-Fee for nearly 25 years. And breathe normally, he adds sensibly, a reminder I need.

I repeat an inner monologue to muster up my nerve I can do this, Im not going to fall and do as he says. As I peer into the indeterminate depths of the crevasse, I see the bright turquoise ice change to a stark black abyss. My metal crampons dig into the ancient glacier to secure a foothold. With a sigh of relief, I happily accept Schwarzls hand as he pulls me to safety across the way.

An hour later, at a mountaintop restaurant, we toast our triumph over cliff edges and deep, dark places. My crevasse-crossing experience isnt, however, the boldest part of my Swiss itinerary. The most intimidating of my planned adventures awaits: paragliding in the skies above Interlaken.

Interlaken bills itself as Europes number one destination for adventure sports, and in every season, the sky is filled with single and tandem paragliders winging their way toward a soft landing on the grassy Hhematte Park in the middle of town.

Thats our flight plan, too. As Bourquin tightens my straps and checks the harness, I tamp down my apprehension and smile nervously. Ready? he asks in French. Oui, I respond, still trying to convince myself. We start running downhill, and as the wing catches the wind, in an instant, were aloft.

Settling into our seated position in the harness, all I need to do is sit back and enjoy the flight which, to my surprise, I greatly do. The sensation of soaring above the deep blue lakes and church steeples of Interlaken is gentler than I imagined yet breathtaking.

As the lifting currents pull us upward in large circles above the town, Im giddy with the wonder of flight. After 10 minutes, my reverie is broken when Bourquin asks if I want to land or continue.

Any hesitation has vanished in thin air. Lets keep going, I shout happily. I want more of this freedom, this release from fear that all my epic adventures in Switzerland have granted me.

Writer Claudia Laroye travelled as a guest of Switzerland Tourism, which did not review or approve this article. The federal government recommends Canadians avoid non-essential travel. This article is meant to inspire plans for future travel.

Follow this link:
In search of adventure, I headed to Switzerland to hike a glacier and paraglide never mind my lifelong fear of heights - Toronto Star