Chäserrugg – New mountain restaurant on the Churfirsten range

On Chäserrugg, the easternmost of the seven peaks that make up the Churfirsten range, since very recently shines the newest structure by Basel star architects Herzog & De Meuron: a mountain restaurant of colossal but elegant dimensions! We took its measure.

Following the recent wine walking tour along the shores of the Walensee (Walen Lake), this time we tested the red Mammut hiking boots at an altitude some 1,800 meters higher: Departing from the valley station of the Iltios incline train in Unterwasser at 900 meters MASL, we hiked via Klangwelten by Schwendisee to the handy mountain station at 1,339 MASL. From there we let ourselves be hauled by cable car to the top of Chäserrugg mountain. Up to a fairly airy 2,262 MASL.

Here, a vertiginous view  of the Walensee and the Flums Mountains spreads out before the fearless hiker. But, since after the first hiking segment we already felt first hunger pangs, we put off the sightseeing until later and made a beeline for the new mountain restaurant.

The summit station awaits the hiker or skier with lots of wood: A fan-like wooden plank curtain protects guests against the wind and weather and leads to the entry of the roughly 50-meter long restaurant. The interior is done in Swiss pine and looks very noble even with the floor being left “only” rough-finished. The elegant ceiling light fixtures hang in unbelievably exact arrays from their individual lamp cords: they all hang at exactly the same height!

The restaurant is split between a self-service area and a full-service restaurant. There you can either dine in the big main room or in one of the eating niches each with its own window and view of the Obertoggenburg. As long as thick fog doesn’t happen to block the view, of course…

The Swiss steak nevertheless tasted great! Incidentally, the niches hold up to eight people depending on what they carry in the way of backpacks, etc.

Refreshed and fortified, we then  set out on an exploration of the new architectural masterpiece. That the pea souper fog had second thoughts in the meantime and decided to lift just made the thing more spectacular: Sitting on concrete strip footings, the stretched-out sun terrace runs along the building’s entire length. Above it, a tin roof that glistens when the sun shines connects the new restaurant building with the old cable car summit station. When the weather is nice, hikers bask in the sunshine on the big front steps and listen to a fitting Alphorn concert…

Panorama circle trail and Blumenweg

Very conveniently, on the Chäserrugg you will find the Rosenboden, a sweeping high plateau. The signposted Blumenweg through it (“flower trail”), all of 3 km long with just 60 meters of height differential, is ideal for doing an easy digestive walk. Besides the mentioned view, not infrequently you get to see ibex. They rest majestically on rocky outcrops and occasionally scratch their backs with their horns. Spa treatment for the upper classes, you might say…

Hiking with Mammut

As mentioned at the start, we were under way with Mammut gear, because we were testing the hiking shoes: After a (problem-free) 20-kilometer hike from Sagogn to the Caumasee and back, this time around we tried out their wearing comfort at altitude in the thin air of the Churfirsten, knocking off the kilometers but content to run the test at the lower end of the stress profile…

Our conclusion: even in the thin air, the shoes breathe away comfortably and without making a sound!

And here base jumper Jeb Corliss shows us how to come down from Chäserrugg in style. You can talk the talk, but, in this case. we recommend: don’t walk the walk!