[Removed user]

16 January 2019 at 1:20:01 #819506

Hi guys,

We will be in Jungfrau area on the second week of October. We’re thinking about staying one night (at a hotel) on First so that we can photograph lake Bachalpsee at night (as well as sunrise & sunset). FYI, we aren’t active bikers. Below is our plan.

“Leave most luggage at another hotel in the village, pack light and take the train to Grindelwald. Arrive in Grindelwald in the mid afternoon. Rent the bikes and take the gondola lift to First. Drop off the luggage at the hotel & check-in. Ride to lake Bachalpsee before sunset. Have dinner there (pre-packed food). Bike back to the hotel at around 9:00-10:00 pm. At dawn, bike to the lake again for the sunrise then back to the hotel. It may also be a good time to walk on the Cliff Walk. In the late morning, bike to Grindelwald via Waldspitz”. Our biking routes are 1 – 4a – 19 – 13 & 15 (from First to Grindelwald).

We are still between the only two hotel options. The hotel at First station is convenient to drop off luggage & the path to the lake seems be easy (route 1, we just guess by looking at some photos & video clips that partially showed the path), but the hotel may be well lit at night (& we prefer to just stand outside and be able to see the starlit sky. But again, we will be able to do so at the lake). The hotel in Waldspitz, in that perspective, seems be more appealing to us but we don’t know how easy the path (route 4a) is, at night, to get to the lake & back.

Do you think both paths (1 & 4a) won’t be difficult to bike at night with low visibility? Which path is closer & easier?

I understand that the weather on the mountain is unpredictable but how is it usually on First in mid-Oct? Will there be snow sometimes, especially at night? What are the average temperatures? What is the chance of having clear sky?

(silly question but) Are there any bears, wolves or lynxes living in that area?

I saw in some photos that there are staircases here and there on the path from Waldspitz to Bort. Is the whole path like that or just some parts?

We’ll travel to Switzerland from Germany, so we will have Eurail Pass instead of Swiss Pass or other passes offered in Switzerland. Do you know if we can get discounts on the gondola lift & other activities on First?

Thanks a lot,

[Snowman]

16 January 2019 at 21:27:24 #902251

Hi Angsz, and welcome to MySwissAlps,

Your post raises some questions.

” Leave most luggage at another hotel in the village, … and take the train to Grindelwald ” What “village” are you talking about. Grindelwald itself is a village…? Btw you can put luggage in storage at Grindelwald train station (locker boxes and staffed luggage room).

” Our biking routes are 1 – 4a – 19 – 13 & 15 ” Where can I find out what these numbered routes are?

I will not answer the question on route easiness. Your project entails some danger, but that is entirely your responsibliity. On the other hand, you may assume that you will not see any dangerous wild animal.

I know the area and have hiked myself from First to Bachalpsee and further, pulling a sleigh. It was winter and the condition of the trail itself could not be assessed.

The lake is located at 2266 m above sea level, First at 2165 m and Waldspitz at 1897 m. Snow is quite possible there in October.

October is also a time when innkeapers take their vacation, and possibly gondolas get major maintenance. You should get confirmation that the guest houses at First and/or Waldspitz are opened at the time of your trip.

[Removed user]

16 January 2019 at 22:29:53 #902252

Hi snowman,

We will stay in Wengen and then come back to Wengen after the overnight stay in First. We saw the route numbers on this brochure:

http://www.jungfrau.ch/filead min/Prospekte_und_Bros chueren/Grindelwald-First_Prospekt.pdf

Thanks for your point about people taking vacation and the gondola maintenance in October. Actually, we were in Wengen in Oct last year and the week we stayed there was also the last week that the hotel operated, they closed the following week to prepare for the winter. So we’re gonna make sure that we’ll ask the hotels on First if they operate during our time there.

Also thanks for your information about the elevation of those places. It seems be better for us to stay in First if we can make this overnight stay happen.

FYI, we’ll bike at night with headlights/flash lights. We just aren’t sure about the road condition (how difficult it would be) & if it snows, it may be icy & slippery/dangerous.

[Arno]

16 January 2019 at 22:49:59 #902253

Hi Angsz,

Mountain trails are to be avoided at night. You won’t see anything so it would be dangerous with rocks and other obstacles. I’d recommend to do the sunset and sunrise photography from the vicinity of the guesthouse. There is a hotel at the Faulhorn as well that might be interesting, if it’s still open in October.

[Removed user]

17 January 2019 at 0:25:13 #902254

Thanks, Arno. I forgot to mention that we will bike with head lights and/or flash lights (we have a few flash lights that are more powerful than the regular ones). On the night we plan to stay, there will be waxing gibbous moon of 95.7%. I wonder if those will help or do you think it should still be avoided. This is our first time in the area so advice from experts like you guys is a big help. Thanks a lot!

P.S. The mountain lodge on Faulhorn looks amazing (images on Google)!

[Arno]

17 January 2019 at 10:11:29 #902255

Hi Angszm,

Personally I think it’s risky, but you could ask the staff of the hostel at First what they think. That’s also the place to stay the night for this plan, as the trail from there to the lake is easy (during day time). It will be more difficult and thus risky from other places like Waldspitz.

[Removed user]

17 January 2019 at 20:23:16 #902256

Thanks again, Arno. I sent an email to the hotel on First and received their response. I’ll also send an email to the bike rental shops in Grindelwald. We’ll look more into this plan and see if it’s still worth it. If not, perhaps, we’ll just stay in Wengen and make the day trips to elsewhere or consider a night on Faulhorn 🙂

Also, thanks for your great work & the forum community, we found many helpful information here for our trip to Switzerland last year.

[Arno]

18 January 2019 at 9:35:19 #902257

You’re very welcome Angsz! Once you’re back, a trip report would be most appreciated if possible: http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/tripreports.

[Removed user]

19 January 2019 at 3:19:22 #902258

Although I’m not good at describing things, I’ll try to do that after the trip 🙂