Over the Albinen ladders from Leukerbad to Albinen

The highlight of the hike is traversing the eight wooden ladders that served to overcome the once only connection between Albinen and Leukerbad. In Albinen, you will find one of the typical Valais villages with traditional sun-darkened chalets. The two-hour hike from Leukerbad to Albinen is only suitable for hikers who are free from vertigo.

The hike begins in the village of Leukerbad, which you leave heading south. Through the Lochwald forest, the hike leads to the start of the adventurous passage over the Albinen ladders. The ladders were formerly the only connection between Leukerbad and Albinen. Primarily agricultural goods were transported over the preserved ladders. It is not proven but likely that the ladders were a continuation of the Gemmi crossing from the Kandertal to the Rhone valley.

The ladders overcome a height difference of around 100 meters and end at the valley station of the Flaschen-Torrentalp gondola. The restaurant Flaschen also invites you for a short refreshment break.

Afterwards, the path leads partially through the forest, partially over fields and meadows above the hamlet Dorben towards Albinen. Albinen is a typical mountain village with numerous well-preserved Valais mountain farmhouses and barns. Only the village church was built in a modern style, as it was destroyed by an earthquake. The population lived mostly self-sufficiently until the 20th century. The access road was only built in the 1960s.

The careful use of the ground has led to an extremely dense development. Because the gable ends of all homes face the valley, the external appearance of the village has remarkable uniformity and belongs to nationally significant village images.

From Albinen, the hike can either continue towards the two mountain villages Guttet-Feschel and Erschmatt or return to Leukerbad. To avoid retracing the same return path, the described route leads back via Torrentalp to the spa village. Via another adventurous descent, the Wolfstritt, you reach the village of Leukerbad again.

Highlights of the hike:

• The adventurous Albinen ladders, originally the only connection between Leukerbad and Albinen.
• The original mountain village Albinen with its well-preserved wooden houses from the 17th and 18th centuries.