The warm-up is brief, the pleasure of the descent lasts an appealingly long time and above all, it’s huge. The toboggan run that descends to the village of Jaun features some vertiginous stretches and offers a magnificent panoramic view over the Bäderhorn, the Hochmatt, the plain leading to the village of Charmey and on to the Jura mountains.
SwitzerlandMobility: route 601
Jaun: Bergstation Musersbergli-Talstation Fussmatta
A simple hike up to the panoramic viewing area is always charming. The view over the Chörblispitz, Combiflue, Schopfenspitz and Maischüpfen peaks is breathtaking, just like the one over the Gastlosen massif, with its razor-sharp peaks such as the Grossmutterloch. The limestone walls appeared there 160 million years ago, on a carbonate platform similar to the Bahamas we know today. They began to rise up 30 million years ago. The Gastlosen chain, also known as the “Swiss Dolomites”, extends for over 15 kilometres and is included in the inventory of geotopes of national significance.
The view now extends from the impressive ridges to the steep descent. The first part twists and turns as far as the Grossmuttersprung. Glide round the first S-shaped bend and then follow the winding trail through the forest as far as the refreshment stop at Les Sattels before heading on to the Gross Rüggli. At this point, you need to walk for a short distance. The bends start to get tighter again. Then work your way through the undergrowth to the bridge and cross the Sattelbach to reach your destination. The downhill station on the Gastlosenexpress is accessible on foot from the toboggan run.
If you arrive in Jaun at the right time, you might just be lucky enough to witness a particularly spectacular light show. The sun sometimes shines through the Grossmutterloch in the Gastlosen during the winter months and is visible from various points on the toboggan run (Chli Sattel, Gross Rüggli or Schattenhalb). The phenomenon lasts no more than half an hour each time.
Start : 1580 m
Finisch : 1050 m
Properties of the itinerarie
Difficulty: Moderately difficult
Distance: 6 km
Ascent/Descent: +104m / -630m
Altitude min./max.: 1042m / 1582m
