Oh, The Pain: Gear Testing in Switzerland

BACKPACKER editors put the year's best gear through its paces with the finest Swiss cheese, sausages, beer, and—oh yeah—hiking

Backpacking in Switzerland's Grindelwald region—probably boring.

Set your jealousy detectors to overload: Last week, BACKPACKER editors jumped the pond to test all the latest n' greatest gear you (and me) haven't even seen yet in the land of Alpinism's birth—Switzerland! Of course, Der Schweiz offers much more than chocolate, cheese, and neutrality. Miles and miles of skyscraping mountains, tumbling glaciers, and rugged trail in the Grindelwald region ensured a perfect testing ground for our crew to determine which pieces of gear will win next year's coveted Editors' Choice Awards.

All of which couldn't stop our fearless, globe-trotting editors from sampling the finest in said cheese and chocolate, plus buckets of beer, sausage, and pretty much every other gourmet pleasure you can imagine—they just packed it in with them. Herewith, impressions from our editors on the Swiss backpacking experience:

A totally boring and lame Swiss glacier.

Jonathan Dorn, editor-in-chief: "I thought I was all set to retire on the south island of New Zealand, but the beauty of the high Alps and serenity of Swiss living has me rethinking that plan. Maybe I’ll split the year between both places – assuming I win the Superball and can afford the real estate."

Shannon Davis, associate editor: "We ate the best bread, sausage, and cheese ever right next to The Eiger. Good god, so awesome."

Kristin Hostetter tests a boring tent in a boring alpine valley.

Kristin Hostetter, gear editor: "An all-around, freakin' amazing trip. The weather gods blessed us with bluebird skies, which allowed us to eat up around 110 miles and 70,000 feet of vertical gain and loss over the course of six hiking days. The shining, jagged peaks had us ogling at every turn in the trail. The cheese, the chocolate, and the crisp German beer fueled our bodies and souls. Out of the dozen or so editorial trips I've been lucky enough to be a part of, this one ranks right up there at the summit."

Kelly Bastone, contributing editor: "Here in the U.S., you know your trail is approaching a town when you start to hear car engines—but in the Alps, your cue is the sound of cowbells, which are way prettier!

My fave piece of gear? My trusty headlamp. Doing 11 to 17-mile days through big, big mountains, we simply ran out of daylight, and always hiked until after dark. Sometimes it’s the little things that help you git ‘er done."

Anthony Cerretani, Online Editor: "You haven’t lived until you’ve knocked off over 40 miles weaving in and around snowcapped peaks, spent Halloween at the base of the Eiger, and capped it all off with the best fondue known to man. The Swiss have it dialed." 

Shannon Davis, associate editor, again: "This was such an awesome trip that everyone I know who wasn’t along wants to punch me in the face. I’ve been home now for 1.6 days, and my wife has just started talking to me again. I think my eternally happy Black Lab was even a little down about not being a Bernese Mountain Dog. That’s the level of envy that my pictures of this alpine wonderland are triggering. I’m going to take some German language classes and beg Dorn to let me open a Swiss office. For backpacking (and easy-access mountaineering and mood-enhancing fondue), you cannot beat Switzerland. Might as well try to join it."

Boring sausage, boring bread, boring cheese—all part of a boring Swiss picnic next to the lame Eiger, whatever that is.

Wait, what happened?! I can't see anything! Everything looks green...with envy. And it's only going to get worse when the Gear Guide hits stands in April 2010...

—Ted Alvarez

Want more Switzerland? Click on the gallery below to view more of Rocky Mountain Editor Steve Howe's killer shots.