Erstfeld to Bristen in Canton Uri (two more cable cars)

Sunday Aug.4, 2019 -- A good day to revisit a hike we actually tried about a year ago, one that includes another two cable cars to check off our inventory list... but last time we tried, we got to the little shed in Erstfeld on a Wednesday only to find out the cable car operates only on weekends and holidays.

The Erstfeld-Schwandi cableway was originally built in 1915 (one of the oldest in Canton Uri) to transport goods to the Oberschwandi Alp 600m almost vertically above the Reuss Valley (no road access to date). As with many of these private cable cars, they were built to access only a couple of farms usually, and maybe a restaurant nearby. For 80 years a lady named Marie Furrer operated this cable-way, the longest career cable-way operator in Switzerland, who died at 96 years of age in 2015. The cable-car (new and improved) is now operated by a group of volunteers who have a history with the cable car, and that is why it only runs on weekends.

As is the case with most of these, you have to call them when you get there, from a rather unassuming wooden shed smack dab in the center of a residential area, so they can whip over from their farmhouses high up on the plateau to operate the motor to bring you up.

From the Oberschwandi farm, after buying a half-wheel of garlic cheese and drinks from the little kiosk they operate for the hikers, we set off on our 3.5-hour hike toward Waldiberg, a sunny plateau further South at the entrance to the popular Maderanertal Valley above Bristen. A small section of this trail we have done before, but most of it was new, and most of it was challenging but very interesting: narrow trails barely cleared, through mossy forests and across open avalanche couloirs with the most fantastic backdrop of pinnacled outcroppings. And over and over an everchanging view to the flat Reuss Valley far below. 

The cable-car in Waldiberg (built in 1979) enjoys a special standing in the inventory of Swiss Cable cars, as it is the first fully-automated cable-car (coin-operated) built by Niederberger, one of the largest Swiss cable-car manufacturers (since 1881) of small cable cars. 

You wait for the cable car in this unassuming shed, and using the phone on the wall, call up for an operator

This is not the original 1915 cable car. This one was built in 1989 and costs 25,000 SFr. per year for upkeep.

I am thoroughly enjoying riding all of these various tiny cable cars....

Watching the cable car head down again. In the background is the beautiful Erstfeld Valley, which we have also walked in and out of a couple of years ago. 

This is the upper station of the Erstfeld Schwandi cable car. The farm here is called Oberschwandi

The farmers here have set up a small self-serve kiosk for hikers to buy cheese, drinks and coffee before starting on the hike. We bought a small half-wheel of garlic cheese which we pretty well polished off for our lunch later on. 

 

Our 3.5-hour hike from Oberschwandi to Waldiberg was a pleasant trail the first hour (to the now no-longer operating Strängmatt restaurant), then another 90 minutes over a rather narrow and sometimes tricky trail across a couple of avalanche couloirs where you have to watch for falling rock. The last part was through some very old forest overgrown with moss, and my favourite part of the hike (other than the views)

The trail follows the base of these vertical cliffs called the Chilcherbergen 

The first part of the hike was along fairly comfortable meadow and forest trails

All along the way were views South (as in this case) and North along the Reusstal Valley. The prominent mountain in the background is called Mount Bristen. 

 

Here at this spot used to be a large popular mountain restaurant and hostel (Hotel Strängmatt), but it was sold many years ago and no longer continued as a restaurant.

This is where we stopped for a mid-morning snack, at the former Strängmatt Restaurant, and tried out our garlic cheese and marveled at how blessed we are to be able to experience this.

Soon after the break we started on the tricky part of the hike, with a crossing of a couple of avalanche couloirs, including this large one (Oefital). We were amazed to see all those houses on this steep hillside! There are no cows here in summer, but they do harvest the hay

In the avalanche couloirs (they warn you that no loitering is allowed here, due to falling rocks) you can see the pinnacles of the Chilcherbergen

In many places the trail was very narrow and sometimes tricky, but there are always places to stop and admire the view, this time to the North. That is the Reuss River below, flowing through Erstfeld

Usually there are cables to hold on to if the ground plummets like this

After 90 minutes of tricky trail that required some concentration we came to another open alpine pasture called Kilcherbergen, which also has its own cable car, one that we have traveled with twice already. 

Here at Kilcherbergen we ate the rest of our cheese and admired the view North again, always changing just a little bit.

The small cable car at Kilcherbergen. On this trip we passed above it. 

A very nice suspension bridge near Kilcherbergen

After crossing a forested section we discovered this large narrow vertical ridge which required a iron rungs pounded into the rock to get up here, and decided we had to see for ourselves what was up here!

The descent to Waldiberg was through this beautiful old-growth forest simple blanketed in moss. I'd never seen anything like this. 

The last stretch through the forest was cool and pleasant

I always marvel at how these large trees grow on overhanging boulders, that they don't simply break off!

Last view into the Reuss Valley (Amsteg below) at the entrance of the Maderaner Valley. From here we take the other cable car down to the tiny village of Bristen. 

This is the Waldiberg-Bristen Cable Car, a fully automatic coin-operated contraption

Heading down to Bristen on the Waldiberg cable car

The Waldiberg-Bristen cable car

View of the entrance to the Maderaner Valley where it joins the Reuss Valley

Church in Bristen

If possible, there should be ice cream at the end of a long hike (or somewhere along the way...)

It took us 3 hours 30 minutes to walk from Oberschwandi above Erstfeld to Waldiberg above Bristen. We passed by another farmer's cableway, one that we have ridden twice before.

Oh, and by the way, this is the original cableway from 1915, or perhaps the second one from 1931... in any case, I got a shock the first time I saw this, as it is the first one you see when you come from the train station (the other one is behind it) and I thought for sure this was going to be our ride...