1996 Banff Festivals: book index page

Grand Tour of Monte Rosa

C.J. Wright, Cicerone

SECTION 12

VAL d'ANNIVEERS to VAL d'HERENS

The three principal valleys through which the drainage of the Central Swiss PennineAlps is borne down to the Rhone present some striking points of agreement. The Visp, Anniviers and Herens have openings in the valley of the Rhone that are so small and inconspicuous that they are easily passed, almost without their existence or significance being realised. At the mouths of these valleys are the towns of Visp, Sierre and Sion respectively.

Each of the valleys, after a few kilometres of ascent, divides into two subsidiary and nearly parallel valleys, the mountain ridge or spur dividing, which we have, in most cases, had to cross.

We have seen that the Visp divides into the Saastal on the E and the Mattertal on the W. We have not had to cross its dividing ridge, but go round its base (at Hannigalp).

We have also seen that the Navigenze in the Val d'Anniviers divides into the Val de Zinal on the E and the Val de Moiry on the W. If we go too far up the Val de Zinal we have to cross its dividing ridge, or go round its base, to get into the Val de Moiry, then we have another ridge to cross to get into the Val d'Herens. Just as the choice of routes out of the Turtinantal dictate, to a certain extent, your arrival in the Val d'Anniviers, so too, to a much greater extent, do the points of departure from the Val d'Anniviers dictate your arrival in the Val d'Herens. In the Val d'Herens the Borgne splits at Les Hauderes into the Ferpecle on the E and the Val d'Arolla on the W.

Alternating with the gorges through which the Visp, Navigenze and Borgne flow into the Rhone valley are the much smaller Gamsen, Turtmann, Rechy and Nendaz valleys draining the N parts of the intervening ranges, but of these we have only had to drop into the Turtmantal to make an E-W crossing.

The Val d'Anniviers and the Val d'Herens are two of the most scenic valleys in the Swiss Alps but for many years (up to the mid-19th century) they were amongst the least known, mainly because of an exaggerated impression the inhabitants were a rude and semi-barbarous race.