Posts by Troy Haines
Our Guided Tour of Monte Rosa is Epic - Should We Offer a Self-Guided Version?
Massive Mountain, Impressive Circuit
The Tour of Monte Rosa is a staff favorite. Rugged and remote, it crosses a number of steep valleys around ...
Back to the Alps - Troy's Travel During Covid
When the EU downgraded the US from a “safe” country just one day before my planned trip, I’ll admit, it made me nervous. It ...
Traditional Farming in the Swiss Alps
Cows graze on a steep hillside above the Lauterbrunnen Valley with Schmadribach Falls in the background.
As a traveler hiking through the Swiss A...
Glacial Gorges of the Alps: Gletscherschlucht
One of the best hidden surprises in the Swiss Alps: glacial gorges. Dramatic, narrow...
“Early morning is the sweetest time of day, any day. That’s when your senses are keenest, your mind liveliest, your heart most alive ...
5 Key Components to Preparing for a Post-Injury Hiking Trip
We understand the importance of physical and mental preparedness when it comes to enjoying your adventures in the Alps. To put some resources a...
The Best Bread in the World is Swiss - Recipe Included
Switzerland has the best bread in the World. There, I’ve said it. Switzerland gets credit for doing a lot of things well, like chocolat...
Dreaming of the Hotel Europe in Zermatt
The Best Breakfast in the Alps
When I imagine my favorite Alpine breakfast, my daydreams always take me to the Hotel Europe in Zermatt. This ha...
When the Sun Shines at Midnight
Sidney Haines, age 13 at the time of writing, has been visiting the Alps with her family, the founders and owners of Alpinehikers, almost every s...
Taking the Kids to the Alps
“This is not worth it… we have to turn around.” I’m stopped on a steep trail part-way to the remote Berghotel Oberstein...
Hotel Schwarzwaldalp: Home is Where the Heart Is
There are many elements of a hotel that make it a good one, and there are certainly plenty of good ones to be found in the Alps. It might be th...
You’ve heard about Hotel Obersteinberg, the wonderfully authentic mountain inn perched high above the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Like a fairy ta...
Stay at Obersteinberg Overnight
Staying the night at the historic Berghotel Obersteinberg is a highlight for everyone on our Bernese Oberland tours. It’s peaceful, beautiful, ...
The Best Hike in the Alps? Follow Us!
Is there such a thing as the BEST HIKE in the Alps? After leading hiking tours for over 20 years, I have a lot of favorite hikes throughout Swi...
Soglio and the Hidden Val Bregaglia
Soglio is an almost impossibly charming village in the Bregaglia valley in Southeastern Switzerland. Not far from famous St Moritz and cozy Pon...
Engstlenalp - A Perfect Day out between Bern and Central Switzerland
Engstlenalp is one of our favorite alps. An historic inn and scenic farm, tucked at the end of a pretty valley above Meiringen. There are lak...
Reflections on our guided Bernese Oberland Traverse 2018
Susie, Jack and their daughter Katya joined us on a guided Bernese Oberland Traverse this summer. Susie’s letter thanking us for the trip...
Riederalp, Bettmerhorn and the Mighty Aletsch Glacier
The Aletsch Glacier is the largest glacier in the Alps. It’s a massive river of ice 14 miles long and 3000 ft thick at Koncordiaplatz, it...
Reflections on the Best of Bernese Oberland 2018
We love family trips to the Alps. There is so much to see and do, and it is an adventure the kids will never forget. The Hollenbaugh family b...
The Hardergrat ridge, above Interlaken, is beginning to get some well-deserved buzz. Dan Patitucci’s evocative photos of running along th...
Exploring the Göschenertal
The Göschenertal is not all that well known, even within Switzerland. But it’s a fabulous valley in a very central location, just outsid...
Niesen Funicular - Lake Thun's Perfect Pyramid
The Niesen is a very striking, almost perfectly pyramidal peak just south of Lake Thun, in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland. It’s not...
A family vacation to the Alps sounds nice
My kids really want to go back to Switzerland. I know this because at least once a month, they’ll say something like “Dad, are we g...
The more things change... keeping up in the Alps
The first time I went to Grindelwald, I didn’t know what to expect. It was 1991, I had just started working in Basel for a summer, and I ...
There’s a quote from Annie Dillard that I love – “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” Having ...
Hiking the Haute Route, or Why I Do This
I’ve been hiking a 3-day stretch of the Haute Route, from Verbier to Louvie hut, to Prafleuri hut, to Arolla. It’s been a great tri...
Wined and Dined in the Dolomites
I’ve been a member of the ATTA, the Adventure Travel Trade Association, for about 3 years now. I’m not really much of a networker &...
Approfittare! Enjoying the Dolomites
Last year around this time I was in the Dolomites with Doug Mayer from Run the Alps, and we joined a trail running tour with a local group called...
Inspiration and gratitude go hand in hand — especially in the Alps. Owner and founder Troy Haines, writing in 2015, shares his thoughts on livi...
Leukerbad with the backup guide
I said before that I don’t guide as many of the tours anymore, and it’s really true. Last year I didn’t guide a single day! ...
Zermatt is not too busy (it's actually quite nice!)
Hohbalmen is, without a doubt, one of the best hikes in Zermatt. Yet for some reason – I don’t know why – I’ve never wr...
Zürich. I don’t really spend much time here, to be honest. Switzerland’s largest city has the exciting reputation as the “...
A short history of Alpinehikers
I just read an article this morning claiming that research shows that planning vacations is actually more fun than taking them, which I think mus...
I’ve been guiding in the Alps for 15 years. I’ve been to a lot of places, some that I’ve loved and some that don’t leav...
A Wonderful First Trip to the Alps
Deborah Charlap has been with us for a little over a year now. This past June, she took her first trip to the Alps, visiting both Switzerland a...
