The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps, represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main physiographic regions. The Swiss Alps extend over both the Western Alps and the Eastern Alps, encompassing an area sometimes called Central Alps. While the northern ranges from the Bernese Alps to the Appenzell Alps are entirely in Switzerland, the southern ranges from the Mont Blanc massif to the Bernina massif are shared with other countries such as France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein.
The Bernese Alps are a mountain range of the Alps, located in western Switzerland. Although the name suggests that they are located in the Berner Oberland region of the canton of Bern, portions of the Bernese Alps are in the adjacent cantons of Valais, Fribourg and Vaud, the latter being usually named Fribourg Alps and Vaud Alps respectively. The highest mountain in the range, the Finsteraarhorn, is also the highest point in the canton of Bern.
The Jungfrau, at 4,158 meters (13,642 ft) is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, located between the northern canton of Bern and the southern canton of Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the Jungfrau forms a massive wall of mountains overlooking the Bernese Oberland and the Swiss Plateau, one of the most distinctive sights of the Swiss Alps.
The Finsteraarhorn is a mountain lying on the border between the cantons of Bern and Valais. It is the highest mountain of the Bernese Alps and the most prominent peak of Switzerland. The Finsteraarhorn is the ninth-highest mountain and third-most prominent peak in the Alps. In 2001 the whole massif and surrounding glaciers were designated as part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch World Heritage Site.
The Jungfraujoch is a saddle connecting two major 4000ers of the Bernese Alps: the Jungfrau and the Mönch. It lies at an elevation of 3,463 metres (11,362 ft) above sea level and is directly overlooked by the rocky prominence of the Sphinx. The Jungfraujoch is a glacier saddle, on the upper snows of the Aletsch Glacier, and part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, situated on the boundary between the cantons of Bern and Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch.
Grosses Fiescherhorn is a mountain peak of the Bernese Alps, located on the border between the cantons of Bern and ValaisValais, halfway between the Mönch and the Finsteraarhorn. At 4,049 metres (13,284 ft) above sea level, its summit culminates over the whole Fiescherhorn massif, which is also composed of the slightly lower Hinteres Fiescherhorn to the south and Kleines Fiescherhorn to the east. From the north both are well hidden behind other mountain peaks and can only been seen from Isch in Grindelwald. The mountain is shared between the municipalities of Grindelwald and Fieschertal.
The Grimsel Pass is a mountain pass in Switzerland, crossing the Bernese Alps at an elevation of 2,164 metres (7,100 ft). The pass connects the Haslital, the upper valley of the river Aare, with the upper valley of the Rhône. In so doing, and as the Aare is a tributary of the Rhine, the pass crosses the continental divide between the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
Guttannen is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
The Schreckhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps. It is the highest peak located entirely in the canton of Bern. The Schreckhorn is the northernmost Alpine four-thousander and the northernmost summit rising above 4,000 metres in Europe.
The Lauteraarhorn is a peak of the Bernese Alps, located in the canton of Bern. Together with the higher Schreckhorn, to which it is connected by a high ridge, it lies between the valleys of the Lower Grindelwald Glacier and the Unteraar Glacier, about 10 kilometres southeast of Grindelwald, the closest locality. The Lauteraarhorn belongs to the Aaremassif and is surrounded by large glaciers: the Lauteraargletscher and the Strahlegg-Gletscher and the Obers Ischmeer. Being off the main ridge of the Bernese Alps, all the glaciers surrounding the Lauteraarhorn and the Schreckhorn are part of the Aare basin. The Lauteraarhorn is the second highest summit lying wholly within the canton of Bern. Administratively, it is split between the municipalities of Grindelwald and Guttannen.
The Fiescher Glacier is a valley glacier on the south side of the Bernese Alps in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. 16 km (9.9 mi) in length, it is the second longest glacier in the Alps. The glacier covers an area of 33 km2 (13 sq mi).
The Lower Grindelwald Glacier is a Glacier in the Swiss Bernese Alps, situated to the south-east of Grindelwald. It starts below the Agassizhorn and the Strahlegghörner and is connected with the Finsteraar Glacier via the Finsteraarjoch.
The Sidelhorn is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, located west of the Grimsel Pass. It lies at the eastern end of the mountain chain between the Unteraar Glacier and the Rhone valley, named Aargrat. Because the glacier drains into the Aar and hence the Rhine and North Sea, whilst the Rhone flows into the Mediterranean Sea, the Sidelhorn lies on the European continental divide.
The Oberaarjoch is a high mountain pass across the eastern Bernese Alps, connecting the Fiescher Glacier in the canton of Valais to the Oberaar Glacier in the canton Bern. The pass is located between the Oberaarhorn on the north and the Oberaarrothorn on the south. Above the col, on the Valais side, lies the Oberaarjoch Hut.
The Finsteraarhorn Hut is a mountain hut of the Swiss Alpine Club, located north of Fieschertal in the canton of Valais. It lies at a height of 3,048 metres (10,000 ft) above sea level at the southern foot of the Finsteraarhorn, the highest peak of the Bernese Alps. The hut overlooks the upper basin of the Fiescher Glacier, which is among the largest of the range. It is located a few kilometres east of the Grünhornlücke.
The Jungfrau-Aletsch protected area is located in south-western Switzerland between the cantons of Berne and Valais. It is a mountainous region in the easternmost side of the Bernese Alps, containing the northern wall of Jungfrau and Eiger, and the largest glaciated area in western Eurasia, comprising the Aletsch Glacier. The Jungfrau-Aletsch protected area is the first World Natural Heritage site in the Alps; it was inscribed in 2001.
The Studerhorn is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, located on the border between the Swiss cantons of Bern and Valais. It lies between the Finsteraarhorn and the Oberaarhorn, on the ridge separating the basins of the Unteraar Glacier (north) and the Fiescher Glacier (south).
The Hugihorn is a peak of the Bernese Alps, overlooking the Unteraar Glacier in the canton of Bern. It lies south of the Klein Lauteraarhorn, on the range separating the Strahlegg Glacier from the Lauteraar Glacier, both tributaries of the Unteraar Glacier.
The Oberaarjoch Hut is a mountain hut of the Swiss Alpine Club, located north of Fieschertal in the canton of Valais, close to the canton of Bern. The hut lies at a height of 3,258 metres above sea level at the foot of the Oberaarhorn, just above the Oberaarjoch, the glacier pass connecting the Fiescher Glacier from the Oberaar Glacier. All accesses to the hut involve glacier crossing.
The Nasse Strahlegg is a peak of the Bernese Alps, located east of the Finsteraarjoch in the canton of Bern. It is the culminating point of the small range descending from the south-west ridge of the Lauteraarhorn, between the valleys of the Lower Grindelwald Glacier and the Unteraar Glacier.
