Metsoc2006 Excursion Program

Excursion to the Alps
Limited to 40 participants, due to restrictions at the High Altitude Research Station at Jungfraujoch.

Approximate costs: 800 – 1000 Swiss Francs (520-650 Euro) for double occupancy, 950-1150 Swiss Francs (620-750 Euro) for single occupancy. No guarantee can be given that hotel rooms for single occupancy will be available for all participants who may request this. The price includes all costs including taxes, except for beverages during meals. The lower rates will apply if the tour becomes fully booked. We managed to get several special rates; please note that the normal fare for the train ride to Jungfrau Joch is already about 160 Swiss Francs. Essential equipment: Hiking boots suited for alpine terrain, good protection against rain and low temperatures, good sun protection.
Disclaimer: If you have heart trouble or any other health problem that could be aggravated by high altitudes (Jungfraujoch is 3500 meters above sea level), please consult your physician before registering for this excursion. We can assume no responsibility for health problems arising as a result of the excursion.
Saturday, August 12 On and around Vierwaldstättersee (Lake Lucerne), we will visit some of the classical localities where concepts of early alpine geology were developed. The tour will be guided by Prof. Helmut Weissert, Dept. Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich. Prof. Flavio Anselmetti (Dept. Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich) will explain his research on sediments in Swiss lakes as archives of paleoclimate and paleoseismicity. We will visit the Rütli, the mythical founding place of Switzerland. Lunch will be served on one of the traditional early 20th Century steamboats on Lake Lucerne. In the early afternoon, the oldest cable train in the world (well maintained though!) will bring us up to Rigi, the "Queen of Mountains". According to Mark Twain, this is much to be preferred to hiking all the way up to the top (Rigi Kulm) at about 1800 meters above sea level. After a more easy one hour walk to Rigi Kaltbad, the cable car and another boat will bring us to Lucerne, one of the favourite tourist destinations in Switzerland.

Sunday - Monday, August 13 - 14 In the Grimsel area, we will visit key sites recording Quaternary glaciation history in the Swiss Alps. This part of the excursion will be guided by Prof. Christian Schlüchter, Geological Institute, University of Bern. Keywords about the sites visited are: LGM (Last Glacial Maximum) morphology, trimlines, Late Glacial- Younger Dryas- and Holocene-chronologies, longitudinal valley profiles, Riegel/Basin morphologies and the issue of overdeepened valley segments. Lunch boxes will be provided. Sunday night will be spent in Gletsch. The name of this little village reflects the fact that it is situated below the tongue of one of the most spectacular alpine glaciers. Monday night will be spent in Interlaken, between lakes Thun and Brienz. Interlaken is the gateway to Jungfraujoch. Each of the two days will include two to four hours of hiking in Alpine terrain.

Tuesday, August 15 The perhaps most spectacular train ride in Europe will bring us up to Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe at 3454m (note disclaimer above!). Weather permitting, we will have stunning views down the famous Eiger-Nordwand, which once used to be the biggest challenge for climbers in the Alps, and the Aletsch Glacier, the largest icestream in the Alps, being a Unesco World Heritage area. Guided by staff scientists, we will visit the High Altitude Research station at Jungfraujoch including the spectacular Sphinx laboratory (http://www.ifjungo.ch/jungfraujoch/). We will also visit the "Ice Palace". Warm clothes are absolutely required even on a warm August day. The tour will end Tuesday evening either in Interlaken or in Zürich. Participants are asked to make their own hotel reservation for Tuesday night, if needed.
Disclaimer: If you have heart trouble or any other health problem that could be aggravated by high altitudes (Jungfraujoch is 3500 meters above sea level), please consult your physician before registering for this excursion. We can assume no responsibility for health problems arising as a result of the excursion.
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Last update: 03.03.2006, B. Luethi

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