I love going up 1000 vertical metres. I admit it’s an arbitrary distance, but it’s my favourite way to train during the week. Whether it’s for an easy aerobic session or hard intervals, I just love being in the forest and gaining vert. Here are my 3 favourite places to train near Sierre after a long day’s work.
The Sierre-Zinal Vertical
Given how popular the race is, and how close to Sierre the trail starts, it comes as no surprise that this is one of my favourites. You start at a carpark right next to the turnoff for the Route d’Anniviers. The first 450m is steep but manageable, and you pass the lovely Chapelle St-Antoine built right into the mountain. Then you get a breather for a kilometre or so until the crossroads at Beauregard. Finally, there’s another steep section up the Forêt du Coquelle until the end of the forest at Ponchet.
- Route: Sierre → Ponchet
- Start logistics: 5 minute bike ride from Sierre
- Vertical gain: 1300m
- Distance: 6km
- When: Anytime, but avoid midsummer
To the Bella Lui
I like forests foremost, but I also like the mountain above the tree-line. Fortunately, Sierre has both. For this, we take the funicular up to Crans-Montana and head in the direction of the Bella Lui, a 2548m peak. It’s a bit chaotic because there are lots of hiking trails in the area, but I find that picking the steepest one up generally isn’t a bad idea. On the way down, I like to take the more windy route, past the Cabane des Violettes and the cows grazing on the summer grass.
- Route: Crans-Montana → Bella Lui
- Start logistics: 13 minute funicular from Sierre
- Vertical gain: 1000m
- Distance: 6km
- When: Summer and autumn
Along the Illbach
This is a bit further away, but still a quick 10 minute bike ride from Sierre. The start is quite gentle, at the base of the lovely Pfynwald with its Scots pine. However, the gradient steepens quickly once you pass the Bhutanbrüke and venture towards the lllgraben, one of the most geologically unstable regions in the Alps. There is a steep hiking trail that leads up the mountain alongside the Illbach stream. I like to stop at the edge of the forest before the Illsee, but the hiking trail continues to the top of the Illhorn at 2717m, so you can make it a 2000m climb if you fancy it.
- Route: Pfynwald → Illsee
- Start logistics: 10 minute bike ride from Sierre
- Vertical gain: 1700m
- Distance: 9km
- When: Anytime except after heavy rain or snowfall
