Balmhorn

The Bernese Alps (German: Berner Alpen, French: Alpes bernoises, Italian: Alpi bernesi) 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 Rhône valley separates them from the Chablais Alps in the west and from the Pennine Alps in the south; the upper Rhône valley separates them from the Lepontine Alps to the southeast; the Grimsel Pass and the Aare valley separates them from the Uri Alps in the east, and from the Emmental Alps in the north; their northwestern edge is not well defined, describing a line roughly from Lake Geneva to Lake Thun. The Bernese Alps are drained by the river Aare and its tributary the Saane in the north, the Rhône in the south, and the Reuss in the east. The Bernese Alps are amongst the three highest major subranges of the Alps, together with the Pennine Alps and the Mont Blanc massif.

The Altels (3,629 m) is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, located on the border between the Swiss cantons of Bern and Valais. It is situated in the Balmhorn massif, approximately halfway between Kandersteg and Leukerbad. Although its south side is in Valais, the mountain lies within the Aar basin.

The Ferdenrothorn is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, located between Leukerbad and Ferden in the canton of Valais. It lies south of the Balmhorn and overlooks the Lötschen Pass on its north side. Its east side shows well marked folds.

The Lötschberg is an Alpine mountain massif, usually associated with a major, historically important transit axis of the Alps in Switzerland with, at its core, the Lötschen Pass (German: Lötschenpass, Swiss German: Lötschepass). The mountain pass, which culminates at nearly 2,700 metres above sea level, are part of the eastern Bernese Alps, whose main crest straddles the border between the cantons of Berne and Valais. The valleys concerned by the Lötschberg are those of the Kander in the Berner Oberland, with Kandersteg at the head of it, and a secluded side-valley of the Upper Valais, the Lötschental, with Ferden at the valley's entrance and at the bottom of the pass. Although the Lötschberg is one of the main north-south axes through the Alps, it is not on the main chain of the Alps, the Pennine Alps, further south, making up the main water divide. As a main north-south axis through the Alps, the Lötschberg is thus completed by the Simplon, between Brig and Domodossola in Italy. The Lötschberg alone constitutes an important shortcut from the Swiss Plateau to the Upper Valais, the alternative route involving a long detour via the lower Rhone Valley (Monthey) around the western end of the Bernese Alps. The Lötschberg is crossed by two railway lines and tunnels. The first line, the Lötschberg railway line was opened to traffic in 1913. It has at its centre the 14.6 kilometre-long Lötschberg (Culmination) Tunnel, with portals in Kandersteg (BE) and Goppenstein (VS). It culminates at a height of 1,240 metres and is the highest railway on the main Swiss network. The second line uses, since 2007, the 34.6 kilometre-long Lötschberg Base Tunnel, which has its portals in Frutigen (BE) and Raron (VS). The maximum height of the new railway is 828 metres. Both railways are connected to the Simplon railway, which runs from Lausanne to Domodossola (and further to Milan) via the Simplon Tunnel. Unlike the Gotthard, the other main north-south axis in Switzerland, the Lötschberg is not crossed by a road pass nor by a road tunnel. However, a car shuttle train is operated between Kandersteg railway station and Goppenstein railway station. The Lötschen Pass itself is the lowest point (2,676 m) on the crest between the Balmhorn to the west and the high range west of the Jungfrau to the east, making up the water divide between the Rhine (north) and the Rhone (south). On the north side of the pass is a two kilometre-long glacier named Lötschengletscher. Although it is a glacier pass, the Lötschen Pass can be crossed by hikers without mountaineering equipment and a mountain hut, the Lötschenpasshütte, is located on the top of the pass. The pass is traversed by a trail (reaching 2,690 m) from Kandersteg via the secluded valley of Gasterntal to Ferden. The complete traverse from the railway station of Kandersteg to that of Goppenstein lasts about 10 hours. On the south side the approach can be shortened by a few hours starting from Lauchernalp, accessible by cable car from Kippel.

The Lötschberg Tunnel is a 14.612 km (9.079 mi) long railway tunnel on the Lötschberg Line, which connects Spiez and Brig at the northern end of the Simplon Tunnel cutting through the Bernese Alps of Switzerland. Its ends are at the towns of Kandersteg (2 km away) in the canton of Berne and Goppenstein in the canton of Valais. The top elevation of the tunnel is 1,240 m (4,070 ft) above sea level, this is the highest point of the main Swiss railway network. Construction began in 1907 and suffered delays by several severe accidents. February 1908: An avalanche destroyed a hotel that the workers lived in, killing 13. July 1908: The tunnel broke into a deep fissure below the Gasterntal valley and flooded with water and glacial deposit from the fissure, killing 25, and 1554 meters (5100 feet, 0.9656 mile) of the tunnel had to be abandoned and sealed off and replaced by a curved bypass. March 1911: Breakthrough was achieved 3 June 1913: Finalization 15 July 1913: Regular service through the Lötschberg Tunnel began in 1913.The tunnel is a single bore twin track. The BLS AG company offers a car transport service through the tunnel, between Kandersteg station and Goppenstein station, for accompanied vehicles. The journey time of approximately 20 minutes, passengers remain in their cars in open sided car transport vehicles. At peak times, the car transport service operates in each direction every 7½ minutes. The new Lötschberg Base Tunnel, opened on June 15, 2007, has been constructed some 400 m (1,312 ft) below the level of the current Lötschberg Tunnel as part of the NRLA (New Railway Link through the Alps) project.

The Rinderhorn is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Leukerbad in the canton of Valais. It lies east of Gemmi Pass on the chain culminating at the Balmhorn.

The Innerer Fisistock is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland. It lies at the western end the Blüemlisalp chain.

The Torrenthorn is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Leukerbad in the canton of Valais. It lies south of the Majinghorn. In winter the Torrenthorn is part of a ski area.

The Hockenhorn is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, located on the border between the Swiss cantons of Bern and Valais. Its summit is 3,293 metres high and lies between the upper Kandertal and the Lötschental. On its southern (Valais) side lies a glacier named Milibachgletscher. The summit of the Hockenhorn is accessible by a trail starting at the Lötschen Pass. The southern side of the mountain is part of a ski area. The closest locality is Lauchernalp above Kippel.

The Doldenhorn is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland. On its north side is Lake Oeschinen.

The Niwen (also known as Einigs Alichji) is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking the Rhone in the upper canton of Valais. It lies in the massif that separates the valley of Leukerbad from the lower Lötschental and that culminates at the Ferdenrothorn.

Kandersteg is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Bern and municipality of Kandersteg. The station is located on the Lötschberg line of the BLS AG, and is the first station to the north of the Lötschberg tunnel.The station is served by the following passenger train: The station is also the northern terminus of the BLS car carrying shuttle train to Goppenstein station via the Lötschberg tunnel, with trains running every 30 minutes. There is no road across the Lötschen Pass, under which the tunnel runs, and the nearest alternative road crossings lie many kilometres to the east and west.The station is also served by PostAuto bus services to Mitholz, Blausee, Kandergrund and Frutigen and to Selden in the Gastertal.