2025 Bernese Oberland Trail Updates
Every year hikers from all over the world flock to the Swiss Alps to complete the popular multi-day trails, Bernese Oberland Traverse and Via Alpina Switzerland. It is a challenging journey of physical, mental and spiritual triumph. Our mission is to help these adventurers confidently plan and safely navigate their journey in the Swiss Alps.
Having access to the latest Bernese Oberland trail updates, such as early season snow conditions and route/transport changes, is necessary to be well prepared for the adventure. It helps hikers confirm their gear choice, make any relevant adjustments to their itinerary, and prevent unexpected interruptions to their journey. For over 5 years, The Hiking Club has been bringing this information together and providing expert commentary for legendary hikes in Europe.
Our trail updates program includes the following information. Scroll down to view the details or click on the link of one to zoom straight there;
notice board
Trail, transport and accommodation updates that may impact the plans of hikers completing the Bernese Oberland Traverse.
Have an update to share? Email us at info@thehiking.club
From May 2025, the Doldenhornhütte SAC will be completely closed for renovation work. The reopening is planned for summer 2026. No winter room will be available during the construction work. Read more details.
The 2025 Eiger Ultra Trail running race will be held between 16 and 20 July, 2025. If you are hiking in the Bernese Oberland area during this time, make sure to factor in extra time for cheering and letting runners past. It's pretty inspiring to share the trail with athletes that can run 250km / 155mi in one race!
2025 snow summary
As the 2025 hiking season approaches, it’s important to keep a close eye on latest snow updates!
less-snow-than-average
Unlike 2024, which saw higher-than-average snow accumulation and a cold May that prolonged the snow-melt, the 2025 winter has brought a below-average snowfall across the Bernese Oberland region, and there has already been bouts of warm weather.
Despite a huge dump of snow in mid April this still remains the view when looking at the long term averages in the Bernese Oberland region (Switzerland). There is always some new snowfall in May/June which can significantly change the early season hiking conditions so whilst its looking favourable for late June hikers, we’ll have to wait and see.
Comparisons to previous years
2024: Cold and wet spring kept high and deep snow-pack well into June. Dry trail by 2nd week July.
2023: Moderate snow year, typical melt pattern, some lingering snow into late June.
2022: Low snowpack, early melt, dry trails by mid-June.
2021: Similar to 2024 — heavy late snow and cold spring delayed melt until early July.
2020: COVID-restricted season, but snow conditions were average.
As of 18th May, 2025, there is less-snow-than-average at Gandegg snow station (2,710m), despite the big snow dump on April 18th and new snow in the past week. Source: White Risk.
factors for favourable LATE JUNE Hiking Conditions
We’ve been monitoring conditions closely since 2017 and every year it’s a roller coaster. Some look incredibly promising until huge snow dumps at the end of May dramatically changes the picture. Others have resulted in above average snow fall disappearing by early June due to prolonged warm spells in May. While every year is different, these are some of the factors that can lead to favourable late June hiking condition;
A smaller snow pack from the winter months that needs to melt away
Freezing level spending an increasing amount of time above the highest elevation points on the trail (~2,500m) during Spring
Limited new snow accumulation during Spring
Plenty of solar radiation hitting the snow from clear sunny days
snow in bernese oberland
See the estimated snow depth in Bernese Oberland in our planning app
The estimated current snow depth and 48 hour snow forecast layers in our planning app are updated daily and inform hikers where snow is expected to be located along their route. This information is provided through our partnership with ExoLab.
CURRENT SNOW DEPTH
Check the snow conditions prior to your hike to understand if there is snow and its expected depth along your route. You can decide to alter your route to an alternative route with no/less snow or skip ahead with transport.
48 HOUR SNOW FORECAST
Understand where and how much snow is expected to fall along the trail for informed hiking decisions.
Not a customer? Get access via our Complete and Expert Access packages.
WEbcams in bernese oberland
See real-time video footage along the Bernese Oberland Traverse and Via Alpina.
The Bernese Oberland Traverse (and Via Alpina) passes through various ski resorts, which have live webcams showing current conditions, including: First, Männlichen, Eigergletscher, Wengen, Mürren, Stechelberg, Blümlipsalphütte, Oeschienensee, Adelboden, Engstligenalp and Gemmi Pass. Because this is live footage, the video will be black at night time and the current weather may impact the footage too. Most of the webams have a feature that allow you to choose a different time to see footage.
📷 Grindelwald - first (2,167m / 7,109ft)
This camera is located at First (2,167m) and provides views of the alternative trail between Schwarzwaldalp and First. Distant views across the valley between Grindelwald and Kleine Scheidegg on the main and alternative Eiger trail. Eiger, Jungfrau and Monch dominant in the background.
📷 Männlichen (2,230m / 7,316ft)
This camera is located at Männlichen (2,230m) on an alternative route between Kleine Scheidegg and Wengen.
📷 Eigergletscher (2,300m / 7,545ft)
This camera is located at the top of the alternative Eiger trail, looking down towards Kleine Scheidegg.
📷 Wengen / lauterbrunnen (1,252m / 4,107ft)
This camera is located in Wengen village and looks down across the Lauter valley and across to Mürren in the distance.
📷 STECHELBERG (922M / 3,024ft)
This camera is located in Stechelberg, on a popular alternative trail that heads past Trümmelbach falls.
📷 Mürren (1,683m / 5,521ft)
This camera is located in Mürren village along the main trail.
📷 Blümlisalphütte towards Hohtürli and Bundstock (2,840M / 9,317FT)
This camera is located at Blümlipsalp hut looking North towards Hohturli pass, the entry/exit point to the mountain hut.
📷 OESCHINENSEE (1,598M / 5,242FT)
This camera is located at Oeschinensee (1,598m) along the main trail that passes the Berghotel. Distant views of Hohturli pass in the saddle.
📷 SUNNBüEL (1,940m / 6,364ft)
This camera is located at the top of the Sunnbüel cable car, along the main trail, and provides views South towards Daubensee and Gemmi Pass.
📷 Engstligenalp (1,980m / 6,496FT)
This camera is located at Engstligenslp, an alternative route on the Via Alpina.
📷 Adelboden - Sillerenbühl (1,974m / 6,476FT)
This camera is located at Sillerenbühl within the Adelboden ski area. This is the main trail for the Via Alpina and an alternative route for Bernese Oberland Traverse.
📷 GEMMIPASS (2,350m / 7,709ft)
This camera is located at Gemmi Pass, above Leukerbad. This route is along the main trail of Bernese Oberland traverse.
break the trail
The Hiking Club team hits the trails to capture and share a snapshot of early season conditions with the self-guided hiking community.
For over 5 years, The Hiking Club team has completed a “Break The Trail” journey to provide the first trail report for the legendary trails in the Alps that we support. We share these early-season trail updates for hikers to understand the latest snow conditions, adjust their routes (when necessary), and confirm gear choices.
Our Trail Expert who leads the Bernese Oberland region is, Brendan Jones, Co-founder of The Hiking Club
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL TO GET REAL-TIME BERNESE OBERLAND TRAIL UPDATES
trail ambassadors
In 2024, over 60 trail ambassadors shared over 500 trip reports via our social channels that reached 200k hikers
Everything we do at The Hiking Club is to make the end-to-end experience of planning and navigating a multi-day hike easy, achievable, and inspiring. Our trail ambassador program has become a key part of providing confidence to others by showcasing all the different ways hikers experience legendary trails. Whether you hike fast or slow, sleep in a tent or lux, go with a crew or solo, picnic or dine in for long lunches - the community wants to hear how you do it! Every experience on the trail is different and the more versions of a journey we share, the better future hikers understand how to create themselves the best plan and what to expect along the way.
What will you do?
As a trail ambassador, you will provide “live from the trail” content about trail conditions, route updates, and memorable experiences. This content will be shared with The Hiking Club community to keep fellow hikers up-to-date, via Instagram and Facebook.
What will you get in return?
In addition to helping out your fellow hikers with information that will help prepare them for their hiking adventure, you’ll also receive an exclusive swag box from our brand sponsors to kit you out for success on your hike!
Who are we looking for?
Solo hikers. Groups of friends tackling an adventure together. Adventurous families with kids of all ages. Fastpackers. Wanderers with their dogs. You name it! We want a diverse group of hikers who represent all the different types of people hiking in the Bernese Oberland between June and September 2025.
What is the time commitment?
Kick off session: To ensure we set you up for success, there will be a 30 min briefing session in May.
During your hike: Share your trail updates and photos via Instagram or Whatsapp (max 15 mins per day)
preparation resources
Some help from The Hiking Club to prepare for your legendary trail with confidence!
1) prepare for the alps webinar series
Watch our webinars to get your body and gear list ready to tackle your multi-day hike this summer.
PREPARE YOUR BODY FOR THE ALPS WEBINAR
Join Stacey Hardin, Doctor of Physical Therapy, for a 90-minute webinar on how to train for your multi-day Alps hike: big elevation, mountain conditions, back-to-back days. Learn more.
PREVENT BLISTERS SPOILING YOUR NEXT HIKE
Join Rebecca Rushton, podiatrist and owner of Blister Prevention, for a free 45-minute webinar on how to prevent and treat foot blisters during your upcoming multi-day hike.
how to sustain energy on a multi-day hike
Join Dr Andrius Ramonas, PhD in Exercise Physiology and Sports Nutrition, Co-Founder of Roam, for a free 45-minute webinar on how to sustain energy on a multi-day hike. Learn more.
2) BE PREPARED WITH THE CORRECT GEAR
It’s best to assume that early season hikers will require micro spikes and poles to reduce the risk of incidents on difficult snow covered sections, including sloped terrain and steam crossings. Download our recommended gear list here
A special note on ice-axes: We are sometimes asked whether early season hikers should take an ice-axe. Unless you have training and experience with them, our position is no. Completing a section that requires an ice-axe changes the experience from hiking to mountaineering. If you are not an experienced mountaineer, organise a training with a qualified mountain guide and/or practice your skills on mountains/terrain you are familiar with. Bringing an ice-axe without this experience may give you false confidence to attempt challenging sections that significantly increases the risk of incident. Our advice is to identify the high risk sections and then turn around to avoid them. If you watch our break the trail videos from previous years, we practice what we preach by avoiding high risk snow sections every year. Needless to say, coming home safe is much more important than walking every step on the trail.
3) PRIOR TO DEPARTURE, CHECK SNOW CONDITIONS ON YOUR ROUTE
General snow updates are good, but identifying snow conditions on your planned route is even better. Use current snow depth data in our planning app to check your planned route and determine whether to change your route to a lower/alternative route or to bring gear to match the expected conditions.
CONFIDENTLY PLAN AND NAVIGATE THE BERNESE OBERLAND
Check out our self-guided packages that include everything you need to plan, book, prepare, and navigate your Bernese Oberland adventure.
