The weather was rotten both when I did this in 1981, 2008 & 2010, so the photos are a bit mixed. Sorry about that but all three routes are trouble-free.

There are two passes from the Simplon to the Nanztal, the valley dividing the Simplon from the Saastal. One is the:-

1. Usseri Nanzlichi (the Swiss have started using the most dialecty names they can find for features) & starts from the Simplon Kulm, back up at the top from the Hospiz. It goes off obviously to a gap in the ridge to the West & crosses South of the Spitzhorli, a prominent little mountain. This is higher than the Bistinen alternative but there are unique campanulas here, called keyhole campanulas. Why, is obvious when you see them.

Usseri Nanzlichi from the Pass

Usseri Nanzlichi from the Hospice

On the Usseri Nanzlichi Photo: Frank Thielecke

The path drops into the Nanztal, crosses a bridge & goes up in a zig-zag to join the Gebidem Pass path. See below

The Nanztal side of the Usseri Nanzlichi

Across from the Bistinen Pass to the Gebidum Pass

The Bietschorn (looking North) from the Bistinen Pass

2. The more Southerly pass is the Bistinen. The path drops behind the pink hotel opposite the Hospiz, to another village called Blatten for about 100 metres vertical. Then, there is a long rising traverse before the path turns West towards the Bistinen Pass at point 2140m. Unfortunately, this was accompanied by noisy rock music from the Old Hospice below Blatten in the valley. Ahead is the first of four false summits of moraine heaps.

Bistinen from the Hospice

To the left of the photo on the left

Not only was this is cloud moving around but a strong wind came up the valley from Italy. Fortunately, the last false summit is above the pass, which goes round to a more northerly, flatter area above, in 2008, a huge mass of snow. On top of the pass is a cement-built cairn. I did not look at it as there was another Swiss man at the top, who said it was, “Frisch!”. Too right ("Genau"). Not much of a view, though. While the East side of the pass is rocky, the West side is more like steep pasture. The correct path soon goes off to the North, clearly marked & in a huge zig-zag down into the bleak Nanztal. I had better luck with the photos in 2010

Down from the Bistinepass to the Nanztal Bridge

Nanztal Bridge

Then, there are normal zig-zags, soon becoming wider, having been bulldozed out for the little farmhouse. Here, I think the umbrella upset a couple of bullocks who bolted down the path, to be followed by a girl, who presumably & correctly blamed me for having to run down after the bullocks. They rounded them up by the bridge at the bottom & the rain stopped as well. Incidentally, there is no escape to the Rhone Valley from the Nanztal, which descends to a steep gorge. From the bridge, there is a long steady climb up to the pass without any zig-zags. The top is even flatter than the Bistinen Pass & has designer cattle there.

3. The Fulmoos alternative. On this link.

4. On to Gspon In 1981 & 2008, It was in the mist & had been raining again, on & off. I had to be careful to select the Gspon path, as this goes off to the side of the top without any obvious connexion. It is quite a long way to Gspon &, as it was raining again & there are bits of “up”, it was a pain as one could not sit down for a rest.

Aletschhorn from the Gebidem-Gspon path

Gspon & Sun at last

Hotel Alpenblick Gspon

Eventually, it stopped soon enough for my brolly to dry out. Gspon seems to have got bigger, with an ice-hockey pitch, used by the kids as a football kick-about area. I went to the Hotel Alpenblick again (as in 1981) & asked the landlady outside if she had a room. She nearly tore my arm off by grabbing it. The cloud still came & went. The barmaid was Austrian, was going to do a post-graduate in Event Management at Preston, Lancs & spoke quite good school English, so we chatted a lot. I taught her some Real English (e.g. opposition of Over the moon v. Sick as a parrot). The dinner was superb: salad with cheese; huge chunk of pork with 5 vegetables & tagliatelle & plums for pud. There was one other guest, a woman from Luzern, to whom I chatted over dinner. She was going the other way from me. After dinner, she monopolised the telephone box, so the landlady lent me her mobile to ring Avis. About 34,000 paces.

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Walking in from Brig day 1 to Simplon Hospice

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