First Cliff Walk Grindelwald

A few steps on the First Cliff Walk near Grindelwald will leave even the most hardened individuals breathless: A steel walkway leads along vertical rock walls over the abyss. Those who would prefer not to look into the void on the right or below through the grid flooring may enjoy studying the geologically interesting rock face on the left. At the latest, however, the abyss must be faced everyone when crossing the 40 metre single-rope suspension bridge. But it’s worth it: The view leads the eye from Alpine meadows and waterfalls to the imposing four-thousand metre peaks of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.

Wherever it is possible for people to be overcome by vertigo, they must be given the best protection possible. And that is why the Webnet stainless steel nets from the Jakob Rope Systems company are the ideal solution. These provide protection over the course of the entire summit loop pathway, leading along both sides of the serpentine ascent to the 45 metre long observation walkway.

Cliff walks are a new trend. More and more tourism regions seek to make their summits more attractive with spectacular steel walkways over the abyss. The Webnet stainless steel nets made by Jakob Rope Systems are outstanding for this purpose: A safe railing, nearly transparent for an unhindered view. Unaffected by temperature fluctuations and weatherproof even in storms or snowfall. The Webnet scored points already during the construction of the Cliff Walk: It is light and can be transported easily; assembly is simple. That’s one challenge less during the often demanding construction work: The construction of the First Cliff Walk took five months.

‘The very heavily weathered rock was especially difficult’, relates Niklaus Schmocker from the Seiler AG company in Bönigen. We had to anchor the cantilever tubes at a depth of up to 2.8 metres.’ This was successful thanks to core drilling, but it consumed more time than had originally been planned. The heavily overhanging rock faces added even more to the difficulties involved in the installation: Many of the tasks on the face had to be carried out with workers suspended on a rope. Overall, Seiler AG installed 32.3 tonnes of steel and 251 square metres of grid flooring. Thanks to 398 metres of Webnet, today visitors to the summit can enjoy the breathtaking view in safety.