Unterbäch

Unterbäch sits at 1,200 metres on the sun terrace above Raron, half an hour's drive via Visp. Anyone wanting to skip the winding road can take the cable car up from Raron. The village holds a place in Swiss history far bigger than its size suggests: in 1957, Unterbäch became the first municipality in the country to let women vote locally, fourteen years before women's suffrage arrived nationally. It has been known ever since as the Rütli of Swiss women.

The Unterbäch-Ginals-Brandalp ski area has nineteen kilometres of piste between 1,230 and 2,443 metres with seven lifts, and with ten kilometres of easy terrain is distinctly well suited to families and beginners. In winter it links up with the Eischoll area, bringing the total to around thirty-five kilometres. From the Brandalp a black run leads back down to the village for those wanting more of a challenge.

The local speciality is called Blitzen: riding a toboggan sledge down from the Brandalp, at your own risk, and permitted during night skiing too. There are also ski tours, groomed winter walking paths, skating and the Schneeschuhplausch for anyone who wants to see the quiet side of the mountain on snowshoes.

In summer, Seepark Augstbord takes centre stage: a landscaped lake of around a thousand square metres with swimming, washrooms, free wifi and five camper van spaces by reservation. A scooter run whizzes down from the Brandalp. Walkers take the circuit over the Eischollalp or the route to Alpe Tschorr, where the Ginals alpine kiosk sells fresh alpine cheese, there's no restaurant, just a hatch for passing walkers. For children, the Detektiv-Trail is ready to explore. The historic Suonen, the centuries-old irrigation channels running along the mountainsides, are also well preserved here.