STOOS RIDGE HIKE, SWITZERLAND (2024) | Hiking Guide to Famous Stoos Ridge Trail

What's up guys, we're doing the Stoß Ridge Hike here in Switzerland and in this video we're going to show you how to do it, so I hope you enjoy it. The Stoß Ridge Hike is located in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. It starts and ends in the picturesque village of Stoß, which is accessible via the world's steepest funicular railway. In this video, we'll tackle everything you need to know about the Stoß Ridge Hike, including logistics and planning. Now let's dive in. We are Zach and Ina. We make helpful videos about destinations around the world so you can easily plan your own adventures. To embark on the Stoß Ridge Hike, start by planning your transportation to Schwyz. You can drive to the Stoßbahn parking garage next to the funicular. This is a paid parking area and you can use a credit card or cash at the end of your day. If this parking lot is full, keep driving down the valley to the overflow parking, where a shuttle is provided to the funicular train and back. It's also possible to take a train to Schwyz and then hop on bus number one, which drops you in front of the funicular station. The bus stop is called Stoßbahn. Once you get to the funicular station, you'll then need to purchase the Stoß Peak Experience Ticket, which covers the funicular ride to Stoß and the two chairlifts needed for the hike. For adults, this ticket price was 56 Swiss francs or 66 US dollars at the time of our visit. This is the world's steepest funicular and it departs every 30 minutes or so. You'll overcome over a 110% gradient during the ride and the train has multiple bubbles, each with a panoramic view. For the best view, stand at the window of the bubble that faces the valley. After about 7 minutes, you'll reach the village of Stoß, which is filled with holiday apartments, restaurants, and hotels. There is a small grocery store in the funicular station if you need some supplies. From Stoß, you'll need to walk about 10 minutes uphill and then ride a chairlift up to Klingenstock. Follow the signage in the village. It takes about 10 minutes to get to the chairlift and you simply scan your ticket and get on the lift. It's a slow ride up to the ridge, but the views are great the whole time. From Klingenstock, the one-way trail is 4.5 kilometers or 2.8 miles to Fronalpstock. With about 275 meters or 900 feet of elevation gain, this is considered a moderate difficulty level. It takes between 2 to 3 hours to complete, with lots of short up and down sections. The path is mostly a wide dirt trail, so you don't have to walk near the edge. However, the trail does have many steep slopes. And while there are sometimes safety railings, they aren't always on the trail, so make sure to be careful and wear good hiking boots. The trail follows the ridge the entire way with spectacular views of Lake Lucerne. The first half of the trail is mostly gentle, with a long downhill. There's lots of good spots to stop and have a break here on the trail, so we're gonna stop here, have a picnic, and enjoy the views. The second half of the trail has some steeper switchbacks down and back up to Fronalpstock. And while it's a little more intense with elevation changes, the views are still amazing the entire way. At the Fronalpstock chairlift, you'll find an observation deck, playground, and restaurant. Here, you can take a well-deserved break before heading down to Stoß Village. From Fronalpstock, you descend with two chairlifts to Stoß, and then take a funicular back to the parking lot. Make sure to check the official website for the current lift opening times, as you don't want to miss it. We left a link for that in the description below the video. Now, we'll cover a few hiking tips for the Stoß Ridge Hike. First, summer hiking season at Stoß is generally from early June through October, and while the funicular train runs daily all year, the chairlifts are only open in good weather. You shouldn't hike this trail in dangerous conditions such as rain, wind, excessive mud, or snow. And if you want to ensure you have the best weather for the hike, we recommend using the app yr.no to scout out conditions. We used the app throughout our trip and found it to be very accurate. Finally, if you want more exercise, it's possible to hike from Stoß to the ridge and back down at the end. This adds about 8 km or 5 miles in distance, and 600 meters or 1,968 feet in elevation. If you're planning your trip around Switzerland, we recommend keeping things organized with our interactive travel planner. Find a discount code in the description below. We also included other important links in the description that will help with your hiking experience, such as an interactive map so you can get to each place we mentioned. We'll catch you on the next adventure.