Switzerland is certainly the Alpine paradise for ski mountaineering. This guidebook aims at becoming the reference book for ski mountaineers who want to go off the beaten paths: it addresses people willing to explore the Swiss territory, describing the 66 most important itineraries in the Swiss Central Alps. The itineraries are divided into three levels: classic, plaisir and adventure, and some of them can only be found in this guidebook. The morphology of Switzerland is extremely varied; skiers coming from the southern Alpine regions can benefit from a significant advantage: moving from the southern to the northern Alps passing through the Gotthard Road Tunnel, having the possibility to choose among many different itineraries, most of which are simply amazing and breath-taking. The choice of the best itinerary is simplified by a good road system covering the main Alpine range, allowing you to reach spectacular valleys efficiently. By reaching the mountains north of Gotthard you’ll be able to ski in the Uri Alps, from the Klausen to the Furka pass, or to enjoy the gentle slopes of the Uri and Svitto Prealps. Otherwise, you’ll head to the Alps of Ticino or Western Grigioni to plunge into extremely diverse natural landscapes, mostly isolated and austere, more suitable for expert skiers, as you’ll probably have to make your own track and won’t meet anyone along the way.

Andrea Giussani, born in 1987, is a ski mountaineering enthusiast. He started skiing on the Prealps of Lombardy and then fell in love with the Canton of Uri and Zentralschweiz. He loves adventure and prefers unexplored paths. Besides ski mountaineering he practices other sports as well, such as bike skiing on long distances and mountaineering during summer.