Val d'Hérens

The Val d' Hérens ( German: Eringer Valley ) is a tributary of the Rhone in the French speaking part of the Swiss canton of Valais. It accompanies the mountain river Borgne under add-back of its two headwaters to approximately 30 kilometers in length north to its mouth at Sion, overcoming almost 1500 meters difference in altitude.

It is the valley of the former Hérens glacier that retreated 10,000 years ago, at least at the end of the last ice age.

Geography and landscape

Upper part of the valley

Two headwaters of Borgne dehydrate various glaciers of the Pennine Alps in the Swiss-Italian border region, which constitute the upper end of the valley.

The southeastern Borgne de Ferpècle (7 km long) arises from the Ferpèclegletscher and Mont - Miné glacier at the base of Grand Cornier ( 3962 m), Dent Blanche ( 4357 m) and Hérens (4171 m). In the 19th century, these glaciers combined into a single stream, which reached almost to the scattered settlement Ferpècle (1786 m).

The southwestern Borgne d' Arolla ( about 9 km) flows from the Glacier d' Arolla from around the Mont Collon ( 3637 m ) near the mountain village of Arolla (1998 m).

Both valleys are accessible through narrow mountain roads to exposed rocky slopes and through tunnels high above the water runs through a sparse pine and spruce forest just below the tree line.

Borgne de Ferpècle and Borgne d'Arolla and the two mountain roads meet at the southern edge of the resort of La Sage ( 1433 m) to the Borgne. Here the Val d' Hérens begins in the narrow sense. The road runs through the valley floor. All locations in the Valley of Borgne belong to the District Hérens, the beyond, however, still belong to the sites of leading- from the southwest side valley of Dixence.

Middle section of the valley

The following locations are located along the route down the valley:

• The hiking and ski resort Evolène ( 1371 m) is the main town of the valley with about 1500 inhabitants, surrounded by meadows and sparse coniferous forests between Sasseneire ( 3254 m), Pic d' Artsinol ( 2998 m) and Mont de l' Etoile ( 3372 m). Tourist Landmark of the place are individually decorated wooden chalets with floral decoration.
• The Earth Pyramids of Euseigne (970 m) erosion of the former medial moraine, which was cemented firmly in the retreat of the glacier Hérens under the pressure of ice ( " Betonmoräne "). Their gradual erosion by wind and rain water came to a halt only at places where powerful gneiss blocks of up to 3 m in diameter and 20 tons in weight have been lying on the sediments. Due to loss of the protective cap stone ( chapeau protecteur ) and instability of the internal substance geologists see over the next centuries ahead of the collapse of the pyramidal group.
• North of Euseigne takes Borgne on the water received from the southwest Dixence that from the Lac des Dix with its world's highest dam (285 m), the Val d' Hérémence downward flow. There is also a cross- connection to the main road through this valley, branching off as early as 4 km below the Dixence estuary in Vex (939 m).
• Saint- Martin, Mase, Vernamiège and Nax are the neighboring villages on the slopes east of the Borgne. There are from the main route in the valley west of the Borgne north of Hérémence cross connections only by hiking trails. The road, set in Bramois in the Rhône valley.

Lower section of the valley

Apricot orchards extend in the lower part of the valley of the Borgne to its mouth at Sion (512 m). The road leads in many switchbacks down. It will open up views of the Rhone at Sion and Sierre, from the terrace of Crans -Montana and the Bernese Alps north of Rhone Valley.

Tourism and Sport

The highest mountain resort of Arolla is the starting point for summer alpine glaciers and hut hikes and climbing tours and mountaineering. The resorts of La Sage and Evolène in the deeper layers are suited for lighter hiking.

In winter the Val d' Hérens is a center for downhill and cross-country skiing. Also, snowboarding, ice curling, skating and ice climbing are practiced.