Advanced training for those with a fear of heights on via ferrata routes | The next step towards greater safety in exposed terrain

A little taste of the North Face with views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau
The via ferrata on the Eiger-Rostock offers you the chance to apply the experience you’ve gained so far in dealing with a fear of heights to a new situation. Surrounded by the impressive mountain scenery around the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, you’ll venture step by step into exposed terrain and learn to remain capable of taking action even when you start to feel uncertain. The K2 via ferrata is relatively easy and, with its ladders and good footholds, offers an impressive yet beginner-friendly introduction to the via ferrata experience. Together with the coach and the mountain guide, you’ll put your personal strategies into practice and receive individual support – tailored to your experience and pace.
If you wish, once the tour is over, you can round off your stay with the Jungfraujoch or by making your own way up the marked path to the Mönchsjochhütte.

Brunnistöckli via ferrata
The via ferrata at Brunnistöckli offers various ways to overcome your fear of heights. On the short, easy K2 route, you can familiarise yourself with the surroundings, apply the strategies you’ve learnt so far and build confidence step by step. If you’d like a greater challenge, the more demanding K4 route offers a possible next step. Accompanied by the coach and the mountain guide, you’ll receive personalised coaching tips and the technical support you need. Together, you’ll reflect on your experiences and explore which strategies help you cope with this new sense of uncertainty and act consciously, even in challenging moments.
What makes the Brunnistöckli special is that it offers the perfect opportunity to ease yourself into different levels of difficulty.
A relaxing way to round off the day: after the via ferrata, you can finish off the day with a drink and some cake at the hut. If you fancy it, you can then treat your feet to a special massage on the barefoot sensory trail.

Who is this course suitable for?
This course is for you if:

• you’d like to tackle via ferrata routes, but find exposed sections, ladders or steep rock faces unsettling.
• you have already gained some initial experience in dealing with your fear of heights and would like to further develop your strategies.
• you sometimes feel stuck, despite being secured and wearing via ferrata equipment, and find it difficult to take the next step.
• you’d like to be better able to manage your physical fear responses, even in more challenging situations.
• you want to learn how to consciously focus your attention and remain calm and in control, even on steeper sections.
• you want to boost your confidence in your abilities and your via ferrata equipment.
• you’d like more freedom and independence on future via ferrata routes.

Course content

• Reflecting on and building on past experiences and personal strategies
• Recognise your own anxiety reactions at an early stage when in more exposed terrain
• Applying the coaching tools you have learnt in a targeted manner in new situations
• Consciously regulating your attention, breathing and thoughts, even in challenging moments
• Build confidence in your own abilities and in the safety techniques used on via ferrata routes
• Recognising personal boundaries and dealing with new challenges in a mindful way
• Further developing self-confidence through positive experiences and small successes
• Expand and consolidate your personal kit for future via ferrata routes and mountain hikes

The aim of this advanced training course is to enable you to apply the strategies you have learnt even under more challenging conditions. You will develop greater confidence in your abilities and learn to remain mindful, capable of taking action and making decisions, even when anxiety arises.

The routes were carefully selected in consultation with a mountain guide. As via ferratas of an appropriate level of difficulty, they offer objectively safe, easily navigable sections with varying degrees of exposure. The tour provides the ideal conditions for building your confidence and gaining new experiences in a safe environment.

• Fitness and strength for your first via ferrata routes at a leisurely pace
• Sure-footedness on mountain paths
• A willingness to engage deeply with one’s own fear of heights
• Openness to reflection and coaching in a small group

• CHF 450.-
• Small group of 4–6 guests per mountain guide and coach
• Includes planning and delivery with a coach and a mountain guide, as well as their travel expenses.
• Excluding travel expenses, possible train tickets, personal consumption.

For this in-depth training day, you will need the following equipment:

• clothing suitable for the weather and for the mountains
• Mountaineering boots, walking boots or good approach shoes
• Via ferrata set comprising a climbing harness, helmet, fall arrester with two arms and via ferrata carabiners, and a rest sling with a screw-lock carabiner
• Possibly telescopic poles for the descent
• 20-litre day rucksack containing sunglasses, sun cream, a water bottle and lunch
• Pen and notebook for personal notes