When
It’s usually held in the first full week of October with the show days on Wednesday and Thursday. Full practice takes place on Monday afternoon and all day Tuesday.
Getting there
Axalp is east of Interlaken in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland. It’s about 5 miles south of the village of Brienz and 5 miles west of Meiringen town. Motorways are excellent from Geneva, about 2.5 hours by car. The trains are really good too.
Where to stay
You can find accommodation in any of these places but remember that Switzerland is more expensive than Britain. Accommodation ranges from Bed and Breakfast to a very good standard hotel. You’ll need to book early as many people book up year on year.
What to take
You need to be prepared for all weathers and for some strenuous hill walking. While the climbs look daunting, you do not have to be superfit to do them, just take your time.
Here are some ideas: -
Clothing in layers – temp. varies from 0 to 26 degrees centigrade
A spare t-shirt so you can take off the one that will be drenched in sweat at the top
Energy bars/Fruit/some food
Water
Good walking boots
A couple of walking poles – the paths are almost non-existent and these will help you a lot
Backpack for cameras
Waterpoof/windproof jacket
A torch or head-lamp – you may start walking in the dark before 6.30am
Money – Swiss Francs (SwFr)
Costs in 2009
Car Park 5 SwFr
Chair Lift 10 SwFr
Timings
On show days the first F18s start practice between 8.30 am and 9.00am and can continue off and on until about 11.00am. Helicopter activity continues right up until the show starts and afterwards.
The show proper starts at 2.00pm and lasts for around 90 minutes.
Be prepared for everything to stop at any time if the cloud closes in from over the mountain ridge.
Getting up there
Car is the easiest way, Axalp is well signposted from the main road outside Brienz and you’ll pay for the car park at the bottom of the mountain. The earlier you get up there, the closer you get to the village when parking. Go carefull in the dark though limited parking and on the walks as there are some sheer drops. Note: - getting there early is best but be prepared to wait around for an hour or so when you get back to the car as the car parks lower down the mountain will empty first.
A photobus runs from Brienz station to Axalp but can be oversubscribed.
Some visitors also arrive by taxi.
From Axalp you can elect to walk all the way up or get the chairlift (next to the top car park) which takes you up part of the way , I’d recommend that you take that option as it’s quicker and you’ll save a lot of energy. The chairlift is only in operation at certain times/days, it's certainly available on both show days, it's advertised as starting at 7.00am but it is usually well before that.
The track/road going up from Axalp is closed during the week of the show but it is possible to get a pass/permit for days before the event and park way further up to the valley to the west of the range.
See the map for the options: -
Points 1, 2 and 3 on the map are referred to below.
I have not walked all the way up but from getting on the chairlift to getting to point 3 can take up to 2 hours. Refreshments/food is available at the top of the chairlift. From here to Point 3 you’ll need to be very careful as it’s quite hard walking over fairly rough ground and then a very steep scramble up to Point 3.
Top of the Chairlift as seen from Point 3
The trail along the mountainside
The intial climb towards Point 3
Nearing the single width trail, rope pull and temporary footbridge
The trail up to Point 2 as seen from Point 3
Point 3 as seen from Point 2
Point 1 as seen from Point 2
Point 2 from Point 1
Points 2 and 3 as seen from Point 1
Where to stand
From point 3 the sun is right in your face when looking up the valley but can be good for DSOs and aircraft turning into the valley. It’s probably best to press on and in 30-40 minutes to point 1 next to the control tower and then most of your shots will be west along the valley away from the sun. Note that the path between points 2 and 1 closes during the shooting practice and the full show. Food, drink and portaloos are available at point 1.
Point 2 can be really good in the afternoon as you can shoot up and down the valley although the sun is in your face for DSOs.
I used ISOs between 400 and 800 mostly because of the shadow of the mountain and the mountain itself which can become a very dark background. Shooting is quite challenging as the light varies wildly from right to left and from the valley to the sky. Planning your shots is essential as you can’t keep changing you settings during fast passes.
Lens - A zoom is probably best with 200-400mm plus needed. I’ve used a 80-300mm VR lens which was great except for the shots of the aircraft climbing over the mountain tops.
Getting Down
Most people walk all of the way down as there is usually a huge queue at the chairlift and there is a big bottleneck getting down from point 3. Carefully walking down the steep slope to the valley in front of you from points 1 and 2 is the best option. Walk along the valley floor and join with the tarmac road which winds it’s way down to the village of Axalp. There is a restaurant in Axalp that serves food and drink both inside and out where you can spend your time until the car parks begin to empty.
Exiting down into the valley in front of you at the end of the show
Looking back up towards Point 1
I hope you find this guide useful and have a great time.
Tony
