Arolla
Encyclopedia
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
of Evolène
Evolène
Evolène is a municipality in the district of Hérens in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-History:Evolène is first mentioned in 1250 as Ewelina. In 1444 it was mentioned as in loco de Evolena.- Avalanches of the 21st of February, 1999 :...
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Valais
Valais
The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
It is situated at the end of the Val d'Hérens
Val d'Hérens
Val d'Hérens is an alpine valley in the Valais canton of Switzerland. It was formed by the Hérens glacier, which retreated at the end of the last ice age....
south of Sion
Sion, Switzerland
Sion is the capital of the Swiss canton of Valais. it had a population of .Landmarks include the Basilique de Valère and Château de Tourbillon. Sion has an airfield for civilian and military use, which, because of its location in a valley, causes a reasonable amount of noise pollution. FC Sion...
at 1998m altitude in the Pennine
Pennine Alps
The Pennine Alps are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Switzerland and Italy...
Alps
Swiss Alps
The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
. It is situated at the foot of Mont Collon
Mont Collon
Mont Collon is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. Its glaciated north face dominates the view south from the village of Arolla.The first ascent was made by A. Cust and F. Gardiner with guides H. and P. Knubel on 3 August 1876....
and is a popular start point for mountain expeditions.
The village is a popular stop-off point on the Haute Route
Haute Route
The Haute Route, is the name given to a route undertaken on foot or by ski touring between Chamonix, France, and Zermatt, Switzerland....
, a classic high-altitude mountain trek between Chamonix
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...
and Zermatt
Zermatt
Zermatt is a municipality in the district of Visp in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of about 5,800 inhabitants....
. The expedition can be tackled either by foot in the summer or by skis in the winter and spring. It is also on the itinerary of the Patrouille des Glaciers
Patrouille des Glaciers
The Patrouille des Glaciers is a ski mountaineering race organized every two years by the Swiss Army, in which military and civilian teams compete...
.
In the winter, Arolla has its own small Alpine ski area which makes up for its lack of scale with reliable snow cover, spectacular scenery and quiet pistes.
Hotels in Arolla include the historic Hotel Mont Collon, located near the entrance to the village, and Hotel Kurhaus, situated at the top of the series of hair-pin bends that rise through the village. There is a post office, mountain sports shop and bus stop in the small village centre.
In addition to Mont Collon
Mont Collon
Mont Collon is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. Its glaciated north face dominates the view south from the village of Arolla.The first ascent was made by A. Cust and F. Gardiner with guides H. and P. Knubel on 3 August 1876....
, the village is also overlooked by Pigne d'Arolla
Pigne d'Arolla
Pigne d'Arolla is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland.The first ascent was made by A. W. Moore and Horace Walker with the guide Jakob Anderegg on 9 July 1865.-External links:*...
, a 3796-metre mountain, which can be climbed from the Cabane des Vignettes mountain hut above Arolla. Pra Gra (2479m), an abandoned hamlet above Arolla, can be reached by a moderate walk of approximately 80 mins. The views of Mont Collon and the glacial trench at the end of the valley are particularly striking from this location.
The Arolla pine
Swiss Pine
The Swiss Pine or Arolla Pine, Pinus cembra, is a species of pine tree that occurs in the Alps and Carpathian Mountains of central Europe, in Poland , Switzerland, France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Slovakia, Ukraine and Romania. It typically grows at to altitude. It often reaches the...
, also known as the Swiss pine, a high-altitude species in the white pine
Pinus classification
There are three main subgenera of Pinus, the subgenus Strobus , the subgenus Ducampopinus , and the subgenus Pinus...
group that grows in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
and the Carpathians
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
, is named after the village.