Brunni-Holzegg Cable Car

Brunni is a highly sought-after ski area, surrounded by a literal range of breathtaking mountain peaks. Among them is the Grosse Mythen, which is considered an icon of central Switzerland. The hike up the Grosse Mythen is quite a popular pastime with almost 50,000 locals and international mountaineers scaling the great peak annually.

This still-daunting feat was made significantly easier (and more adorable) in 1950, when this petite beaming-red cable car was opened to the public. It fits a cozy group of 15 people, and though the ascension to the Holzegg (a stopping point for hikers en route to the summit) only lasts five minutes, in that time it climbs a 300m difference in altitude, bringing Adventurers 1400m above sea level.

The hike from the Holzegg to the summit is not for the faint of heart. With 46 hairpin turns on a dramatically steep mountainside, the hiking path can easily prove treacherous, with massive drops on either side of the walkways, separated by meagre chained fences. The brave souls who carry on are rewarded once they reach the summit, where views as far as Mount Rigi and Lake Lucerne can be seen, and a small, cash-only restaurant serves sustenance.

For an intrepid hiker named Armin Schelbert, known as “Der Mensch,” this path to the peak has kept him coming back…5,000 times. From 1999 to 2019, Mr. Schelbert—who would wear through two pairs of mountain boots, six months out of the year—scaled the mountainous terrain, averaging 4 trips daily between the two points. In time, he became useful for helping with courier services and maintaining the path’s cleanliness.