«My mother told me about the competition,” says Rebecca Birchler. What a stroke of luck! The 24-year-old from Schindelleggi in the Canton of Schwyz ended up winning the grand prize: a week’s holiday in her world. What’s more, she was able to take someone with her free of charge. “I knew right away that my best friend was the one I wanted to take with me.” And so it was that Rebecca and best friend Carolin Maier (aged 25) from Rapperswil-Jona came to spend eight unforgettable days in the Jungfrau Region. The pair had a relaxed start to their week with a walk through the Lauterbrunnen Valley and past the Staubbachfall (the largest free-falling waterfall in Switzerland), followed by a visit to the Trümmelbach waterfalls – the largest underground waterfalls in Europe. Riding on the balcony of the Wengen-Männlichen aerial cableway car afterwards was the cherry on top. But after this relaxing first day, things soon got more active. The pair got the adrenaline pumping with a ride on the First Flyer before hiking to the Faulhorn via the Bachalpsee. The reward for their exertions? A glorious sunset. After spending the night at the alpine hotel, they returned to Grindelwald via Bussalp on the Eiger Express. Their destination was the Rotstock via ferrata. Rebecca and Carolin had to put in a bit more effort on the trail run up the Pfingstegg before finishing in style with a visit to the Jungfraujoch.

The next day, Rebecca and Carolin were feeling the effects of the previous day's exertions, but they went straight on to the next action-packed item on their itinerary. It was a via ferrata – but not just any via ferrata. On the way to the summit of the Rotstock, the pair were able to conquer part of the notorious Eiger North Face, with the help of a mountain guide and some ladders and fixed wire ropes. “That was the high point for me,” says Rebecca, enthusiastically. This was Carolin’s first time on a via ferrata, but judging by her enthusiastic reaction, it certainly won’t be her last: “Talking to the mountain guide and hearing his stories was so interesting.” After the via ferrata, the next thing on the itinerary was a trail run. So, the next day, the friends headed up the short but steep trail from Grindelwald to Pfingstegg. Their reward was a ride on the toboggan run that takes you back down into the valley. But they were only there to change. Because they had a table booked at the glacier restaurant for lunch. On the Jungfraujoch. “That’s something that has been on our to-do list for quite a while,” says Rebecca. “Another highlight” the two agree, as they gaze out over the Aletsch Glacier. So, that was a final high point to finish off the week. But Rebecca and Carolin are already planning their next visit. Although they have managed to tick a few items off their to-do list, some new ones have now been added on, such as the Mürren via ferrata and the Glecksteinhütte. “We don’t know of any other region in Switzerland where there is this much to experience.”