Having only lived in Luzern for about four months, it’s safe to say I’m still discovering all the exciting activities available around the city. Last weekend I had a friend visiting, so finally I had the opportunity to visit Pilatus. The highlights by far were the rope park and summer toboggan run which are part of the summer activities available from Pilatus Bahnen at Fräkmüntegg.
We had descended from Pilatus Klum and were eager to let our inner child’s out to play. First stop was the summer toboggan run, where you sit on a stainless steel run and head down a 1350 metre track with numerous twists, turns and ‘dragon’s den’ tunnels. You can control the speed simply by push down on a joystick adding to the excitement. While we were mostly engrossed in the fun of the downhill trip, we got to enjoy the view spanning from the landscape surrounding the track and all the way down to the lake, on our return trip back to the top.
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Next stop was the rope park. Personally I’m not the best when it comes to activities at any height, however this is a place I’m going to visit many times and hopefully I’ll manage the more difficult trials as I progress. The two friends I was with however are fearless, so they took it in there stride heading from the easy to the difficult tracks. After a quick safety tutorial, we headed off into the trees to start our adventure. You have up to 3 hours to complete as many of the trials as you wish, which for Fr. 27 is a bargain in my own opinion. There are multiple obstacles on the courses ranging from zip-lining, aerial ropeways, monkey trees and ladders of all sorts testing your balancing and climbing abilities. On particular section my friends enjoyed was when they met hoops, that resembled monkey bars, 15 metres high up in the trees.
The park also offers a powerfan free fall where you drop 20 metres. While none of us had the courage to complete this part of the course, we did see many people who did and it looked quite amazing. While slightly nerve-wracking, the general consensus from the people we spoke with was that it was extremely thrilling.
I would highly recommend a trip to this part of Pilatus for those who have not yet been before it closes for winter.. Currently the toboggan run is closed until 12th September, as Pilatus Bahnen are building a new aerialway between Fräkmüntegg and Pilatus Klum. After which both courses will be open daily until 19th October from 10:00 – 17:00.
For more information visit the Pilatus Luzern website, for up to date details.
