1. Mountain purist

The purist among the mountain walkers skilfully ignores all the gadgets that have been developed for hiking over the years. Gore-Tex, windbreakers or merino wool are not part of his vocabulary. Instead, he handles binoculars, a compass and a topographical hiking map as a matter of course. His mountain boots are so old that soon the sole will fall off. But the mountain purist prevents this by putting his feet, which are wrapped in woollen socks, into Teva sandals most of the time anyway. Because buying new shoes would not be sustainable. The mountain purist starts hiking early in the morning to have the mountain to himself as much as possible. It would occur to him to stop at a restaurant: after all, he has his sack with bread, Landjäger and a good piece of alpine cheese in his old military backpack. And a Swiss army knife, of course.

2. Instagram hiker

He doesn’t come to the mountains to hike. Not for the view either. But because of the picture. For him, it’s not metres in altitude that count, but likes. He is always on the lookout for the perfect spot for the perfect photo or the perfect story to share with the whole world. For him, the best places are those where he can go by car or cable car. But if it’s absolutely necessary, he also makes an effort. You can usually recognise the Instagram hiker by the fact that he’s out and about with a selfie stick and mobile phone strap. And no, he’s not talking to himself, but chatting to his community on Insta-Live. In English, of course.

3. Luxury alpinist

His equipment is the Porsche among outdoor clothing. Of course he wears the lightest shoes, the jacket that keeps him warm down to -50 degrees and has the latest foldable carbon hiking poles with him. With his sports watch of the latest series, he always knows exactly what altitude he is at, can also manage emails and text messages and always has an eye on the calorie consumption of himself and his fellow hikers.

4. The local

He knows every stick and stone, waves to every alpine farmer from afar and has a quick chat with everyone. They know each other. As you walk along, he tells you the detailed family history of each alpine farmer and you find out who was with whom and how and when…but you can’t really follow anyway, because a little later the local lists the names of all the peaks he has already been to and behind which stone he played “hide and seek” as a child. If guests ask the local for advice – or even worse: for directions (!), the local seems a bit grumpy and reserved. Because what flatlanders want in the mountains in the first place seems to be a mystery to him.

5. The summit striker

Break? No way! A short rest to get a drink? Not a chance! Enjoying the view from the summit? Not a chance! The summit striker wears trail running shoes, preferably eats while running or walking. In his small running backpack: ultra-light rain protection, blister plasters, water and some gels. That has to be enough, after all, he only needs a quarter of the given time for the hike.

 6. The connoisseur

The way is the goal? Not for the connoisseur! His hike leads from the mountain station to the next mountain restaurant. There, the obligatory Schnipo and a Suure Moscht are already waiting for him. As a reward, because the hike was hard enough, he treats himself to a Coupe Denmark. With extra cream. Also typical: on Monday he tells you in the office that he has been hiking again.

7. The complainer

He gets on everyone’s nerves. Barely five minutes on the road, he’s already asking how long it will take. Soon after, he feels the first blisters on his feet. When a long climb follows, he suddenly feels dizzy. Anyway, he doesn’t feel like walking any more and is only walking for your sake. In the restaurant, he finds the chips too oily, there are too many people and his knees are simply not made for walking downhill. At least he is the happiest person at the end of the hiking day. Happy that it is finally over.