Belalp Hexe

It goes back to an old legend, which is told as follows:
In Hegdorn, in the Natischerberg, there once lived, so the story goes, a witch who was married to a good man. At times, the witch also lived in "Aletsch". She became more familiar with a Stridel who lived in Birgisch. When these lovers wanted to visit each other, they took the form of black ravens and flew together. These ravens were therefore often seen flying up and down, as they still do today, the only difference being that in those days such ravens were witches and Stridel, but now they are just ordinary birds. Under such circumstances, our witch hated her pious husband very much, but could never do him any harm. Then it happened that the witch wanted to cook soup in Aletsch. She put a pan and butter on the fire and just remembered that she didn't have any garlic at hand. She quickly hurried down to Naters and fetched the necessary herb from a garden. On her way back to Blatten, she saw her hated husband picking black cherries from a tree. As a raven, she immediately flew to the top of the cherry tree and threw excrement into the eyes of her husband, who was looking up - unfortunately he had just omitted to pray the Angelic Salutation at noon - so that he fell blindly from the tree and died. But the witch went back to Aletsch and continued to cook her soup. Then the wise authorities ran out of patience. The witch was caught and accused of the frequent flight of ravens and the murder of her husband in Blatten while she was cooking soup in Aletsch. Presumably, she confessed to all these crimes under torture, for the judge sentenced her to the stake according to the penal laws of the time. The sinner was burned in Hegdorn, where the place of execution is still called "Hagsch-Schädji".

Centuries later, the Belalp Ski Club created this Witches' Downhill in honour of the man. According to traditional sources, the man died on the cherry tree in the present finish area in Blatten.

In the evening, the approximately 1500 participants and the numerous spectators and visitors from Switzerland and nearby countries transform the peaceful village of Blatten into a witches' cauldron and celebrate the eerily beautiful Witches Nights until the early hours of the morning.

For the junior witches, the race already takes place one week before the actual event. In the Mini-Maxi race, the children try to complete the shortened race course as quickly as possible together with an adult. The mini-witches, on the other hand, dress up and the scariest mini-witches are rewarded.

Until the "big" witches' downhill race on Saturday, various preparatory races will take place during the week. On Friday, the bonfire is lit in Blatten and the Belalp Witch is officially opened. The old tradition of the Witches' Dance has been reintroduced into the programme and is always a highlight of the Belalp Hexe. One of the few changes made by the OC around President Sebastian Truffer. The success proves them right. The Belalp Hexe is one of the biggest and most popular winter events in the Valais.

The event is not only fun for a participant. The Belalp Hexe is also very attractive and exciting as a spectator. On the one hand, the witch groups are usually very generous with all kinds of brews, and on the other hand, Belalp is one of the most beautiful ski areas in the Valais. From Brig, you can reach the newly built gondola lift in Blatten in 15 minutes. Gone are the days when you had to queue for a long time at the valley station. A highlight is a view from Hotel Belalp on the Aletschbord. In addition to the breathtaking panorama with the giants of the Valais Alps, including the Matterhorn, you have a clear view of the Great Aletsch Glacier and parts of the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site.