Chaserrugg

Chaserrugg, at 2,262 metres, is the easternmost of the seven Churfirsten - though it rises only some fourteen metres above the ridge climbing on to Hinterrugg - and the only one served by a lift, so it is where most people stand on that ridge. The summit building, completed in 2015 by Herzog and de Meuron, is a restaurant and cable car station in spruce from the Toggenburg itself, prefabricated in the valley and flown up by helicopter because there is no road - a plain, low, timber structure that deliberately avoids the glass-and-steel idiom of most Alpine summit buildings. From the terrace the ground falls away nearly two thousand metres to the Walensee on the southern side, while the northern slope runs gently down toward the Toggenburg.

What's there

• A timber summit building - Herzog and de Meuron, flown up in pieces in 2015.
• Local spruce, prefabricated below - no road, so the parts came by helicopter.
• A two-thousand-metre south face - the drop straight to the Walensee.
• The only lift-served Churfirst - the rest of the ridge is walked.

When to go

June to October, or the ski season. Half a day.

What to expect

The cable car closes between seasons and in wind. The summit is exposed. The ridge walk west from here is a serious mountain undertaking, not a stroll. Cloud is frequent on the crest.

Nearby

The Churfirsten ridge runs west; Walensee is below the southern face.

Key facts