The world was a very different place in 1925. “The Great Gatsby” was first published, the Roaring 20s were in full swing, John Logie Baird successfully transmitted the first television pictures, and in a small, rural village in Switzerland, Christian Hari set up a business with the aim of welcoming visitors to the Berner Oberland. 100 years later, Hari’s Chalets is still going strong, and Venture Abroad, who have worked with Hari’s Chalets for over half of that time, were invited to be part of our very special celebrations! So, Elena and I from the VA operations team packed our best frocks (and some very special cargo) and excitedly headed off to Adelboden. Come with us to find out what we got up to!
After a long journey from Derby, the bus from Frutigen came around the corner, and Adelboden appeared in full view. Like many of our groups, this was Elena’s first time seeing this, and she was struck by the jaw-dropping beauty all around. We were met by Mathäus Hari, who was one of Christian’s 14 children, and still involved in the business even at the age of 86! He was our host for the weekend, and he made us feel welcome straight away. Our home for the weekend was Egghaus 5, where many of our groups stay, so we really had the full experience.
There is nothing like a walk up a mountain to welcome you to Switzerland, so on Friday morning, that’s what we did. After hiking up to the village and stocking up on chocolate from the newly refurbished Co-op, we hopped on the bus (using our guest cards, of course) to Ausserschwand, on the other side of the village. From there, it was a leisurely stroll downhill to our first meeting with the Trummer family at their woodcarver’s workshop. We were greeted warmly by Karl and his parents, and it was lovely to see everything that they can offer our groups. Keeping with the theme of family history, Karl showed us some photos of his family and the business throughout the years, before showing us how they make the different creations which you can buy in the shop. The family was full of praise for Venture Abroad groups, as well as our reps who leave their name badges with Karl, so there is always a bit of Venture Abroad that stays with them! The whole ceiling is covered in badges and patches that groups had left behind. We spotted some of our groups from this summer, and I’ve even found some new badge goals!
On the way back, we stopped at the Cholerenschlucht, a dramatic gorge which has been carved out the rock by the power of the water. It includes a number of amazing waterfalls and dramatic rapids, and it’s hard to believe that it is hidden away just outside of Adelboden. The power and noise were just awe-inspiring.
Our day wasn’t over yet, as no time in Adelboden is complete without a visit to the WAGGGS world centre, Our Chalet. We walked down the hill, then climbed back up, and finally, as we turned the corner, the famous sign came into view, where so many of our groups have stopped to take a photo. For Elena, it was exciting to see the place that is so special to Girlguiding groups, and for me, as a member of Girlguiding, it was a chance to reconnect with a very special place that holds a lot of meaning.
Saturday got off to a flying start, literally! We headed to the Adventure Park Adelboden to meet Martin, Hans, and Tom. As we need to understand what our groups can expect, it would be rude not to give the ziplines a try and experience the adrenaline rush for ourselves. Flying across the river, getting faster with each zipwire, was an amazing experience and one which we will be encouraging all of our groups to try out for themselves!
Safely back on the ground, it was time for the main event – the celebrations for 100 years of Hari’s Chalets. The celebrations kicked off on Saturday afternoon, with music, food, and drinks by Chalet Bonderlen 4. It felt like a real community affair, with many of their family, friends, and neighbours invited, but also some important suppliers, such as Martin from the Alpinschule Adelboden and Karl from the Woodcarvers. As part of the celebrations, they had a display of old guest books which guests had signed from 1938 to the present day. Some of these had been beautifully decorated, and a lot of time and effort had gone into them. We spotted some very familiar names from throughout the years, including the latest entry from our representatives this summer. They also had albums full of photos from throughout the years. It was fascinating to see how things have changed, but what has stayed the same over time.
That evening, the celebrations continued with a special meal to honour their success. It took place at the KURVE hotel, which is a brand-new business owned by the same company that now runs Hari’s Chalets, and is absolutely stunning. We presented Mathäus and his son Jürg, along with Martin and Erich, who now run Hari’s Chalets, with an engraved vase to mark this special occasion (although more than one of them joked that it would be used for beer!). Venture Abroad was also mentioned in the speech given by Jürg, looking back over the last 100 years, which made us very proud to be part of their ongoing success. It was a real honour to be invited to be part of this special event, and it really felt like a family affair, with even Mathäus’ great-granddaughter present. One of the other special guests was Paul Taylor, the founder of Camp Tours, which subsequently became Venture Abroad. It was fascinating to find out about the history of VA, and how things really haven’t changed too much at all, especially our commitment to giving our groups a fantastic experience and some unbelievable memories. We realised that 2026 marks the 55th anniversary of Venture Abroad, so perhaps another celebration is in order…
We couldn’t have too much of a late night, as we had to be up bright and early on Sunday to hop on the bus to Kandersteg. There we headed to KISC, and met with Sofia and Oona, to see the Scouting side of a Switzerland tour. It was great to look around the centre, although we all agreed that it would be much better when the campsite is noisy and full! After I added to her badge collection (again), we finally got to try out a typical Swiss cable car and headed up to Oeschinensee, another popular excursion for our groups. The lake with the mountains behind was worth the hike back up, and was completely breathtaking.
We dragged ourselves away from the lake and headed back to Adelboden, where we stopped by the Hotel Alpina, where we got to see where our groups have their Swiss evenings and tried their delicious food.
All good things must come to an end, but before we went, we said goodbye to Mathäus and his wife Edith, who sent us on our way with best wishes to everyone and more chocolate. Landing back in Manchester in the wind and rain, we vowed to return to our mountain home!
A massive thank you to all of our Swiss suppliers for making us feel welcome, and a special thank you and congratulations once again to everyone at Hari’s Chalets – Härzleche Glückwunsch zum Jubiläum, u uf die nächschte 100 Jahr!
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Katie is the supervisor in the Venture Abroad team, having been in the team since 2012. Outside of work, she has been an active member of Girlguiding since she was 7, and is currently the PR and Growth adviser for Girlguiding Nottinghamshire. She also runs an online group for adults to complete badges, and is always working on her badge collection!"