The Suonen, the water pipes from the mountains, play an important role

in the life of the Valais farmers and fulfill an important function in the Valais alpine agriculture. Not only that, nowadays you can walk along these canals. They are a tourist attraction.

History of the Suonen
Let's imagine a Valais mountain farmer in the late Middle Ages: The alpine pastures are withering in the July heat, and all around, large quantities of meltwater thunder more or less unchecked down into the Rhone Valley. The scorched grass at high altitude does not provide much fodder for goats and even less for cows. But fodder would be urgently needed, because the population in the valley has increased strongly. In this situation, the idea of tapping the mountain streams and directing the water to the pastures must have been obvious.

Many Suonen are spectacular constructions, which were partly hewn into the rock or built as wooden channels over abysses. Without these water conduits, large parts of the Valais would have remained uninhabitable for centuries. Valais is home to the places with the lowest precipitation in Switzerland. The driest place in the country is Ackersand with an average rainfall of 475 millimeters per year. However, since at least 700 to 900 millimeters are necessary for productive cultivated land, Suonen bring water. The oldest records of the Suonen date back to the 15th century. The Suonen have come to Heimatfilm honors several times, mainly thanks to the novel "An heiligen Wassern", published by the Zurich writer Jakob Christoph Heer in 1898. The novel was filmed, among others, by Alfred Weidenmann in 1960.

Hiking along Suonen
Nendaz is home to the largest still active network of suonen in Switzerland. The total of 98 kilometers of hiking trails along the eight suonen lead through breathtaking landscapes with fascinating views of valleys, villages and mountains. The suonen trails are open until autumn. The starting point of the hikes is in the village center of Nendaz.