Have you ever come across quite baffling results for your Google search? Has Siri ever been confused with what mountain you are looking for? If yes, it means you have stumbled over a pleonasm, oh so frequent in mountain names.
A proper name means it is given to a unique object, thus it should not be attributed to another thing, otherwise, it would not be proper anymore. Well, no! If the rule were as simple as that we wouldn’t have namesakes - same names that denote different subjects.
If you type sex rouge in the search engine of our cool PeakVisor app, you would come up with at least two options of the mountains, which one should you choose? Let us clarify these misnomers.
A proper name means it is given to a unique object, thus it should not be attributed to another thing, otherwise, it would not be proper anymore. Well, no! If the rule were as simple as that we wouldn’t have namesakes - same names that denote different subjects.
If you type sex rouge in the search engine of our cool PeakVisor app, you would come up with at least two options of the mountains, which one should you choose? Let us clarify these misnomers.
Ok, What’s wrong with sex?
Seeing any names featuring the word sex, one cannot help thinking it is all about the hanky-panky. Well, tongue in cheek, you should not trust your eyes that much, sometimes a banana is just a banana, as the notorious Zigmund Freud used to say.
Should you be well-versed in French slang or long deprived of earthly pleasures, trekking Sex Noir, Sex Rouge, Mont Pucel, La Motte and even WIldhorn itself would sound like a sex tour as sex in dirty French means both the act and the penis, pucel (pucelle) is a virgin, motte is a pubis or Adonis belt if you think about men and want to be more poetic, and horn might be considered a euphemism for a horny hardon. Well, let me disappoint you. Traversing those grounds with such thoughts in mind will be like having a Eurotrip in the namesake movie, meaning that would be an illusion.
Basically, the words sex/scex/six in French come from Latin saxium which means rock or hard. So, if you feel proud on your way to the pinnacle of Wildhorn though the hamlet called Pro du Sex (sex professional), you’d better check your head. Also, pucelle means an innocent girl, by the way, that was the name of Jeanne d’Arc. Motte is an innocuous hillock or mound, and wildhorn is just a horn.
Basically, the words sex/scex/six in French come from Latin saxium which means rock or hard. So, if you feel proud on your way to the pinnacle of Wildhorn though the hamlet called Pro du Sex (sex professional), you’d better check your head. Also, pucelle means an innocent girl, by the way, that was the name of Jeanne d’Arc. Motte is an innocuous hillock or mound, and wildhorn is just a horn.
Sex Rouge
Wildhorn panorama
Sex Rouge is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, located north of Anzère in the canton of Valais. It belongs to the Wildhorn massif and overlooks the Lac des Audannes. It should not be confused with another nearby peak of the same name. This other Sex (or Scex) Rouge is located just west of Oldenhorn and is the terminus of a cable car line serving the Glacier 3000 ski area adjacent to the Diablerets.
Sex Rouge of Wildhorn
Elevation: 2,893m (9,491ft)
Prominence: 184m (604ft)
Isolation: 1.6 km (0.99ml)
Parent Peak: Wildhorn
Location: Bernese Alps, Valais, Switzerland
Coordinates: 46°19′58.7″N 7°22′34.6″E
Prominence: 184m (604ft)
Isolation: 1.6 km (0.99ml)
Parent Peak: Wildhorn
Location: Bernese Alps, Valais, Switzerland
Coordinates: 46°19′58.7″N 7°22′34.6″E
Sex Rouge of Wildhorn is tricky, getting up the hill is quite easy-peasy, whereas the descent might take longer than you think. The path that starts from the terminal station of the gondola Anzère - Pas-de-Maimbré is quite narrow and can become treacherous when wet. The best spot to start is La Selle, the path is well marked and you have great views on the way as well as some puzzling things. For example, there are some remains of an ancient bisse (aka historic water channel) that probably used to supply water to the lake located at 2579m if you look in the direction of Arbaz.
Hiking
Hiking Sex Rouge is spectacular because the route is speckled with plenty of white karst limestone spots and the blackness of the Couloir des Andins. It takes about 6 hours to walk through mesmerizingly contrasting landscapes. The trustworthy Les Alps magazine advises visiting the place in two days with a night sleepover at the Cabane des Audannes. In this way, you will have enough time to climb the summit of Sex Rouge and to take in the very peculiar scenery at Audannes without exerting yourself to total exhaustion.
Skiing
Courtesy of Flo Maderebner
In winter, visitors have free access to a ski run and a toboggan run. No tiring walk back up – you ride a magic carpet. Ideal for beginners and children! The Anzère village drag lift, located a little higher up, lets you join the ski lifts without removing your skis. In summer, there is a playground and numerous free activities (ping-pong, football field, pit-pat game, chess, etc.)
Grass Scooters and Mountain Bikes
Courtesy of Lum3n.com
If you feel courageous, take a grass scooter down La Brune path through the forest, it is over 4.5 km long and sometimes fool of trekkers and hikers who are given the priority pass at all times. Also, for safety reasons, you cannot ride a scooter on a descending path from Pas-de-Maimbré.
In summer time, you can also ride a mountain bike down the slopes usually appreciated by skiers in winter. There are also four marked circuits of varying difficulty for more orderly mountain biking, all four routes start from the main Anzere village square (Place du Village).
In summer time, you can also ride a mountain bike down the slopes usually appreciated by skiers in winter. There are also four marked circuits of varying difficulty for more orderly mountain biking, all four routes start from the main Anzere village square (Place du Village).
Summer Tubing
If you are neither a biker, nor a hiker at heart, you might still be a child deep down there. Take an inflatable buoy at Pas-de-Maimbré on the weekends from 11 am to 3.30 pm, assuming the weather conditions permit. The price varies from 2 euros for a single run for kids (3 euros for an adult or for a tandem) to 24 euros for 10 rides.
Health and Wellness
If you are too tired of conquering those hills, drop at a Holy Mountains spa and pamper yourself to various massages after a strenuous hike. There is also a pool there, so you can have all treats in one go: the mountains, the air, and the water.
P.S. When you are in the Bernese Alps, you simply must try Alpine-style macaroni, Croûte forestière (toasted mushroom slice) and Käseschnitte (3-layered cheese slice), they are absolutely delicious local foods.
The other Sex Rouge, aka Scex Rouge of the Diablerets
Elevation: 2,971m (9,747ft)
Prominence: 131m (430ft)
Coordinates:46° 19′ 38″ N, 7° 12′ 9″ E
Parent Peak: Les Diablerets
Location: Bernese Alps, Vaud, Switzerland
Prominence: 131m (430ft)
Coordinates:46° 19′ 38″ N, 7° 12′ 9″ E
Parent Peak: Les Diablerets
Location: Bernese Alps, Vaud, Switzerland
The name of the mountain is translated literally as red rock and unlike its namesake it is has better transport infrastructure and more options to explore.
If you have itchy feet, go to Scex Rouge and see the wonders of this almost 2000 meter high amphitheatre of cliffs surrounding the Creux de Champ valley, south of Les Diablerets. Scex Rouge offers a perfect view of its parent peak, Diablerets, a huge ice-capped mountain at the western end of the Bernese Alps. On the southeast side, Scex Rouge overlooks the Transfleuron Glacier, the largest in the massif.
If you have itchy feet, go to Scex Rouge and see the wonders of this almost 2000 meter high amphitheatre of cliffs surrounding the Creux de Champ valley, south of Les Diablerets. Scex Rouge offers a perfect view of its parent peak, Diablerets, a huge ice-capped mountain at the western end of the Bernese Alps. On the southeast side, Scex Rouge overlooks the Transfleuron Glacier, the largest in the massif.
Glacier 3000 official promo
There are two aerial tramways operated by Glacier 3000 leading to Scex Rouge, one connects it to the Col du Pillon (Vaud canton) and then leads to the summit of the Tete aux Chamois (2, 525m). The other takes off from Tête aux Chamois, a second aerial tramway leads to near the summit of the Scex Rouge, or more precisely, a 2,965 metre-high subsidiary summit. The mountain station lies at an elevation of 2,940 metres and consists of a large building, designed by Mario Botta, including a panoramic restaurant.
It is in French, but still, you can get that 'straight-from-the-horse's-mouth' info
The true summit of the Scex Rouge can now be reached by a bridge connecting it with the subsidiary peak, which is in turn connected to the station by stairs. The 107 metre-long so-called "suspension bridge" (without towers), called Peak Walk, was inaugurated in October 2014. There is a long read on suspension bridges in the Swiss Alps, worth having a peek at.
In summertime, the mountain is open to hiking with trails across the glacier between Scex Rouge, Quille du Diable and the Oldensattel, at the foot of Odlenhorn. The mountain itself is for experienced hikers only can be reached from Reusch via Oldensattel or from Derborece and the Sanetshc Pass via the Quille du Diable, or from Les Diablerets via the Col de Prapio and the Col du Pillon. In winter (October to May), this is the place for good skiing.
Scex Rouge remains the highest mountain of Vaud canton with public transport access. The first connection was opened in July 1964 and it was devoted to Expo64, the first post WW2 exhibition.
Speaking of troublesome names, there is a nice long read on the mountains that have two names, which are not in direct reference to each other, and if you are not a blessed bilingual, you will have difficulty finding the peak you need. Yet, if you are a blessed owner of the PeakVisor app, identifying the mountains around you will never be a problem again. We also run a weekly update on the PeakVisor app with extended features that are constantly improved or added.
A stepwise instruction on using the app
Please let us know of your ‘sex’ Rouge experiences, we appreciate your feedback.