Trail building is a very interdisciplinary craft. As part of internal training, we regularly acquire exciting and complementary knowledge from specialists. This also happened with the craftsmanship of dry stone walls.
Authors: Dave Tschumi and Severin Schindler
Durable and formative
Dry stone walling is a craftsmanship that has been developed and tested over centuries and has significantly shaped the cultural landscape of the Alpine region. They support paths, enable terraces for agriculture and viticulture, serve as field borders and at the same time are valuable habitats for flora and fauna. Dry stone walls do not rot, are temperature-resistant and adaptable.
Dry stone wall training-course in Randa
As an integrational part of a trails renovation on the SchweizMobil mountain bike route Visp-Zermatt, we were able to enjoy valuable expert input on this craftsmanship from Beat Locher, an Upper Valais drystone stone luminary, over three days. We were given exciting tips and tricks about planning, tools, areas of application and construction of dry stone walls and were able to apply these directly and concretely to a retaining wall on the valley side.
Construction method
A dry stone wall consists of locally gathered quarries and natural stones. The stones are prepared to size using hand tools. Without binding agents such as concrete or mortar, they are therefore stacked “dry” on top of each other and backfilled with small materials and quarry shards. So-called “binder stones” – which regularly extend into the backing – ensure sufficient anchoring in the ground. To ensure stability in the wall, cross joints must be avoided. The foundation must be at least a third as wide as the height of the wall.
Application in trail building
We are able to use the craft we learned from scratch in various situations in our projects and also integrate them in creative ways. For us, dry stone walls are a supporting element of trail construction, especially in steeper terrain. The big advantage – and completely in line with our philosophy – is that it can be built with locally available materials. Dry stone walls fit well into the appearance and give the trail a natural character. And if you build dry stone walls correctly and carefully, they will last for several decades – or even centuries!
