The Alpine breed is primarily used for milk production and is second to the Saanen and Toggenburg breeds. Alpines can either be horned or hornless and can grow to weights of up to 250 pounds. There are four basic varieties of Alpines; French, British, Rock and a French Switzerland breed. There are also a variety of cross breeds such as Toggenburg/Alpine, Saanen/Alpine as well as many other combinations breeders have experimeted with. The Alpine is also referred to as the French Alpine and registration papers for this breed use both designations and are synonymous. The Alpine is noted for its coloration; fading shades of white into black with white facial stripes on black. The true characteristic of the breed is medium to shorthair. Departures from the coloration; Oberhasli, a western Swiss breed, usually solid red or black, horned or hornless, erect ears, not as tall as Saanen, very well adapted for high altitude mountain grazing and long hours of marching; popular in Switzerland, but milk production is variable. They are also called Swiss Alpine, Chamoisie or Brienz.