GRINDELWALDS FACTS
LOCAL AREA: Grindelwald
CONNECTED AREA: Jungfrau Region which includes Wengen & Mürren
SEASON START & END: November to 1st weekend in May
SKI ALTITUDE IN METRES:
Grindelwald: 1000m / Wengen: 1274
Grindelwald-Wengen ski area top: 2,320
Vertical: 1,406 metres (Männlichen to Eiger Terminal)
PISTES: Grindelwald-Wengen Blue 30% / Red 50% / Black 20%
LIFTS: Grindelwald-Wengen ski area, including First, has a total of 33 ski lifts. ( 7 gondolas/cable cars / 11 chairlifts / 10 T-bars / 5 magic carpets)
SNOW: Around 150 snow cannons
LIFT TICKET PRICES: See online for prices
CROSS COUNTRY SKIING: Around 50 km of cross country trains between Wengen and Grindelwald
LANGUAGE: Swiss German
AIRPORT: Zurich 130 km / Geneva 226 km / Bern 67 km – NB: Murren is a car-free village, park cars in public car parks at Lauterbrunnen or Stechelberg
TRAIN: Direct train from Zurich Airport to Interlaken, change for Grindelwald or Wengen (via Lauterbrunnen).
SKI FACTS
-Grindelwald – Eiger Express cable car to Eiger Glacier Station one of the world’s largest tri cableways. New in 2020-21.
-Grindelwald has two 5* hotels and a host of excellent 4*s.
-New Michelin Star restaurant in the Hotel Belvedere Grindelwald.
Jungfraujoch Top of Europe – A railway through the Eiger Mountain to the Jungfraujoch, highest railway station in Europe at 4454m with viewing platforms, ice caves, several restaurants and shops.
Grindelwald Village
Grindelwald Village has played an important part in the history of Alpine tourism since the late 18th Century. In the 19th Century, Grindelwald became famous in Britain, and many Victorians visited the area to climb the local mountains. The first Alpine resort in the Bernese Oberland to open in 1888, the area was developed over the coming decades, with hotels, rack railways, cable cars, and mountain huts being built.
Allegedly the Englishmen Gerald Fox and Thomas Fox, having learnt to ski in Norway were the first to bring skiing to Grindelwald in 1881 whilst staying at the famous Baer Hotel, apparently, they put their skis on in the hotel and skied straight out of the entrance, true ‘skin in -ski out’!
The most famous of these developments was the Jungfrau Railway. An epic feat of engineering, the industrialist Adolf Guyer-Zeller started the project in 1894; it took 16 years to tunnel from the Kleine Scheidegg all the way up to the Jungfraujoch. The tunnel runs 9 km from the station of Kleine Scheidegg at 2061 m all the way up to the Jungfraujoch at 3454 m. Still running to this day, the Jungfrau Railway is a must for anyone visiting the area; the views from the Jungfraujoch ‘Top of Europe’ are outstanding, no wonder it became a UNESCO site in 2001.
The train arrives at a labyrinth of tunnels through the mountain. There are various areas to view the surrounding mountains, we recommend visiting them all. The outside viewing platform is the highest, the experience of seeing the vast Aletsch Glacier stretch out ahead of you is breathtaking and certainly makes you feel small. With rising temperatures, the estimate is that the glacier may be gone in 90 years sadly.
Make sure to see the ice sculptures in the Ice Palace under the glacier and then head for some lunch in the Crystal Restaurant, there is the rare opportunity to order cheese fondue for one, so you can have it all to yourself. To visit the Jungfraujoch It is best to book ahead as it can get busy.
We stayed at the gorgeous and newly furbished Hotel Glacier, this is a great 4-star superior boutique hotel to base yourself. The staff are outstanding and the cuisine is second to none in Grindelwald. Top tip, sit in their hot tub whilst the sun sets and light mountains aglow.
Grindelwald Skiing
Grindelwald has two local ski areas, to the north is Grindelwald-First with 56 km of pistes and 40 km of hiking and tobogganing trails. To the south is the Grindelwald-Wengen ski area with 103 km of pistes all at the foot of the iconic mountains, the Eiger, Mönch and the Jungfrau.
The ski area of First, takes a while to get up to via the Grindelwald First gondola, at around 25 minutes with 3 stops you certainly have time to take in the views of the local mountains. The pistes are mostly south facing, so head up there early to get the best snow. First is full of so many fun pistes that roll and twist around the mountain like a giant fun park.
The Berggasthaus restaurant up at First is certainly one to visit for lunch, book ahead and go for the cheese fondue; weather permitting sit outside because the terrace is a sun trap with a great view of the Eiger, Mönch and the Jungfrau across the valley. Another mountain restaurant worth visiting is the Bärgelegg Hütte which is a working farm restaurant, it has a great set up cheaper than most mountain restaurants and is very authentic too.
The area can get busy on weekends. The lower pistes were closed due to warm weather, so we skied down the amazing black piste to Bort for a few Apres ski drinks in the sun, but we then had a huge queue to contend with to get the gondola back down to Grindelwald. The area is on the map for global travellers, so there can be a lot of foot traffic alongside snowsports enthusiasts. Buses did not seem to run past our hotel that regularly either, so the journey from the mountain top back to our hotel took 2 hours.
The second ski area of Grindelwald-Wengen has an altogether different feel compared to First. At the base is a newly built gigantic terminal that has the qualities of a modern airport with a lot of parking and shopping too. The new Eiger Express takes only 15 minutes from the Grindelwald Terminal to the Eiger Glacier at 2328m. The Eiger Express is one of the world’s largest tri cableways, which means the gondolas travel on 3 cables which makes it really safe in extreme weather conditions; the system is so well designed that it even creates electricity when the gondolas travel through the station.
From the top of the Eiger Express is a multitude of piste blue, red and black pistes to choose from with generally lovely wide open pistes with great pitches all under the breathtaking gaze of the Eiger, Mönch and the Jungfrau. For the experienced skis make sure to check out the famous Men’s Downhill Lauberhorn, the longest downhill in the world at 4.4km with speeds approaching 160km/h (100mph), but do not worry you will not reach these speeds yourself. The course winds its way, ducking and diving down through the most beautiful Jungfrau terrain.
Back over on the Grindelwald side is a huge selection of pistes, mostly red with several blues and a couple of black pistes. The area is like a giant bowel that gently funnels down to two beautiful tree-clad blue and red pistes that lead back to Grindelwald.
As well as skiing over to Wengen, one can also ski over to Mürren for a whole different experience and view of the Eiger, Mönch and the Jungfrau. To get to Mürren one must either drive, take the bus or train from Grindelwald or Wengen.
Beginner
First ski area has a nursery slope at the base, but the best area for beginners is up at Kleine Scheidegg with better snow conditions and good pistes as beginners progress.
Intermediate
Grindelwald is very well suited to intermediate skiers. First is a lot of fun with wide and open pistes to play on. The Grindelwald and Wengen sides have lots of choices with really long pistes that descend down through the forest, you will certainly not get bored of exploring the whole area.
Expert
The choices for expert skiers are not vast, but some harder skiing can be found. On First check out the black piste down to Bort or head to Kleine Scheidegg to experience the black pistes from the top or head down the black piste 45 and pit yourself on the Lauberhorn.
Ecology & Sustainability
The Grindelwald-Wengen ski area is committed to sustainability and renewable energy.
The region has implemented several initiatives to reduce its environmental impact, including utilising renewable energy sources like hydroelectric power for ski lifts and infrastructure. The area also focuses on energy-efficient technologies, such as low-energy snowmaking systems powered 100% by renewable sources. The region relies on other renewable energy sources, including the Grindelwald wood-fired thermal power station, which generates carbon-neutral heat energy from local wood
For more information visit Grindelwald & Jungfrau.
