Conquering Switzerland’s Winter Sports, From Bobsleds to Cross-Country Trails
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- Ski season runs mid-December through March almost everywhere, and up high in Zermatt it stretches from November into May.
- Day passes at the big resorts run about CHF 80 to CHF 105 for adults, depending on the date.
- You must be 18 for the Cresta Run’s beginner school and 16 for a guest ride on the Olympia Bob Run.
- If you don’t ski, pink-marked winter trails, long sled runs and thermal baths (cheaper in the evening) will keep you busy, much like the non-ski adventures in other snowy getaways for non-skiers.
- Off-piste is guide territory, and that means avalanche gear and a look at the daily avalanche bulletin before you go.
After spending some quality wintertime in Switzerland, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Swiss may be both the hardiest people on the planet, as well as the bravest. And the craziest!
For when it comes to blithely taking on the most extreme sports imaginable, they just smile and do it – and invite you to join in. So if spending a snowy interlude in the Alps while testing your personal mettle each day sounds like a perfect way to get a nonstop adrenaline rush this winter, you’ve come to the right vacation place.
Let’s wend our way from east to west, keeping in mind that some of these adventures can be had in more than one of the country’s 26 cantons (that is, the Swiss version of states).
When to Go for Winter Sports in the Swiss Alps
Mid-December through March is prime time, when just about every lift, sled run and trail in the country is open. Go higher and you get more weeks to play with, since Zermatt plans to keep its lifts turning from Nov. 1 to May 3 and Glacier 3000 near Gstaad runs from early November through April — and Zermatt’s all-season adventures in the Swiss Alps make it worth a visit even beyond ski season.
Christmas week and February are a different story. That’s when the crowds pile in, and the Jungfrau Ski Region, for one, charges its top lift prices from the holidays through New Year’s and again from late January to the end of February. If those are the only weeks you can swing, book your accommodation early. Or save the Alps for another trip and take a shorter hop to weekend ski escapes in Canada’s Rockies.
Leave snowmobiling off the list. Each canton writes its own rules, and plenty of Swiss mountain areas restrict recreational rides. In Uri, you need a permit, and those go to the likes of rescue crews and slope groomers. If you really want a go, SnowXpark above Engelberg rents electric snowmobiles for laps around a fenced track, at CHF 29 for 10 minutes.
Taking Ski Lessons for the First Time
A group class is the usual way to start. You’ll spend the first morning on gentle slopes with a mix of tourists and locals, and your instructor moves the group higher as everyone gets steadier. Outdoor Interlaken’s ski school in Grindelwald charges CHF 109 for a three-hour adult class in the morning, and groups top out at six. There are no classes on Thursdays or Fridays, which leaves you two days to practice what you learned.
Don’t bother hauling equipment from Los Angeles. Rental shops sit right by the lifts at most base stations, and you can pick up skis, boots and poles in one stop. That goes double if a first ski trip to Utah’s Wasatch range is your only time on skis so far.
What a Ski Day Costs at a Big Swiss Ski Resort
Budget about CHF 80 to CHF 105 a day for an adult lift ticket at a big resort. Most of them now change prices with the calendar, and a weekday in a quiet week can cost less than a Saturday in February, which is one reason multi-mountain ski passes for the season have become so appealing.
Zermatt’s day pass starts at CHF 89, and you’ll find that low price in November and late April. Add the Italian side at Cervinia and it starts at CHF 104. Over in the Jungfrau Ski Region, low-season weekdays cost CHF 79. Verbier lists its 4 Vallées day pass at CHF 87 and knocks off 10% when you buy online at least 10 days out.
Graubünden: Daring to Do it in the Engadin
Graubünden canton covers a wide swath of Eastern Switzerland and is filled with mountains, glaciers and valleys formed by the Central Alps. The Engadin Valley is where physical challenges of all sorts abound, beginning with skiing and snowboarding. Stay in St. Moritz or Pontresina, where many hotels have ski-in, ski-out access to lifts. Then begin the real fun of the Engadin, for you can use lifts, gondolas and mountain railways to schuss your way around all the mountains in the valley, learning along the way that skiers-boarders all across the Alps clomp their way onto trains constantly to connect to nearby slopes.
Of course, everyone in the world knows about the legendary snow conditions and ski mountains in Switzerland, but what about the Diavolezza Glacier Race? That happens annually in March, and you’ll need to register to join that nearly five-mile competition on skis or snowboard, on an ungroomed run over glaciers, ice fields and more, with an elevation drop of over 3,000 feet. That’s sure to blow your hair back, but if that seems too tame … hold my beer!
For St. Moritz, known as the birthplace of Alpine sport, is ready to give you a few challenges that may shake you to the core. Think you’ve got the guts to try the Cresta Run? If so, you’ll ride on your belly on a skeleton-like toboggan, hurtling headfirst for a ¾-mile zoom down the oldest natural ice run in the world. Don’t be surprised if you feel a little wobbly at the finish, beginners usually do; meanwhile, riders have been doing this run since 1885.
Beginners are welcome, as long as they’re over 18. Once the season opens Dec. 17, the St. Moritz Tobogganing Club’s beginner school starts newcomers lower down, at Junction. You pay CHF 700 for your first five rides with gear and lessons included, and it takes at least three days in town to fit them in.
Women have ridden on the same terms as men since a 2018 club vote ended a ban that went back to 1929.
Still feeling ready for more? Then speed on over to the Olympia Bob Run, the world’s original bobsled run, first carved out by hand in 1904 and still done that way every year. It’s been the site of bobsledding Olympics and World Cups, and amateur adrenaline seekers can book rides in a four-person bobsled throughout the winter season. With pros in the driver’s seat and braking back seat, you’ll drop into the two middle seats and quickly be off on (for me, at least) the longest 75 seconds of your life. Hurtling down the track at over 80 mph and hitting 5Gs of pressure around 19 curves was a bit too much for my sensitivities, but I crawled out alive. You will too, and will love it if you like wild roller coasters, for it’s an insane ride.
Guest rides on the Olympia Bob Run cost CHF 269, and you have to be at least 16. The price covers your helmet and a glass of spumante at the bottom, which you’ll probably want. Bookings opened in July for a season starting Dec. 22, but the track is built fresh from snow and water every winter, and a warm spell can push opening day back.
Visit in February and you can watch the town race horses on frozen Lake St. Moritz at White Turf, on Sundays, Feb. 7, 14 and 21. Stay for the skijoring, where skiers on long reins get towed across the ice by galloping horses with nobody in the saddle. It’s an amazing sight, and you’ll see why the Swiss get called the craziest people on the planet.
The Diavolezza Glacier Race follows on March 20. Racers cover about 8 km over the Pers and Morteratsch glaciers, on what organizers call the longest glacier run in Switzerland.
Before leaving the Engadin, do a day of winter canyoning, that sport that pits you against ice and snow as you belay down a frozen waterfall, zipline across a snow-filled canyon and hike where all you hear is the crunch of the snow. You can rent all of the gear you’ll need for this one, but be sure to wear your woolen long johns and thick socks, as it gets cold out there.
Pontresina’s mountaineering school, Bergsteigerschule Pontresina, runs the canyoning days from its office on Via Maistra, and you can sort out your rental gear when you book.
Cross-Country Skiing in the Engadin
Flat valley floors and frozen lakes make the Engadin easy going on skinny skis. There are more than 240 km of prepared trails, with long stretches through quiet larch forest. Trail passes are cheap by Swiss standards, at CHF 10 a day or CHF 30 a week, and free for kids up to 16.
First-timers should head to the Müsella cross-country center in La Punt Chamues-ch, which sits right on the marathon trail. Colani Sport runs lessons and rentals from its facilities there, and it’ll wax your skis overnight if you leave them. There’s a children’s area, too, with gentle slopes, a small lift and a sledding hill by the playground.
Get hooked and there’s a race waiting. The Engadin Skimarathon on March 14 runs 42 km from Maloja to S-chanf, with a half marathon to Pontresina the same day.
Snowshoeing to the Morteratsch Glacier
The trail from Morteratsch station toward the glacier makes an easy first try. You climb only 120 meters over 2.9 km, and it takes about an hour and a half, with nothing but winter nature and the crunch of your own steps around you.
Pink is the color to look for anywhere in Switzerland. Winter hiking trails and snowshoe routes both get pink signs and pink-topped poles, and the snowshoe signs carry a small snowshoe symbol. Unlike the hiking trails, snowshoe routes aren’t groomed, and they’re graded blue, red or black like ski runs.
Renting snowshoes is cheap, about CHF 19 a day last season at Reni Sport in Brigels, and you don’t need special boots. Your own hiking boots are fine if they’re high, sturdy and waterproof, and Suva, Switzerland’s accident insurer, also suggests gaiters. Off the marked route is another matter, where you’d need an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe, plus the know-how to use them.
Family Winter Activities: Sledding and Snow Tubing
The sled run from Preda down to Bergün is about 6 km long, and last season it stayed lit most evenings, which made it a night out for grown-ups as much as kids. You can rent a sled at Preda station or in Bergün and ride the Rhaetian Railway back to the top, with a train every half hour. This winter’s times weren’t posted yet when we checked, and the RhB sledding page is where they’ll go up.
Younger kids who can’t steer a sled yet do fine at Snowtubing Maloja, up at the head of the valley. You sit in a big inflatable tube, and a lift tows you back up. It makes an enjoyable afternoon, usually open daily from early January if there’s snow, and everyone wears a helmet.
Where to Soak After a Day Outdoors
In Samedan, Mineralbad Samedan stacks its baths and steam rooms five levels high, with a rooftop pool and mountain views at the top. Adults pay CHF 43, or CHF 31 if you come after 6 p.m. The doors stay open until 8:30 p.m. in winter, plenty of time for a good long soak.
Flying out of Zurich gives you one more chance for a soak. Hürlimannbad & Spa Zürich is built into an old brewery, and the CHF 43 ticket gets you the thermal baths and the rooftop infinity pool (B2 Boutique Hotel + Spa guests next door pay half). The lakeside Sauna am See at Seebad Enge is a no-go for now. As of Oct. 19 it was still shut because the lake level had dropped too low.
Where to stay in the Engadin
The Kulm Hotel in St. Moritz opened in 1856, and ever since, this has been the place to stay. From its perfect location perched above Lake St. Moritz, visitors have always found a gorgeous hotel with impeccable service. Today’s Kulm offers a complimentary ski lift and mountain pass for the duration of your stay; add in the fantastic restaurants including the Kulm Country Club overlooking the ice-skating rink and Chesa al Parc for warming local Swiss dishes and the hotel’s modern-yet-traditional rooms to experience a perfect stay in the Engadin.
Bern: The Canton with the HUGE Mountains
Making our way into Central Switzerland means being in the capital city’s canton of Bern, but for more adventure sports, we’re heading to Gstaad, Wengen and Interlaken in the Bernese Oberland, using them as home bases for Alpine activities that test our mettle. Now we’re in the heart of the Alps, tackling legendary mountains like Glacier 3000, Grindelwald, Jungfraujoch and Eiger, all offering up more sports challenges to the brave of heart and strong of body.
With the beautiful village of Gstaad as home base, getting to Glacier 3000 is easy. Take your skis and boards, for it offers some serious mountain challenges for advanced skiers, with going off-piste into fresh powder accomplished by heading toward the Peak Walk stairs and just stepping off beyond the fence. Off-piste skiing is risky (no grooming nor avalanche control), which makes it a Swiss skier’s dream. If it’s yours, too, find it here or further south in the 4 Vallées in Verbier, which is the largest ski area in the country.
Hire a certified mountain guide for that unless you’ve skied a lot of backcountry before. Carry an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe, because nobody patrols that terrain. Check the SLF avalanche bulletin before you go, too. Switzerland’s avalanche experts post it at 5 p.m. daily in winter, with an update at 8 a.m. when needed.
To get there from Gstaad, head for the base station at Col du Pillon above Les Diablerets, just over the line in the canton of Vaud.
The Peak Walk in winter at Glacier 3000 presents its own challenges, with steep icy steps to climb to reach the 350-foot-long, steep suspension bridge that rewards climbers with views stretching from the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc to the Eiger and Jungfrau. The final destination is a large rock on a high peak; we discovered that on a windy winter’s day it’s best to just hang on!
Up at 3,000 meters high (thus the name; that’s 9,800 feet for us in the U.S.), you’ll find sled dogs raring to whisk you across the frozen landscape, barking joyously the whole way. Hang on tight, as you’ll be moving fast.
Be sure to spend some time in Gstaad, where a horse-drawn carriage is the way to see this picturesque place and an Alpine cheese fondue meal at Michel’s Stallbeizli brings a new meaning to “from barn to table” as the cows are right there with you. And perhaps grab some snowshoes and specially prepared fondue fixin’s backpack and take a wintry hike to a giant fondue pot, where you’ll prepare your own cheesy treat in the midst of the mountains.
That giant pot is part of Gstaad’s Fondueland. Order your fondue backpack ahead from one of the local dairies (it serves two people or more), then follow the trails to the oversized caquelons, or fondue pots to you and me. Show a Gstaad Card when you pick it up and you’ll get a free piece of cheese, too.
Move on via the GoldenPass Express scenic train, with panoramic windows to take in the Alpine landscapes in style, to end up in Wengen, a village that’s nestled in the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The GoldenPass Express takes you from Gstaad to Interlaken Ost. From there, ride the Bernese Oberland Railway to Lauterbrunnen (sit in the front cars, as the train splits along the way), then take the little Wengernalp Railway up to car-free Wengen.
To get to the “Top of Europe” chug on up to the Jungfraujoch on Europe’s highest railway, where spectacular views at over 11,000 feet and even more wild rides await. Ski down from on high on black runs if you dare, and remember the air is a lot thinner up here.
Here’s also where it’s time to test your balance on the Velogemel, a wooden downhill conveyance that seems a bit like a bicycle, that will zoom you quickly down the slopes, as long as you can keep your seat. Swiss locals use them as transportation, but we’re still not sure how they get back up the mountains.
Grindelwald’s train station rents Velogemels, and so do local sports shops. For a long ride on a regular sled, try the Big Pintenfritz, which runs about 15 km down from the Faulhorn. You’ll earn it, though, with a gondola ride to First and then a hike of about two and a half hours to the top. The CHF 55 adult day ticket covers the gondola, the run and the bus back to Grindelwald from Bussalp.
For a run in the dark, Grindelwald Bus drives you up to Bussalp on its night sledding trip. You’ll fill up on fondue at the mountain restaurant, then sled 5.38 km down a run with no lights at all. Bring a headlamp, and hope you’re lucky enough to get some moonlight!
Once the Jungfrau has gotten your heart rate way up, take the time to relax and shift home base to Interlaken, that scenic heart of the Alps. It’s a more modern city with plenty to offer, like Stefan Beer’s Michelin-starred restaurant Radius and a chance to make your own Swiss chocolates at Funky Chocolate Club, but there are even more slightly insane winter sports to add to your Swiss bucket list here.
Start with skydiving from a helicopter right next to the Eiger (if you dare) or take a tandem paraglide and land in Höhematte Park, smack dab in the very center of the city. Either one gives you astonishing views and some stomach butterflies, too. Closer to earth, you’ll find winter kayaking on Lake Brienz, where wearing a dry suit will help keep you warm; and over on Grindelwald-First, where they brand themselves as the “Top of Adventure” spot, there’s more adrenaline rushes on offer.
Skydive Interlaken flies the Eiger jumps daily from December through April, weather permitting. The helicopter climbs to about 4,300 meters in front of the Eiger’s north face before you jump, and you come down in Grindelwald.
If you’d rather float than fall, tandem paragliding flights leave from Beatenberg all year and land on the Höhematte. The lake option is a three-hour winter kayak tour on Lake Brienz with Outdoor Interlaken, November through March, for CHF 139 with the dry suit thrown in.
Naturally, there’s challenging ski slopes to conquer, but how about trying the First Flyer, a four-person zipline that hurtles you down 2,600 feet at 50 mph? That one actually has seats, but then there’s the First Glider, too, which simulates how an eagle feels soaring through the air. You’ll ride that one on your stomach along with three other thrill seekers, and feel like you’ve been in a sort of giant slingshot by the time you’re back on the ground.
Adults pay CHF 35 for either ride in winter, but skiers with a valid Jungfrau ski pass ride the First Flyer for free. It makes a good excuse to take a break halfway through a ski day at First.
For a classic top-off to all this excitement, finish up your Swiss adventure with a Cheese Fondue Float dinner on the lake, complete with one of the country’s favorite dishes, cheese fondue. Be sure to have some of Switzerland’s wonderful wines to go along with your floating dinner, for after all your sporting adventures, you deserve it.
Outdoor Interlaken’s Cheese Fondue Float has replaced its old Raclette Rafting trip. It sets off from Bönigen at 6 p.m., September through April, for CHF 99 a head.
A Winter Wonderland Walk Beneath the Eiger’s North Face
Ride up to Männlichen and walk the trail over to Kleine Scheidegg, about 5.6 km and two hours on packed snow. The Eiger’s north face stares back at you most of the way. The trail doesn’t open every day, though, and it pays to check the local trail report before you ride up.
Swiss winter hiking trails are machine-groomed paths of hard-packed snow, with pink signposts that give walking times. Switzerland’s accident-prevention council counts about 6,000 km of them, snowshoe routes included, and non-skiers in your group will find one to explore near almost any resort.
Kandersteg has a rarer treat. When the ice on Oeschinensee is thick enough and officials clear it, a prepared path runs out across the frozen lake, 25 to 30 minutes on foot from the top of the gondola. It doesn’t happen every winter, and when it does, stay on the marked path.
Where to stay in the Bernese Oberland
In Gstaad, The Alpina Gstaad, open since 2012, is spectacular and unforgettable, nestled on the mountainside with gorgeously appointed suites complete with cozy fireplaces and balconies with expansive views, as well as a Six Senses Spa to work out all the athletic kinks you’ve developed on this sports-heavy trip. Wengen offers the Grand Hotel Belvedere, a homey place with a rustic feel and Alpine views. In Interlaken the place to stay is the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa, which has welcomed guests to five-star hospitality for over 150 years. Right in the center of town, this is a legendary hotel that effortlessly meets up to its storied reputation.
Valais: Verbier, Zermatt and Other Activities for Adventurous Skiers
Head farther west into Valais for two of the biggest names in Swiss skiing. Verbier is the hub of the 4 Vallées, and Zermatt pairs skiing up near 3,900 meters with year-round adventures in the village below the Matterhorn.
Freeride and Speedriding in Verbier
Verbier’s marked freeride routes are the safe-ish way in. Yellow poles flag them, they only open while the lifts are running, and they’re secured but never groomed. The resort strongly recommends safety gear on them, and anything bigger, from steep couloirs to deep off-piste powder, calls for a guide.
Speedriding is skiing with a small, fast paraglider wing over your head, and yes, it’s as wild as it sounds. Flyverbier says it’s the only school around offering speed-flying tandems, and the ride drops you more than 1,100 meters from Attelas to Carrefour in about four minutes. It’s for good skiers only, and there’s a 95 kg (about 209 pounds) weight limit.
For something a little tamer, the Mont 4 Zipline whizzes you 1.4 km from Mont-Fort to the Col des Gentianes at up to 100 km/h. Verbier also has husky rides, a toboggan run at La Tzoumaz and tandem paragliding from Les Ruinettes.
Zermatt’s Snow-Sure Slopes Near 3,900 Meters
Zermatt’s top lift reaches 3,899 meters above sea level at Gobba di Rollin, or about 12,790 feet. Up that high the snow lasts well into spring, and Zermatt plans to keep skiing until May 3, after many lower resorts have shut for the season.
Get the international pass and you can ski all 360 km of the Zermatt ski area, Italian side included. Have lunch in Cervinia, then ski back under the Matterhorn.
