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Resorts Guide - Grindelwald
Photo: SnowKings
Grindelwald is one of the classic Swiss ski resorts that has a location opposite the north face of the Eiger that
is the envy of mountain villages the world over.
Nestling beautifully in the Bernese Oberland at a height of 1034m, it is famous not only for it's skiing but
as the main starting point and base for ascents of the mountains that dominate over the village - the Wetterhorn and the Eiger.
As with near neighbours Wengen and Murren, Grindelwald is not only a popular winter sports destination but also
a favourite in the summer, mainly for it's wealth of fantastic hiking trails.
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On this page you'll find the following information about the resort...
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Consider travelling by train - it takes about 3 and a half hours from Geneva with changes required at Bern and Interlaken Ost.
This may sound like a long time and a lot of hassle changing but it's worth it.
It's a fantastic journey around Lake Geneva to start with and then the final legs as you hit the Bernese Oberland.
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Grindelwald is part of the
Jungfrau Region
Ski Region:
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Jungfrau Region
All the skiing information, the webcams, pistemaps, and everything else you need for this classic Swiss ski area.
More...
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Grindelwald has access to two main ski areas - the First area, situated up above Grindelwald facing the Eiger,
and the Mannlichen/Kleine Scheidegg ski area that is normally associated with Wengen.
For this reason many people argue that Grindelwald is a better ski base than Wengen because you have
similar access to both First and Mannlichen/Kleine Scheidegg, whereas Wengen only has easy access to the latter.
Details of the skiing in both areas is show below:
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Below is a description of the various skiing areas at First:
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We'll start with First, Grindelwald's best known area situated at 2168m and with views straight over to the Eiger.
You get access to it via the gondola from Grindelwald, with mid-stations at Bort and Schrekfeld. First is home to
Grindelwald's main nursery slopes and beginners area.
There's a chairlift to take you upto the Oberjoch area. Slopes down from First consist of a blue (no 3) and a red (no 4)
that lead down to Schrekfeld. For advanced skiers there's a black (no 5) that winds all the way down to Bort.
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Access up to Oberjoch, the highest lift-served point on this side of Grindelwald, is via a chairlift from First.
There are then two runs back down to the base of the chairlift, an easy blue and a slightly trickier red.
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As well as the pistes down from the First area there is a chairlift (named Schilt) that you can get on and a few runs
lead down from it - blue no. 8 and red no. 9 both end up back in the Schrekfeld area whilst another beginner-friendly
blue takes you right down to the Bargelegg area. Advanced skiers can skip a long section of this blue by opting for a
black (no 14) that runs in parallel to it. Going back to the main Schrekfeld area, there are 2 blacks and a red that
run down from it - red 7 and black 16 take you down to the base of the Grindel chairlift at the Bargelegg area whilst
black no 6 runs right down to Bort, its a long black that'll really get those thighs burning with a vertical drop of about 400m.
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The Bargelegg area has three lifts - the Grindel chair and the Bargelegg drag start from a similar location and the
Hohwald drag which is a bit further to the right. The Grindel lift connects the red 7 and black 16 to Schrekfeld
whilst taking the 206m Bargelegg drag opens up either red 12 or blue 13.
Taking red 12 brings you to the base of the Hohwald lift, take this drag to the top and you've then got two
options - an easy blue will bring you straight back to the bottom of the drag again, or red 23, one of the
longest in the area will sweep you right around the valley through Stepfi and Blumlisalp and right down to Rancher Bar
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Below is a description of the various skiing areas at Mannlichen-Kleine Scheidegg:
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From Mannlichen there is a blue (piste 2) or a red (number 3) to take you right down down to the
base of the Mannlichen chairlift (note - that's the chairlift, not the cablecar back down to Wengen, you wont be skiing
down that way unless you're about the same level as Candide Thovex). There are also 2 sections at the top where you can ski black
piste no. 1 and then get down via the aforementioned reds or blues.
One thing worth pointing out is that some of the higher slopes around Mannlichen can sometimes be closed
due to high winds - it's quite an exposed area. Wengen village centre sometimes get's protected from the winds from the otherside
of Mannlichen but it's worth being aware that the conditions on the top run can be very different.
However, this is a problem common to many ski resorts, not just Wengen.
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Also going down from Mannlichen top station is the Grindelwald Grund - Mannlichen gondola.
The gondola goes from 2230m right down to Grund at 944m. There are a variety of blues and red pistes to
navigate down to the bottom of the fantastically named Lager chairlift (not as good as it sounds!)
but to get down further to the Holenstein station of the gondola or right down to the bottom at Grund
early intermediates need to be able to get down a red run (piste number 3). Be aware that in busy
holiday periods such as half-term the routes down to Grund can get busy before lunch as lots of
people head down there (anyone skipping lunch or stopping earlier/later will find
the runs down to Grund much quieter over lunch).
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There are a number of pistes between Mannlichen and Kleinne Scheidegg but the vast majority
are reds and suited to intermediates. One thing we're too keen about in this area is some of the piste
markings - which were were a bit unclear. Red pistes no. 7 at Tschuggen and no. 21 at Honegg or Kleine
Scheidegg both meet up just below the Tschuggen drag lift and then take you down to Grund.
Speaking of the Tshuggen drag lift - it's extremely long - worth bearing in mind if you've got kids
with you who have a tendency to fall off them if they need to hold on for longer than 2 minutes !!
Nervy intermediates or developing beginners can get down to Grund avoiding the reds if they want
to by using the long blue piste (no. 22) that goes right down under the north face of the Eiger
from Kleine Scheidegg, past Alpiglen and down into Grindelwald.
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There are a couple of reds up on the top of the Lauberhorn, and you can ski the World Cup run
that starts up here and winds it's way back down to Wengen. It's the oldest race on the downhill
circuit and also the longest, the pro's doing it in a staggering 2 and a half minutes !
There's a cracking bar up here called
the Start Bar, if you're there when the Lauberhorn race is on then get yourself up to it, you'll
be amazed that you can rub shoulders with the racers before they hurtle off down the course.
If you're up on the Lauberhorn
and look onto the opposite side of Kleine Scheidegg you'll see another area at a similar height
- the Eigergletscher. More advanced skiers will be pleased to hear that there are a few black runs up
here around the Fallboden lift as well as a couple of reds.
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You can get back down to Wengen from either the Eigergletscher, Lauberhorn or Kleine Scheidegg areas
(with the latter having the blue option) but all 3 routes (with the exception of the black World Cup run)
eventually end up at the Wengernalp area, sweeping round the corner on a steady blue to Allmend.
If you do come down the World Cup run look out for boards detailing the different sections and jumps
of the course. If you like your Ski Sunday or Eurosport then you'll recognise the names, if not they're still
worth taking a breather at and reading.
There are a couple more black and red runs in the Allmend area, ending down at the foot of the Innerwengen
chairlift, one of the blacks is the Mannlichen World Cup slalom run, which traditionally takes place the
day after the downhill. Back up at Allmend the blue run continues back down into the village - you can then
make your way back over to the cable car and start again or if it's the end of the day head for a well-deserved drink !
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First webcam - the cable car station above Grindelwald at 2168m.
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Families or couples looking for somewhere traditional and pleasant will love the charm of it all,
and it seems many get seduced into returning year after year to Grindelwald and the surrounding area.
The pace of the place, and the attitude and hospitality of the folk who live and work here mean
that families will love it.
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It's a tricky thing having to hand this resort second place to anyone else in the scenery stakes,
and it was a close run thing with Zermatt. Grindelwald sits on the side of a valley at a height of 1034m
with an alpine backdrop that is the envy of the world - the Eiger, Monch, Jungfrau and Wetterhorn.
To be honest pictures don't do the location of Grindelwald justice, you have to go there to witness the
sheer scale of the Eiger looming over you. Dont be too dissapointed if there's a cloud, seeing the top
of the North Face appearing high above you sometimes feels more dramatic than on a cloudless day when the
whole wall is in view. Most of the skiing takes place on the slopes facing the Eiger, such as First,
so the view from the pistes is as good as that down in the town.
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Surprisingly, given the size of the mountains that are surrounding Grindelwald and the Jungfrau region, you can't actually ski
anywhere in the summer.
The Eiger has a glacier (the Eigergletscher) and from the visitor centre at the top of the Jungfraujoch
you're right next to another one, actually the largest glacier in the Alps - the Great Aletsch Glacier (Grosser Aletschgletscher)
but there are no lifts or skiing on these.
Instead, Grindelwald, and the other resorts in Jungfrau region, turn their attention to a whole host of other outdoor activities during the summer months,
such as hiking, climbing, paragliding and watersports down on the lakes near Interlaken.
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