I spent MLK weekend skiing in the Swiss Alps with a friend. We decided to go to Grindelwald as it is one of the closer skiing destinations, only a five hour drive from where we live in Germany.
Apparently skiing has been not great in the Alps this year due to a lack of snow. Nevertheless we had fun and managed to get a lot of skiing in!
We stayed at Lake Lodge Hostel in Iseltwald, Switzerland, linked here. This place was about a thirty minute drive from the slopes, but much cheaper than staying right near them. Also the drive was easy to make. While a hostel, you book rooms privately and have your own balcony with an incredible view. Bathrooms and dining areas are shared.
We drove down Friday, skied all day Saturday and Sunday, and drove back on Monday.
It was very confusing researching the region online. However, we drove to the Grindelwald Terminal the evening before and spoke to someone at the ticket counter. We ended up buying a two day pass, to start the following day, for the whole region and I think this was the right call. I am honestly not sure if there were even other options to only ski one area.
Grindelwald Terminal is a great starting area. From there, you can take a gondola up to the top of Jungfrau on the Eiger Express, or you can take a gondola to Manlichen. From Manlichen, there is another gondola to Wengen.
The Eiger Express is nice because you can ski all the way down the mountain and end up back at the terminal. You can also ski from the top of the mountain down to Wengen.
Manlichen had the best quality of snow and very wide hills. Most hills are red though, which in Europe means intermediate. Because the hills are so wide though, you can take your time slowly criss crossing down the hill.
My favorite area though was Grindelwald First. This was merely due to the scenery. While in the other areas of the region you are skiing above towns, in Grindelwald First you are completely surrounded by the alps and the view is amazing. There were limited slope options however, due to a lack of snow only the slopes at the very top of the mountain were open. You also have to take a bus to get here from the Grindelwald terminal, or park in one of the lots near Grindelwald First.
Note, parking fills up very fast at all of these locations, so I recommend you get there right when the slopes open! We were parked by 0800 each day.
Until next time!
Sarah