Lift system

Grindelwald / Lift system

Some of the other lifts, like the Männlichenbahn gondola from Grindelwald, are almost as old; it helps to take a relaxed attitude to your piste bashing or aim to stick to the faster lifts where possible. For an area of this size the total lift capacity of just 42,000 people per hour tells a story, but at least the ticket system has been hands-free since 2003.

There are several options when you buy your pass: novices use points cards for the nursery slope lifts, while the Grindelwald-Wengen and Mürren-Schilthorn passes do what they say. There’s also a Sportpass Jungfrau ticket which covers the whole region and an additional ‘Top Ticket’ for the Jungfraujoch – a journey which should be made, even by the keenest skiers (there’s no way to ski down to the resort area from the top, so it’s a tourist outing) on the first fine day in resort. You’d be crazy to come to the area and miss this trip; if you’re fit and a reasonable skier, make it a part of the Lotschenlucke day tour (see ‘off piste and day tours’).

There is also a ‘Hike and Sledge Pass’ for access to the extensive trails; it’s not cheap though compares well to some resorts where non-skiers are priced off the mountain.

First
One of First’s many advantages is that you avoid the train. The main lift, a 6 person gondola, rises 1000 vertical metres from the village in three stages. There are also 3 chairlifts – including the Schilt quad (new in 2002) - and 3 drags.

Kleine Scheidegg/Männlichen
The railway climbs from Grindelwald/Grund to Kleine Scheidegg with a couple of stops along the way. From Grindelwald village you must first take the connecting shuttle train down to Grund, or get the bus. None of this guarantees the best start to your day unless you’re very keen on trains, nor is it speedy. The only alternative to the train is the slow Männlichen 4 person gondola, also from Grund.

Once you’re on the mountain there are 20 lifts spread across the large area. One of the newest is the Läger quad chair; the fact that they can get away with a 4 seater may be explained by the inefficiency of the rest of the lift system which restricts the rate at which people can reach the main slopes. This should at least ensure that it is never too crowded on the way down. From Wengen it’s a similar story: slow train or busy cable car to Männlichen.

To get off to a good start from Grindelwald you can ride up from 8.00 a.m., and 8.15 from Wengen. Avoid the worst of the queues from the valley stations at around 10 a.m. in high season.

Much needed improvements are planned for the system: the slow gondola will be replaced in a few years, along with the last of the T-bars which will be replaced by chair lifts.