Engelberg
Ski Resort

Arriving among Engelberg’s impressive Belle Epoque hotels, it’s easy to gaze up at the towering mountains and understand why a wandering monk was so impressed by the scenery that he stopped in his tracks, had a vision and founded a monastery that later spawned both the town and the modern-day Engelberg ski resort.

For skiers and boarders, two mountains are more important than all the others: the mighty 3239m Titlis, and the slightly smaller 2564m Jochstock. A state-of-the-art ski lift system ascends almost all the way up Titlis to its second peak of Klein Titlis at 3028m, opening up a vast north-facing deep freeze well stocked with deep powder. This is the home of the Titlis glacier and the famous Laub, a consistently steep freeride descent (1000m vertical elevation) down the shoulder of the mountain. However, the Laub is just one of Engelberg’s ‘Big Five’ off-piste descents, which also include Sulz, Steintäli, Steinberg, and Galtiberg, some of which have vertical drops that are almost twice as large. And ski tourers and true backcountry explorers will also want to tackle the High Five – five long itineraries that take you far from the town.

For those who want to ski on pistes, Engelberg offers some nice runs, but not many of them. Titlis and Jochstock have red and black pistes near the top and easier blues below. Across the valley on the sunny side of town is Brunni, which has lower, gentler, south-facing slopes. And a bus ride away is the small Bannalp ski area above Fell. Together, these are more than enough for a novice (there are decent ski schools and nursery slopes), but a keen intermediate who does not want to try off-piste skiing will exhaust the groomed runs in about three days.

Engelberg Ski Area Titlis-Barghuis-Jochpass © Engelberg Titlis Tourism

And that might be all that is needed, because Engelberg is easily accessible and a great weekend destination. It can also be combined for a two-centre holiday with Meiringen-Hasliberg (best for weaker skiers) or Andermatt (best for stronger skiers), which are just over an hour away by car. Or skiing can be supplemented with Engelberg’s other activities. There are delightful winter walking and snowshoeing trails on Brunni, cross-country trails all around the town and up and down the surrounding lower slopes, a large ice rink at the Sportingpark, and a separate mountain dedicated to snowshoeing and tobogganing accessed from the nearby lift at Furenalap.

As a place to stay in, Engelberg was a town long before skiing became popular, so the historic centre of the town and most of the accommodation are a 5-minute bus ride or a 15-minute walk from the lifts and pistes. It’s not a party resort, but it fills up at weekends with skiing enthusiasts, and there are enough bars and restaurants for relaxed apres-ski and good dining.