Adelboden Ski Area

The five Adelboden-Lenk ski areas have over 100 well maintained pistes, 90% of which are designated either blue (92km) or red (96km) and ideal for intermediates and confident beginners. More advanced skiing on piste is limited to a handful of black runs, none of which are very challenging, but there’s also easy off-piste terrain between the pistes and more challenging off-piste at higher altitude for ski touring with local mountain guides.

Sillerenbuhl-Hahnenmoos-Metsch

The Sillerenbuhl-Hahnenmoos-Metsch ski area, the biggest in the region, has an abundance of red and blue runs with north and south facing aspect either side of the Hahnenmoos Pass and the ridge between Adelboden and Lenk. Most of the skiing is between 1,500m and 2,200m and on wide open slopes which are usually uncrowded.

Beginners in Adelboden can gain confidence and improve their technique on wide, gentle blue slopes before progressing to the red runs, many of which can also be navigated with reasonable ease by confident beginners. While the skiing is fragmented across five separate ski areas, the main ski area is varied and big enough to entertain most recreational skiers for several days or more. Advanced skiers, however, will quickly exhaust the half a dozen black runs and need to look to the off-piste terrain for more challenging skiing.

Some of the ski lifts are quite old, notably the sequence of antiquated gondolas connecting Adelboden to the main ski area and the gondola to Hahnenmoos, but these are due to be upgraded in 2013. Three smaller ski areas near Adelboden, the Tschentenalp, Engstligenalp and Elsigenalp, also offer good skiing for beginners and intermediates and Engstligenalp also has some good off-piste. There’s another ski area above Lenk, but getting there from Adelboden and back is time consuming.

Tschentenalp

Adelboden’s local mountain, Tschentenalp, is easily reached by gondola from the village and offers half a dozen easy red runs and a blue run for intermediates and beginners, two black runs, a popular mountain restaurant with sun terrace and ski bar at the summit (1,950m). There’s also a long toboggan run and toboggans are available for hire at the gondola lift stations.

Engstligenalp

The Engstligenalp is a 2,000m high plateau and secluded wilderness, 5km from Adelboden. A cable car provides access to the ski area which includes half a dozen runs and five drag lifts on south facing slopes as well as 8km of cross-country skiing, some excellent dog sledding and winter walking on the plateau. The ice igloo with its glittering Iglu Ice Bar is recommended for its special cheese fondue produced by local cheese merchant Manfred Schmid and to admire works of ice art.

Elsigenalp

The Elsigenalp, sometimes referred to as Elsigen-Metsch, is a family-friendly ski area 10km from Adelboden (a 20 minute bus ride) with eight drag lifts serving 16 pistes – three blue, 11 red and two black runs – including wide pistes which are good for beginners and great for carving.

Lenk

The small town of Lenk in the Simmental valley has its own separate ski area, but to reach it from Adelboden is not easy. By the time you reach the bottom of the Metschberg chairlift on the far side of the main ski area it is likely you will to want to repeat the excellent blue runs above Metsch rather than take time out from skiing to get to the far side of Lenk.  Those determined to ski all five ski areas must ride the gondola down to Rothenbach, then catch a bus to the gondolas on the far side of Lenk which lead to a dozen more red and blue runs, and a solitary short black run; then repeat the journey in reverse direction, but don’t leave it too late otherwise it’s a long bus journey or an expensive taxi ride to get back to Adelboden.