|
Wengen Skiing Holidays
Wengen is a picturesque old-fashioned village sitting in the beautiful glacial Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Eiger-Monch-Jungfrau Mountain range. This resort with its’ breathtaking scenery is a favourite of couples, who will enjoy the romance of this chocolate-box village and its’ cosy atmosphere, and families, who will find the pedestrian streets and friendly slopes ideal for children. Wengens’ charm is enhanced by the cog railway system built over a hundred years ago and still in service, ferrying skiers up to the village and ski slopes.
Skiing in Wengen – The Mountains
Wengen itself has almost 100km of pistes in and around the village and is linked to neighbouring resorts Grindelward and Murren, creating an area consisting of 190km of skiable terrain. The two main ski areas are Kleine Scheidegg, which Wengen shares with Grindelward and is accessed by the train, a scenic 25 mins away, and Mannlichen, reached by a cable-car from Wengen village. Beginners can choose from 15 blue runs, and the nursery slopes are conveniently located in the village and higher up at Kleine Scheidegg, offering novices the same stunning views as more accomplished skiers. The ski schools at Wengen have a great reputation and offer excellent English-speaking tuition and comprehensive instruction. With the majority of the runs being red, intermediate skiers have plenty to keep them busy, from the long smooth trails of Mannlichen to the shorter, steeper runs of Kleine Scheidegg, and the entire region is characterized by exceptionally long, groomed trails, the longest in the Jungfrau region reaching 16km. Expert skiers should try the legendary Lauberhorn World Cup downhill course, the longest world cup run in the world. Once more advanced skiers have exhausted the 10 black runs available at Wengen (including the appropriately named Oh God), there is plenty of off-piste to be explored with a guide. Wengens’ slopes are served by a total of 23 lifts, including the delightful yet antiquated train, a gondola and a new cable-car connecting up to Mannlichen.
Skiing in Wengen – The Village
The après-ski in Wengen is quiet and fairly subdued. The traditional Alpine village, with its’ car-free streets, exudes a calm peaceful atmosphere and when the lifts close the bars, such as Marys’ Café, the Snow Bar and The Tanne Bar, all provide inviting après-ski entertainment. Wengen offers a surprising number of good restaurants, mainly in the local hotels, and the resort shuts down relatively early, with the exception of a couple of late-night bars and one nightclub, Tiffanies. Whilst skiing in Wengen, visitors should not miss a trip to the Jungfraujoch, the highest railway station in Europe at 3,454m and part of the international rail network, or the revolving restaurant at the top of the Schilthorn, featured in the Bond movie “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. Curling, tobogganing and snow hiking are popular non-skiing pastimes in Wengen.
Switzerland Skiing Holidays
|
