Mike
2008-11-02, 13:11
With the magnificant view of the north face of Eiger, Wengen is one of Switzerland's best known ski resorts, most famous for hosting World Cup downhill and slalom races on the Lauberhorn every January. :cool:
Wengen is slightly bigger and livelier than Mürren but still no more than a chalet-style car free village. One can also take the train on up from Kleine Scheidegg (2061m) to Jungfraujoch (3454m), site of the highest train station in Europe and a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site!
The main skiing is at Kleine Scheidegg beneath the north face of the Eiger (Wengen shares these intermediate slopes with Grindelwald), from here you can drop back towards Wengen or take a run down the far side to Grindelwald. From Kleine Scheidegg itself, on top of the shoulder, a further train or a drag-lift brings you up to the Eigergletscher, the high point of the joint ski area and starting point for two notorious black runs – "Blackrock" and "Oh God".
The “First” is the ski area of Grindelwald and is reached by gondola from the village. It takes you up to the sunny mid-mountain station of Bort. From Schreckfeld two drags provide high-altitude novice terrain and a couple of chairs continue up to Oberjoch at 2501m. Most of the skiing is easy intermediate, but a long black run from the top of the Egg drag-lift follows the line of the gondola all the way back to the resort and is of considerable challenge.
The only way to get in to Wengen is to take the train. This is because Wengen is a car-free city without any roads leading in to it. This is one of the most charming aspects of the area and it should be treasured, although it can be somewhat frustrating when first getting to the area.
Travellers will take the train to the area from Lauterbrunnen. Skiers who get to Lauterbrunnen by car will have to leave their cars in the parking garage at the train station. It is approximately a fifteen minute train ride from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen so it is not as inconvenient as it sounds.
Travelers can reach Lauterbrunnen by train from various other locations in Switzerland. Travellers who are flying to Switzerland most commonly fly to Geneva Airport or Zurich Airport and then take the train from there to Lauterbrunnen. There are trains running from both airports to Lauterbrunnen usually every hour. The trip from Geneva is slightly longer, just over four hours.
Alternatively, take a flight to Berne-Belp Airport, approximately 1 hour from the resort by rail and 2 hours by road.
Wengen is slightly bigger and livelier than Mürren but still no more than a chalet-style car free village. One can also take the train on up from Kleine Scheidegg (2061m) to Jungfraujoch (3454m), site of the highest train station in Europe and a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site!
The main skiing is at Kleine Scheidegg beneath the north face of the Eiger (Wengen shares these intermediate slopes with Grindelwald), from here you can drop back towards Wengen or take a run down the far side to Grindelwald. From Kleine Scheidegg itself, on top of the shoulder, a further train or a drag-lift brings you up to the Eigergletscher, the high point of the joint ski area and starting point for two notorious black runs – "Blackrock" and "Oh God".
The “First” is the ski area of Grindelwald and is reached by gondola from the village. It takes you up to the sunny mid-mountain station of Bort. From Schreckfeld two drags provide high-altitude novice terrain and a couple of chairs continue up to Oberjoch at 2501m. Most of the skiing is easy intermediate, but a long black run from the top of the Egg drag-lift follows the line of the gondola all the way back to the resort and is of considerable challenge.
The only way to get in to Wengen is to take the train. This is because Wengen is a car-free city without any roads leading in to it. This is one of the most charming aspects of the area and it should be treasured, although it can be somewhat frustrating when first getting to the area.
Travellers will take the train to the area from Lauterbrunnen. Skiers who get to Lauterbrunnen by car will have to leave their cars in the parking garage at the train station. It is approximately a fifteen minute train ride from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen so it is not as inconvenient as it sounds.
Travelers can reach Lauterbrunnen by train from various other locations in Switzerland. Travellers who are flying to Switzerland most commonly fly to Geneva Airport or Zurich Airport and then take the train from there to Lauterbrunnen. There are trains running from both airports to Lauterbrunnen usually every hour. The trip from Geneva is slightly longer, just over four hours.
Alternatively, take a flight to Berne-Belp Airport, approximately 1 hour from the resort by rail and 2 hours by road.