Here To Geneva

Skiing and boarding aren’t the only ways to have fun in the mountains. There’s a third option that’s a fraction of the cost.

In the first part of my non-skier’s guide to the mountains, I talked about hiking as an option for those who can’t or won’t pony up the dough for skiing or snowboarding. Hiking is a great way to experience the beauty of the mountains. Arguably, it’s actually much easier to appreciate the mountains on foot then it is having experience gear strapped to your feet. Having admired the peaks though, what about something a little more exciting? On my recent trip to the Berner Oberland region of Switzerland, I gave sledging a try. Before hiring my sledge, I thought of sledging as a kids activity. Indeed, I felt a bit silly being introduced to my brand new wooden sledge and being shown how to steer it. It didn’t take long though to realise that I needn’t have been embarrassed. Sledging in Switzerland has a long history and is enjoyed by kids and adults alike. In fact, I was to discover at my peril that certain sections of the numerous dedicated sledge runs were practically for adults only.

Bob-Run

Having rented my sledge from Mürren’s Sport Centre, I took the funicular to Allmendhubel (1907m) where I found myself at the start of the famous Bob-Run. Over the course of 3km, the run descends 94m back to the funicular base station where inevitably, you will want to buy another ticket back to the top to have another go. This is a good run for beginners. It’s reasonably flat to begin with and, due to the steep drop to the left of the path, you have no option but to learn quickly the art of steering the sledge. I should warn you that the Bob-Run is a multiple use run. Walkers, sledgers, skiers and boarders are all welcome. The Bob-Run is a popular run particularly for skiing beginners or even experienced skiers who are just getting their bearings, so staying alert is vital to avoid a nasty collision. It’s hardly congested though, so you needn’t be put off by this. While mostly flat and straight, there are some very tight corners and some fairly steep gradients. You will pick up speed pretty quickly and, I hasten to add, you will undoubtedly fall off in dramatic style. I fell off a number of times but did no damage to myself as the snow was light and powdery and cushioned my fall. The scenery, as proven by the photos in this post, was one of the highlights. With some sections of the run too flat to provide any momentum, you have to walk some sections, so you really do get to appreciate the surroundings at your leisure.

Murren to Gimmelwald

The second run I tried was another 3km run, this time from Mürren to the impossible beautiful and serene village of Gimmelwald (1367m). Again, this is a multiple use run. Luckily, the skiers and boarders aren’t allowed, but the walkers are and, perhaps more worryingly, vehicles are allowed too. I didn’t encounter any walkers, but I did encounter a snow plow, which raced up behind me as I trundled my way down the run. My only option was to dismount my sledge and wade into 1.5m of lying snow so that the plow could pass. This run is perhaps even better for beginners than the Bob-Run. It’s a very calm run with lots of straights and easy corners. Aside from the stunning scenery, what I liked most about this run was the continuous nature of it. Give or take some sections where the snow has built up or the parts where you lose control and end up on your backside, it’s possible to sledge almost non-stop the entire 3km. If it wasn’t good enough already, the destination is quite frankly amazing! Swiss to the bone, unbelievably quiet and in a perfect setting, Gimmelwald is easily one of my favourite places in the whole of Europe. Getting back to Mürren where you set off is a piece of cake too. A frequent gondola will take you back for only a few Francs.

Eiger Run

At the foot of the famous north wall of the Eiger and much trumpeted as the best option in the area for sledgers, The Eiger Run, while still supremely good fun, was on the whole my least favourite of the three runs. There was far too much walking required between the fast sections. That said, the Eiger Run did provide the biggest thrill ride of the week. At one point, my GPS clocked me at 44kph (30mph) which, for a sledge is pretty good going. These fast sections are full of twisty turns and crests which in my opinion, really aren’t suitable for kids or even inexperienced adults. Of the 4.5km run, only the small middle section is actually named the Eiger Run. This section is split into two further sections, one easy, the other hard. I, being generally stupid in my endeavours, opted for the hard section. Don’t say I didn’t warn you when I say this section is hard. For almost all of it, I rocketed down the slope along a metaphorical fine line between staying on and tumbling off in a painful fashion. I clung onto that sledge for dear life, that being my only real option, as gravity did it’s thing. The fear, the speed, the folly of it all amounted to enormously good fun. Upon reaching the end of the middle section of the run at the brilliantly named Brandegg, I was grinning from ear to ear. As was an older couple who arrived shortly after me cackling with raucous laughter.

The run continues from Brandegg through pretty remote settlements and woodland to Grindelwald Grund station, where you can take the train back up to Kleine Scheidegg if you so choose. This is not before one final flourish from the Eiger Run however. The very last section consists of a wide and steep hill. There’s no real telling as to the correct route down, so you just have to go for it. So I did. The snow was very deep and the gradient only got worse as I descended. There was only one way it was going to end. I overcompensated, the front of the sledge pitched forward into the snow and I followed, head first. When I came to a stop, I looked back to find my sledge was gone. After around five minutes of digging, I managed to find it buried almost a metre into the snow. It was a fitting end to my sledging experience.

Cost

The cost of sledging really does depend on how many times you go down, which runs you use, whether you have half-price transport tickets and where you hire you sledge from. For a wooden sledge (which I recommend against the metal sledges), you shouldn’t have to spend more than CHF10 for one day’s use. Hiring from the quieter resorts or at lower altitudes is advised as it’s cheaper. Hire from an Intersport shop and you can return the sledge to a more convenient branch rather than have to take it back to the original branch. The hire shop will take the details of a credit card as insurance or, if you don’t have a credit card, will physically take your driving license or passport. This is to prevent you from running off with the sledge. As for transport, there are a variety of options that I won’t go into here for saving money. I used a Swiss Card which gave me a 50% discount on all the gondolas, trains and funiculars. To give you an example though, the funicular from Mürren to the top of the Bob-Run cost me around CHF3, so even if you only used the Bob-Run and paid the full cost (around CHF6), we’re not looking at a massive expense. Obviously though, you will have to factor in the cost of actually getting to Murren in the first place. Personally, I’d say the transport cost were very reasonable.

In Conclusion

I hope you’ve found these non-skier’s guides to the mountains useful and/or enjoyable to read. If you need ay further information, take a look at the excellent My Jungfrau website which has maps and lots of tips for sledgers amoungst lots of other information on the area I visited. You can always drop me a comment in the box below as well, where I’ll be happy to respond to you on the page or via email. Have fun in the mountains!