Skiing and boarding aren’t the only ways to have fun in the mountains. There’s a third option that’s just as fun and 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!

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• mountains
• sledging
• snow
• switzerland
• gimmelwald

I’ll let you into a secret. You can experience the majesty, excitement and general brilliance of the mountains without specialist knowledge and without spending a fortune on expensive equipment.

I’m not a skier, so on a recent trip to the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland, I went in search of alternative excursions. I should probably point out now that I’m in no way an expert on Winter activities, particularly those done in difficult conditions. Seek out professional advice if you’re unsure.

Winter Hiking

This activity combines two of my favourite things; walking and snow. There’s nothing quite like hearing the scrunch of freshly fallen snow under-foot whilst being surrounded by dramatic mountain scenery. On my recent trip to Switzerland, I embarked on two hikes, one pretty easy, the other more difficult and somewhat challenging (for me anyway).

Grutschalp to Murren

The easy route was a mostly flat 5km walk from Grütschalp station (1486m) to Mürren (1650m) via Winteregg station (1578m). A train line runs along the entire route, so the chances of getting lost or cut off from the outside world is almost impossible. This means, this route is a great way to introduce yourself to walking in the snow. The route hardly ever closes and is routinely cleared each morning, but it is comforting to those unsure about walking around on the side of a mountain that the authorities will close the path if they think it is unsafe. With a good pair of boots and with consideration for time spent staring open-mouthed at the stunning scenery, you should be in Mürren well within two hours. If you need further convincing, take a look at these photos. You only get to properly appreciate such scenes on foot.

Mannlichen to Wengen

The hike between Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg is advertised on various websites with a variety of completion times, distances and difficulty ratings, which seems to suggest the route changes with the seasons. The route I tackled was just over 6km in length, took 2hrs 40mns and was one this hiking novice would describe as taxing. If experiencing true mountain wilderness and challenging yourself to reach difficult goals is your thing, you should try this walk.

The route meanders across several ski runs (watch your back) and climbs and descends throughout. You start the walk at 2230m and actually end at a slightly lower altitude of 2061m, but don’t let this fool you. The first 4/5ths of the hike is reasonably flat and descends slowly several hundred metres. The last 5th is spent re-ascending those descended metres via a steep gradient. You’re literally walking in the middle of several pistes. While skiers in their expensive gear descend at speed, you’re walking up in the opposite direction. I had to stop every minute or so to get my breath back and found it hard going. But, the rewarding feeling when I reached Kleine Scheidegg made it all worthwhile.

As opposed to the first hiking route, this route is quite often closed in the winter season. The depth of snow often prevents the pisteurs from clearing the snow safely. Luckily, the route was open when I had planned on tackling it. At least, that’s what I was told. Upon setting off, visibility was very poor, making it feel much more of an adventure. About one hour into the hike, I was all alone. I couldn’t see or hear anything. I was in true mountain wilderness. Then though, came a worrying sight. A came across a section of the route that hadn’t been cleared. Continuing could potentially be dangerous. I was at a section with a steep drop to my left-hand side. One wrong foot and… well, who knows? I had already come quite a long way and was reluctant to walk back, so I waded into the snow. It was waist-deep! It stayed waist-deep for around 20 minutes. At one point, I had to haul myself up a slope using a tree branch. My water-proof boots soon showed they had their limit. It was both hairy and exciting in a might-die-here sort of way. What lesson can a teach about this? Perhaps, don’t do anything you’re not happy about doing. At least I can say I was happy with my decision to continue. I probably shouldn’t have, but I was feeling pretty daring that day and just went for it.

General Tips

There isn’t much more you need to know about hiking. You can buy specialist hiking equipment if you’re serious about it. I coped just fine though with hiking boots and snowboarding trousers (insulated and waterproof). Equipment aside, you just pay the very reasonable cost of getting to the start of the route (see the My Jungfrau website for fares and timetables, plus tonnes of other information on the area). I would say water, food, piste maps and a mobile phone are essential. Make sure you save your hotel phone number and local SOS phone numbers into your phone before you set off, just in case. If you’re keen to hike but you don’t feel very confident about doing it alone, there are planned group hikes and snow-shoe hikes throughout the season. Check local information for details. Oh, and probably the most important tip; follow the markers. They’re every 20-30 metres, so getting lost is very unlikely. If you’ve got any more tips or if you’ve got questions, please drop a comment into the box.

There’s More…

In part two of the Non-Skiers Guide to the Mountains, I prove that sledging is a great, inexpensive way for thrill-seeking non-skiing adults (and kids) to tear up the slopes.

• Tags
• hike
• snow
• mountains
• switzerland

What a week it’s been! This is the 7th day that we’ve had snow on the ground after the worst series of snow storms the UK has seen for nearly 20 years. Schools have been shut most of the week, millions have been bunking off work and on Monday, London ground to a complete halt, making headlines around the world. Shops have been closing at lunchtimes or not opening at all while bus and train services have been cancelled.

While many have had their lives seriously disrupted by the wintry conditions, life for me has been reasonably normal. Unlike some, I’ve been into work on time, every day. I normally get to and from work by bus or car, but this week I’ve mostly walked. As a result, I’ve walked 15.96miles (25.69km) more than I would have done normally. Work has been a bit of nightmare what with staff shortages. I work in the office of a major retailer, but I’ve spent most of the week on the shop floor covering for people who couldn’t get in. On Friday, there was so few of us, we had to close our biggest floor and run the smaller ground floor only. It was very eerie standing alone in the middle of a darkened shop floor at one of the peak trading periods of the week.

Right now, the snow’s slowly thawing, although it’s too slow for it to vanish completely before the next weather systems sweep in over the next few days, potentially delivering another 20cm of snow to most of the country. I’m really enjoying living in snowy conditions, so bring it on!

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• unitedkingdom
• snow
• winter