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Getting to the ski areas from Lauterbrunnen?

Posted by on

Well, our attempt to ski at Kleine Scheidegg isn't going to happen. The lifts will not open until after we leave Lauterbrunnen.

However, Schwanden will open on 24 Nov: https://snow.myswitzerland.com/schneebericht/schwanden-sigriswil-92/

Yay for that.

But, I'm relying on Google Maps at this point to figure out how to get from our lodging in Lauterbrunnen to the Schwanden and see two options:

  1. 45-minute car ride
  2. 8-hour public transport switching to various modes of transportation

Is it really that complicated to get from Lauterbrunnen to Schwanden using public transportation?

Or am I just being naive in thinking I can use the BOP to hop on a bus or two to get to the base of the ski resort and be there in about an hour or so?

I also can't tell if I am able to rent ski equipment at Schwanden or if I need to make arrangements somewhere else.

Posted by
22275 posts

This site for directions at the website Schwanden-Sigriswil.ch
https://www.google.ch/maps/dir//46.7356874,7.7304974/@46.7269919,7.7309584,16774m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTExOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Put in Lauterbrunnen as the start point, and the end point is the poma lift. 3 hours by public transport on a Sunday.

PS, you can get to Zermatt in the same amount of time and probably a better experience. If you are continuing on to Milan, might as well spend a night or two in Zermatt.

Posted by
260 posts

The link that you provided shows that Schwanden opens on Dec. 1, 2024.

When checking travel time be sure to look for Schwanden (Sigriswil) in SBB.ch or Schwanden bei or ob Sigriswil. This is because there is more than one location called Schwanden in Switzerland. The one by Sigriswil is in the Berner Oberland. From Lauterburnnen it is about 1.5 or 2 hours depending on connections.

I do not ski, but I have done winter hiking there and it is a small, local mountain, not a big ski resort. The elevation is not nearly as high as Kleine Scheidegg and I would be surprised to find that they had an earlier start to the ski season.

Their own website says that the restaurant Skihöckli is opening on the 24th at 11:00, but it is unclear if they also mean that the runs will open on that date as well.

You can scroll down to Pisten- und Loipenzustand to see if any of them are open on the 24th, or try calling the phone number that they provide. Lastly you can ask at the TI in Lauterbrunnen to check for you if Schwanden, or any other location is open.

https://www.ski-schwanden-sigriswil.ch/#skilifte

Posted by
260 posts

8-hour public transport switching to various modes of transportation

Just a quick comment on this. If you are looking at 'live' times, and are in another time zone so that you are looking during the middle of the night in Switzerland, you will come up with this kind of information. Trains and busses do not usually run through the night, so your route will stall at some point, picking up again in the early morning hours when public transportation starts up again.

The country is not that large. It does not take 8 hours to go anywhere when choosing the most direct route. :-)

Posted by
3128 posts

The Schilthorn skiing area is already partly operating. But only on weekends. So that would be an option. Easy to get to.

The Schwanden ski area is a typical small operation that caters almost exclusively to locals. They won't open till late December I guess, as they will not have enough snow till then. Nobody out of region would go there to ski, as it is indeed not easy to get to, and not a very special or challenging area.

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