Grindelwald to Murren and other ski resorts?

Hi, I have a couple of questions about skiing in Switzerland.
I'll be going to Grindelwald for a 10 day trip starting next week.
After looking on the map and doing some reading sounds like Murren can
be a nice day trip. Is it really reasonable to do that and what is the
best
route there from Grindelwald? Also if snow conditions won't be great
there, I was thinking about going to some other ski station for 3-4
days. What would you recomend within reasonable train travel. First
thing that comes to my mind is Zermatt. But what are other snowsure
options?
Thank you very much in advance, Alex

I really don't think you're going to have to worry about conditions if you
are going in the next week or so... there is a lot of snow in that part of
the Alps and more is falling at the moment..


"alex_sauvage" wrote in message
ps.com...
Hi, I have a couple of questions about skiing in Switzerland.
I'll be going to Grindelwald for a 10 day trip starting next week.
After looking on the map and doing some reading sounds like Murren can
be a nice day trip. Is it really reasonable to do that and what is the
best
route there from Grindelwald? Also if snow conditions won't be great
there, I was thinking about going to some other ski station for 3-4
days. What would you recomend within reasonable train travel. First
thing that comes to my mind is Zermatt. But what are other snowsure
options?
Thank you very much in advance, Alex

On 10 Mar 2006 11:46:03 -0800, "alex_sauvage"
squeezed out the following:

Hi, I have a couple of questions about skiing in Switzerland.
I'll be going to Grindelwald for a 10 day trip starting next week.
After looking on the map and doing some reading sounds like Murren can
be a nice day trip. Is it really reasonable to do that and what is the
best
route there from Grindelwald? Also if snow conditions won't be great
there, I was thinking about going to some other ski station for 3-4
days. What would you recomend within reasonable train travel. First
thing that comes to my mind is Zermatt. But what are other snowsure
options?
Thank you very much in advance, Alex

First thing is to get to Lauterbrunnen. Three options. First is to
take the bubble to Mannlichen, cable car to Wengen, train to
Lauterbrunnen. Don't know timing. Second is train to Kleine Scheidegg
(every half hour, nearly half hour journey), train to Lauterbrunnen
(every 20 or 25 minutes, maybe 40 minute journey). Third, not done but
probably best, car/taxi/bus straight there.

From Lauterbrunnen you can take a small train to Grutschalp, then a
train to Winteregg to start skiing (bit of a queue for lift), or a bus
(free with whole area skipass) to Stechelberg for easier access to
Schilthorn. Can't remember timing, but most transport runs every 25-30
mins.

To give you some idea it was about 1 1/2 hours from catching the train
at Wengen to climbing onto the chair at Winteregg.

Personally I would always stay in the middle of the area - Wengen or
Lauterbrunnen, to make getting to one end or the other easier. If
you're an early riser, of course, all things are possible. The first
train out of Grindelwald is 7:15. The Yanks we shared the 9:52 train
from Wengen with had come from Grindlewald and had already done two
runs, including the full Lauberhorn downhill.

--
Colin Irvine

Felly sgrifennodd alex_sauvage :
Hi, I have a couple of questions about skiing in Switzerland.
I'll be going to Grindelwald for a 10 day trip starting next week.
After looking on the map and doing some reading sounds like Murren can
be a nice day trip. Is it really reasonable to do that and what is the
best
route there from Grindelwald?

Getting from Grindelwald to Muerren is a bit of a pain. You could get the
train down to Zweilutschinen, but the connection to Lauterbrunnen is
not particularly good (check the timetable in case it's improved since
I last checked).

Alternatively, get the train up to Kleine Scheidegg, ski down to Wengen
(or get the train down if you really want to), then train down to
Lauterbrunnen.

Once in Lauterbrunnen, it's a very short walk to the funicular for Muerren.
Get on this, and get off the train at Winteregg, to get on the slopes
sooner. You can ski around there, ski over to the Schilthorn cable car, do
the bits at the top (top is now unpisted, so is very challenging this
year; for experts/confident intermediates only), do a bit over under thea
Schiltgrad (nice slopes including a challenging black mogul field), all in
a day if you time it well.

Also if snow conditions won't be great
there, I was thinking about going to some other ski station for 3-4
days. What would you recomend within reasonable train travel. First
thing that comes to my mind is Zermatt. But what are other snowsure
options?

As someone else has posted, it won't be a problem. However, for more
snow-sure resorts nearby, Engelberg is probably closest. Melchsee-Frutt
also has a very good snow record and is slightly closer, but the skiing
there isn't good enough to warrant a day trip from Grindelwald (especially
as, if snow is poor, the best piste will be closed anyway).

Rumour has it that Melchsee-Frutt is being linked with Meiringen (they're
only just over the other side of the mountain from each other), and possibly
Engelberg too, which would make it more attractive, and quite something! So
if you're reading this in the archives, or considering a trip for next
year, you might want to check this!

Adrian
--
Adrian Shaw ais@
Adran Cyfrifiadureg, Prifysgol Cymru, aber.
Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Cymru ac.
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ais uk

Thank you very much guys. You have been extremely helpful. I understand
now that staying
in the middle would be better, but it's not an option, since I'll be
staying in our friend's empty appartment in Grindelwald. It still
sounds like Murren is a doable day trip. I'm also glad to hear first
hand that snow conditions look good - I've been follow the weather over
the Internet, but it's no substitution for the first hand knowledge.
Do you think that a few days trip to Zermatt worth it? If not for the
snow , but for the change of scenery? From what I've heard on this side
of the Pond both places: Zermatt and Grindelwald are very scenic.

Felly sgrifennodd alex_sauvage :
Do you think that a few days trip to Zermatt worth it? If not for the
snow , but for the change of scenery? From what I've heard on this side
of the Pond both places: Zermatt and Grindelwald are very scenic.

Not for day trips, but if you've go the money to pay for accommodation there
and don't mind missing a day's skiing travelling between the two, then
yes it's beautiful (in the right weather of course).

Adrian

--
Adrian Shaw ais@
Adran Cyfrifiadureg, Prifysgol Cymru, aber.
Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Cymru ac.
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ais uk

I was thinking about catching evening train from Grindelwald (~5pm), so
not to miss day of skiing and staying in Tasch (to save some money).
Actually from what I can see appartment rental even in Zermatt is not
too bad: I could find some places between 100-150SFr/per night. That's
probably less that I would expect to pay in Canada for hotel
room/apartment. Now, I understand the only place to buy lift tickets in
Switzerland is ski station? Are there other places to buy lift tickets
at discount: gas stations, supermarkets like in North America?

On 11 Mar 2006 11:52:43 -0800, "alex_sauvage"
wrote:

I was thinking about catching evening train from Grindelwald (~5pm), so
not to miss day of skiing and staying in Tasch (to save some money).
Actually from what I can see appartment rental even in Zermatt is not
too bad: I could find some places between 100-150SFr/per night. That's
probably less that I would expect to pay in Canada for hotel
room/apartment. Now, I understand the only place to buy lift tickets in
Switzerland is ski station? Are there other places to buy lift tickets
at discount: gas stations, supermarkets like in North America?

Not realy. Some supermarkets got a point system. If you are member you
get a rabatt coupon(20%) for a couple of resorts. But those are smaler
resorts.
An other opinion is Snow and Rail. Railwayticket and 1 or 2day
skiticket. http://www.snowandrail.ch/
General are the tickets not so expensive as in North Amerika. With the
actual exchange rates ist Whistler meanwille more expencive than
Zermatt. And Zermatt is the most expensive at Switzerland.

Johannes

Hi Adrian

On 11 Mar 2006 09:44:38 -0000, (Adrian D. Shaw) wrote:


Rumour has it that Melchsee-Frutt is being linked with Meiringen (they're
only just over the other side of the mountain from each other), and possibly
Engelberg too, which would make it more attractive, and quite something! So
if you're reading this in the archives, or considering a trip for next
year, you might want to check this!

It's not a rumor. Read this PDF if you can.
http://www.titlis.ch/pdf/MHFTProspekt.pdf
It's a prospect. Mainly the maps are interesting.

Here a short overview.:

"Snow Paradise Hasliberg - Titlis"

The ski resorts of Hasliberg, in the Bernese Oberland, with
Engelberg-Titlis, and the Melchsee-Frutt ski area in Central
Switzerland are planning to connect their ski slopes. In connecting
these three medium size ski areas, the new "Snow Paradise Hasliberg -
Titlis" will become one of the biggest ski and snowboard wonderlands
found in the Alps. To fulfil this dream, four companies will have to
build eight brand new chairlifts and one ski tunnel. The final
realization of this venture will be completed within the next seven to
ten years.

With a total of 51 lifts and cable cars, and over 210 kilometres of
downhill runs, the new "Snow Paradise Hasliberg - Titlis" will be one
of the biggest ski areas of the Alps. The following four companies
will work together in a joint venture to bring this project to life:

* Aerial Cableways Titlis Rotair, Engelberg
* Aerial Cableways Melchsee-Frutt
* Hasliberg-Kaeserstatt
* Aerial Cableways Meiringen-Hasliberg

The famous Canadian ski resort planner, Paul Mathews, of Ecosign
Mountain Resort Planners Ltd in Whistler, B.C., Canada, performed an
evaluation of the technical feasibility of this project. The result of
this survey predicts total and complete success for the proposed
merger. The cost of connecting these three ski resorts is estimated at
approximately 48 million Swiss Francs to a maximum of 59 million Swiss
Francs.


Johannes

Felly sgrifennodd Johannes :
It's not a rumor. Read this PDF if you can.
http://www.titlis.ch/pdf/MHFTProspekt.pdf
It's a prospect. Mainly the maps are interesting.

No problem - thanks, very interesting. It's a shame the maps aren't
very clear, but it does look an exciting prospect.

Adrian
--
Adrian Shaw ais@
Adran Cyfrifiadureg, Prifysgol Cymru, aber.
Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Cymru ac.
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ais uk