Switzerland · up to 2504 m

First – Grindelwald

Skiing in the Eiger's shadow, between the world's great railways.

Bonvo Score

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Marked runs

33 named

38.4 km

Total slopes

Lifts

1468 m

Vertical drop

2504 m

Top elevation

1036 m

Base elevation

Green 0.3 kmBlue 15.9 kmRed 14.4 kmBlack 7.9 km

The story of Grindelwald – Wengen

Nowhere else do you ski underneath a wall like this. The Eiger's mile-high North Face — mountaineering's most storied precipice — looms directly over the pistes of Kleine Scheidegg, with the Mönch and Jungfrau completing the skyline. Below, two villages split the honours: bustling Grindelwald in its green valley, and car-free Wengen, perched on a sunlit shelf and reachable only by the rack railway that has climbed from Lauterbrunnen since 1893.

Racing history saturates the place. The Lauberhorn downhill above Wengen, first run in 1930, is the longest race on the World Cup calendar — nearly four and a half kilometres from the start hut beneath the Eiger to the finish, hitting the tour's highest speeds along the way. Mortals can ski the course all winter and stop where racers hit 140 km/h.

Trains define the experience: the Wengernalpbahn shuttles skiers between sectors, the Eiger Express tricable gondola (2020) rockets from Grindelwald to the Eigergletscher in 15 minutes, and from there the railway bores through the Eiger itself to the Jungfraujoch at 3,454 m — the 'Top of Europe'. It is, unapologetically, the most scenic ski region on the planet.

Great for scenery loversGreat for intermediatesGreat for racersGreat for families

Signature runs

Lauberhorn course

Ski the world's longest World Cup downhill — through the Hundschopf jump's rock notch and under the railway at Wasserstation.

Eigergletscher to Grindelwald Grund

A colossal descent from the foot of the Eiger to the valley floor — nearly 1,400 vertical metres of scenery overload.

Black Rock Run (First)

Grindelwald First's sunny side signature, with the full Eiger–Mönch–Jungfrau panorama across the valley.

Local tips

◆Base in Wengen for atmosphere (no cars, total quiet), Grindelwald for lift access via the Eiger Express.
◆January's Lauberhorn race weekend is Switzerland's biggest sporting party — book a year out or day-trip by train.
◆The Jungfraujoch railway is expensive but singular; go on a bluebird rest day, not a ski day.
◆First's sector doubles as the family/fun side — sledging runs and the cliff-walk at the top station.

Did you know?

The Lauberhorn downhill is the longest on the World Cup circuit at about 4.5 km, with speeds up to 160 km/h.

Wengen has been car-free since its founding as a resort — everything arrives by rack railway.

The Jungfraujoch station at 3,454 m, reached by a tunnel through the Eiger, is Europe's highest railway stop, opened in 1912.

Mountain records

Longest run

Stepfi

4.9 km · 690 m vertical · Red (intermediate)

Steepest sustained pitch

3 Berme

max 66.5% gradient · 1.1 km · Blue (easy)

The 10 best runs at First – Grindelwald, scored

Every run is scored 0–100 from its real shape — vertical drop, length, how well its steepness fits its difficulty class, and flow (flats and uphill sections cost points). How the Bonvo Score works →

190
22 Grindel
4.3 km · 831 m drop · avg 19.1% · World-class
Red
272
Stepfi
4.9 km · 690 m drop · avg 14.2% · Outstanding
Red
369
21 Bort-Muhlebach
2.6 km · 459 m drop · avg 17.5% · Excellent
Blue
462
5 Bort Direkt
1.1 km · 341 m drop · avg 29.7% · Excellent
Black
561
11 Hambiel
1.4 km · 270 m drop · avg 19% · Excellent
Blue
661
1 Oberjoch - rot
1.6 km · 340 m drop · avg 20.6% · Excellent
Red
760
9 Furggi
1.7 km · 302 m drop · avg 17.5% · Excellent
Red
860
8 Distelboden
2.0 km · 286 m drop · avg 14.3% · Excellent
Blue
956
10 Gemsberg
1.8 km · 299 m drop · avg 16.8% · Excellent
Blue
1055
13 Bärgelegg
804 m · 167 m drop · avg 20.3% · Excellent
Blue

All 33 named slopes

Slope	Difficulty	Length	Vertical	Avg gradient	Score
22 Grindel	Red	4.3 km	831 m	19.1%	90
Stepfi	Red	4.9 km	690 m	14.2%	72
21 Bort-Muhlebach	Blue	2.6 km	459 m	17.5%	69
5 Bort Direkt	Black	1.1 km	341 m	29.7%	62
11 Hambiel	Blue	1.4 km	270 m	19%	61
1 Oberjoch - rot	Red	1.6 km	340 m	20.6%	61
9 Furggi	Red	1.7 km	302 m	17.5%	60
8 Distelboden	Blue	2.0 km	286 m	14.3%	60
10 Gemsberg	Blue	1.8 km	299 m	16.8%	56
13 Bärgelegg	Blue	804 m	167 m	20.3%	55
5 Bort Direct	Black	1.0 km	259 m	25%	55
1 Oberjoch blau	Blue	1.9 km	340 m	18.2%	54
16 Faxhubel west	Black	527 m	177 m	32.2%	54
12 Innerbärgel	Red	900 m	150 m	16.3%	51
13 Bärgelegg	Blue	337 m	76 m	21.7%	49
11 Hambiel	Blue	252 m	53 m	19.2%	48
21 Stählisboden-Kirche	Blue	325 m	40 m	11.4%	48
9 Furggi	Red	271 m	39 m	14.3%	48
Bodmi	Green	255 m	36 m	13.1%	47
21 Stählisboden-Kirche	Blue	644 m	59 m	9%	46
Skicross piste	Black	742 m	132 m	17.5%	44
Mühlebach Trail	Blue	166 m	11 m	6.5%	43
3 Berme	Blue	1.1 km	185 m	16.4%	41
20 Bort-Chapf	Black	2.9 km	497 m	16.8%	41
14 Gemsberg west	Black	824 m	139 m	16.9%	39
Mühlebach Trail, 21 Stählisboden-Kirche	Blue	455 m	27 m	5%	34
53	Blue	567 m	46 m	7.3%	32
Schreckfeld-Bort, 55	Black	237 m	20 m	7.9%	22
6 Schreckfeld-Egg	Black	257 m	21 m	7.6%	18
First-Schreckfeld, Schreckfeld-Bort	Black	154 m	6 m	1.9%	17
First-Schreckfeld, Schreckfeld-Bort	Blue	42 m	4 m	8.2%
First-Schreckfeld, Schreckfeld-Bort	Black	46 m	2 m	1.4%
Schreckfeld-Bort	Black	13 m	0 m	1.2%

Lifts at First – Grindelwald

2× gondola3× chair lift1× cable car4× t-bar1× rope tow

Lift	Type	Length	Rise	Seats	Ride time
Firstbahn	Gondola	4.2 km	891 m	6	21 min
Schilt	Chairlift (bubble)	1.6 km	302 m	4	5 min
Oberjoch	Chairlift	1.5 km	343 m	4	5 min
Hohwald	T-bar	1.1 km	270 m	2	—
Grindel	Chairlift (bubble)	1.0 km	285 m	4	4 min
Pfingsteggbahn	Cable car	958 m	348 m	30	—
Bärgelegg	T-bar	924 m	215 m	2	—
Firstbahn	Gondola	887 m	215 m	6	3 min
Bodmi 2	T-bar	239 m	37 m	—	—
Bodmi 1	T-bar	238 m	37 m	—	—