Guide To Engelberg: The Snow Paradise
By: xxx Published: d/m/Y
Engelberg is a mythical place. Its valley is surrounded by sky-high, frosted mountains, with only one way in and out. You have to know where you’ve going to get here and that sets a certain tone. Nobody who’s in Engelberg is just passing, everyone planned to get here. All over the village you hear stories about people who come to visit, but end up settling down and never plan on leaving. Engelberg has another name too, it’s called Mekka. Mekka for powder hunters and eternal free riders, because when it snows, it really snows. You haven’t known a good snowfall until you’ve seen the white gold over Engelberg’s highest top Titlis like a duvet over a stool. If you get the chance, go.
Where to stay
Ski Lodge Engelberg is now only a hotel, it’s a playground. It’s the kind of place you can go and know nobody, but have a ski date and a beer tournament planned out with new friends the next day. Book a skier’s room, only leave to go skiing. You barely need any shoes besides your ski boots because everything you need is at the hotel. Oh, and they have a music quiz every Tuesday, you might want to plan your trip around that.
Where to ski
There are a few mountain tops with running ski lifts around the valley of Engelberg. One of the most well maintained is Engelberg-Titlis with Titlist being the name of the highest top with the glacier at 3.020 m above sea level. The last gondola that’ll take you up to the glacier, named Rotair Stand, is the first 360’ spinning gondola in Europe. Only to give you the best view possible of the breathtaking surroundings.
Although all pistes are well prepared, people don’t usually come here to stay inside the lines. Engelberg is well known in some circuits to be one of the best places in Europe to go off-piste skiing. With that said, one should only go outside the pistes if equipped for it. To stay in the pist is always cool.
The Engelberg-Titlist is just as exciting to visit by foot too and many choose to hike their way through the mountain and experience it that way.
Where to eat
Ok, so I said you never had to leave Ski Lodge Engelberg, didn’t I? At the restaurant, they have a new three-course menu setup every night. Just let the chefs take the wheel and enjoy the ride.
Where to eat (on the mountain)
At one of the gondola middle stations, called Stand, you’ll find a classic Swiss Skihütte. Here they serve you a classic goulash soup, a good burger or why not a schnitzel paired with local beer or icy tap water for the skiers who want to last a full day. This is a perfect gluhwein place too, you cannot miss the gluhwein when in Switzerland.
What to do (when you’re not skiing)
Book the Ski Lodge’s outside spa for the afternoon. Troubles and sore thighs are gone in a second when dipped in the steaming hot water, I can guarantee.
What to do (when you’re not skiing part II)
If you feel like letting those legs and skis rest for a day, you’d want to do a day trip to Fürenalp. Jump on the bus and go as far as you can in the little village and take the very old but very cute gondola up to the top. There, at the top of the mountain, a winter paradise appear. Nothing but untouched nature and cheese fondue. What combination could be better? Rent a pair of snowshoes if you didn’t bring yours and walk the trekking course. When you are done with that, you deserve a Swiss cheese fondue.
Special thanks you MySwitzerland.