Adelboden Lenk Ski Resort Switzerland

Sitting snuggly in the canton of Bern between the fascinating ski region of Gstaad & the mammoth proportioned Jungfrau, Adelboden-Lenk ski resort offers its own ‘classically Swiss’ winter snow holiday experience. Well known for its World Cup quality piste trails, Adelboden & Lenk provide a wonderfully rambling ski journey across the landscape.

As the resort name suggests, the resort is an amalgam of two separate towns, oddly enough called Adelboden & Lenk (or more accurately, Lenk-im-Simmental), but in reality, is far more expansive than that! Made up of a host of smaller, traditional ski areas, sampling a new sector each day will provide the ultimate insight into Swiss winter activities. Skiing is only part of the experience, with winter-walking, sledding, eating & drinking high on the local’s agenda as well.

Pros & Cons for Adelboden Lenk Ski Resort

Pros

• Authentic Swiss Alps villages & ski resort.
• Long skiable vertical of over 1,500m.
• Surprisingly long ski season in the region - late Nov to early May.
• Vast network of lifts & ski trails.
• Quality on-piste trails for all abilities.
• Expansive & diverse ski region.
• Wide range of superb winter activities in the region.
• Numerous fabulous traditional Swiss mountain restaurants.
• Public transport access by train to Lenk (& train/bus to Adelboden) is excellent.

Cons

• Many disparate ski areas not interconnected by lifts.
• Relatively low-elevation villages & base areas of resorts, may not have natural snow in them.
• High number of old surface lifts throughout the region.
• Extended ‘flat’ areas on linking trails (and the many surface lifts!) may prove a test for snowboarders - perhaps head elsewhere (try Gstaad!).

Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)

• Wide range of accommodation possibilities across two separate valleys
• Limited ski-in ski-out accommodation.
• Complex ski region with many disconnected sectors all covered by one ski pass.
• Not known as a freeride powder destination - which may be a good thing or may be a sign of reality!

Skiing & Snowboarding, Lift & Terrain

Ski Areas

The Adelboden-Lenk SkiRegion comprises seven (or 8!) ski sectors. See the entire Adelboden Lenk region ski trail map to get one’s bearings! The sectors include:

• Adelboden Silleren-Chuenisbärgli-Hahnenmoos-Metsch Lenk: the largest sector with the widest diversity of piste trails. (See Adelboden Lenk ski trail map.)
• Frutigen Elsigen-Metsch: a sizeable ski area with a good skiable vertical mid-way between Adelboden & Frutigen. (See Frutigen Elsigen-Metsch ski trail map.)
• Engstligenalp: the highest lifted point on a fascinating, remote mountain location south of Adelboden with skiing until May. (See Engstligenalp ski trail map.)
• Tschentenalp: opposite side of valley near Adelboden & great for sledding! (See Tschentenalpski trail map.)
• Betelberg: expansive resort on the western side of the valley at Lenk. (See Lenk-Betelberg trail map.)
• Jaunpass-Boltigen: tiny ski area, miles away & no easy transport to get to it! (See the Juanpass trail map.)
• Kandersteg: in the next valley to the eat has two small, but diverse ski areas at Oeschinensee & Sunnbueel. Access is via the route 230 bus from Adelboden or is possible via a long train trip from Lenk via Spiez. Of interest, Sunnbüel can be used to access a classic Swiss ski tour up to the Gemmipass and hence onto Leukerbad in the Valais. (See trail maps for Oeschinensee & Sunnbüel.)

Terrain

The largest sector in the region, Adelboden Silleren-Chuenisbärgli-Hahnenmoos-Metsch Lenk skiing & snowboarding terrain stretches across the range between the two villages & consists of 25 lifts, 940m of skiable vertical & 86km of piste trail. With over 50% rated as easy; novices, beginners & families will enjoy exploring via the long rambling pistes. The broader ski region boasts a hefty 207km of trails across the entire 7 (or 8 depending on how one views Kandersteg!) disconnected skiing areas. Some of the ski areas do not have skiable valley piste trails, requiring downloads on cable cars & gondolas. Returning to Lenk from Adelboden is the most obvious!

Check out the entire Adelboden Lenk region ski trail map.

In terms of size, after Adelboden Lenk, the next largest ski sector is Lenk-Betelberg (40km of trails) and Frutigen Elsigen-Metsch (30km of trails). Frutigen opens earliest, usually in late November. Engstligenalp doesn’t close until early May and allegedly has some fun freeride terrain on its cold north-aspect slopes (powder hounds take note!).

Lifts

The ski lifts at Adelboden-Lenk are both on the more modern side of the ledger and the appallingly ancient. Gondolas & cable cars provide most of the resort access across the region. Some of the older gondola out of Adelboden are set to be replaced in coming seasons. Chairlifts are in the relative minority throughout the region, with a whopping 45 surface lifts making up a large part of the infrastructure away from the main Adelboden-Lenk ski area. At Lenk village, the gondola connection into the Adelboden ski sector is 2km south of the village and requires a download on the return. Lifts up into the second largest ski area, Lenk-Betelberg, extend directly from the western edge of the village. In Adelboden, from the centre of town, the main gondola is at the bottom of the valley 500m down the hill. An old pulse gondola connects the town to the ski area base & main car park. The lift up to Tschentenalp departs from close to he centre of Adelboden.

Lift Passes

Adelboden-Lenk ski passes are valid on all ski lifts in the six (or 7!) other ski areas of the region. Each of the smaller sectors has its own ski pass available at a reduced rate.

Where is Adelboden Lenk Switzerland?

The Adelboden Lenk ski resort is in the Bernese Oberland, canton Bern. Unsurprisingly close to the city of Bern the resort’s two main villages are between 1 to 1⅓hr drive to the south! The most convenient airport to the resort is Zurich (ZRH), but both Geneva (GVA) or even Basel (BSL)(for travellers from within Europe & UK) can be used.

The integrated train & bus system in Switzerland is the best in the world & hence it is the recommended mode of travel to both Adelboden & Lenk-im-Simmental. Lenk benefits from having its own train station at the end of the line from Zweisimmen (itself a ski town & part of the Gstaad Ski Region). Adelboden is a little trickier, but not too much.

Spiez is the closest major town to the ski resorts, with Adelboden 29km (35min) drive to the south & Lenk im Simmental 50km (55min) to the southeast. Spiez is an important link for trains to the region with direct trains coming from Zurich airport (direction Brig) covering the distance in just over 1¾hr. If using Geneva airport, trains go direct to Bern, where a change is required for Spiez, taking around 2¾hr. From Spiez to the resort, two train lines are utilised. For Adelboden, trains travel to Frutigen taking 11min. At Frutigen station, the route 230 bus travels to Adelboden, leaving every half hour & taking 30min to get there. The 230 bus line runs between Adelboden & Kandersteg. Trains from Spiez to Lenk require a change at Zweisimmen & depending on the time of day, take between 1⅕ to 1¾hr.

The Swiss Rail network opens all sorts of travel & ski-safari permutations. We get giddy just thinking about it! Zweisimmen can be reached from Geneva via Montreux & then the delightful Golden Pass train via Gstaad. The Valais transport hub of Brig is less than an hour away by train to the south from Frutigen. Brig is itself only 2hr by fast train from Milan. Ah the possibilities!

Search & book train tickets to Lenk & Frutigen (for Adelboden).

If public transport is not your thing, one can easily fork out the francs for a private transfer direct to your hotel from the airport. Whilst it can be quite time efficient & affordable for groups of 3 or more people, part of any Swiss ski experience is using the trains, so get on board. And you will doing the environment a favour too - POW (Protect Our Winters) .

It is possible to drive yourself in a rental car to either destination, but as per above, you are in Switzerland, so why drive? Take the train. 

Adelboden Lenk Accommodation

Adelboden Lenk ski resort offers numerous quality Swiss lodging options around the two main resort villages, Lenk-im-Simmental & Adelboden. Adelboden has delightful, traditional chalet-style hotels lining the town centre and in nearby Boden. Lenk has diverse hotels, chalets & apartments spread across the broad valley, but mainly concentrated near the Betelberg ski area base & town centre .

For a true Swiss alpine experience, ski-in ski-out accommodation is available on Betelberg above Lenk at the Berghotel Leiterli. Near Adelboden, at the Engstligenalp ski area, the Berghotel Engstligenalp provides fabulous rooms & the option to spend a comfortable night in an igloo.

Search & book here for all Adelboden & Lenk ski accommodation.

The main street of Adelboden has a host high-quality hotels to choose from. One of the best is the stylish 4-star The Cambrian Hotel. The many 3-stars are best represented by the Hotel Adler & Hotel Bären. For a lively, less traditional vibe still in the centre of town, the Revier Mountain Lodge combines modern, affordable minimalist rooms with playful lounges, bar & restaurant. Away from the main town, across the valley in Boden & next to the World Cup slopes & chairlift, Pension Sonne is the place to stay.

Search & book here for all Adelboden ski accommodation.

Across the range at Lenk-im-Simmental, a full extent of accommodation options is realised in a relatively small area. From the lift base of Betelberg through the centre of town, the options range from 5-star luxury at the Hotel Lenkerhof Spa Resort, many 3-star lodgings like the Hotel Kreuz Lenk, simple hotel-guesthouses including the Hotel Alpenruh and all the way down to an excellent, affordable hostel (just near the edge of town & the train station) that includes private & shared rooms/facilities, the Mountain Lodge Backpackercamp.

Search & book here for all Lenk ski accommodation.

Nearby Ski Resorts

Adelboden-Lenk is close to the wonderful Gstaad Ski Region and only a train ride (or two!) away from the amazing Jungfrau and its various resorts including Muerren-Schilthorn & Grindelwald-Wengen.

Review

The Powderhounds will review Adelboden-Lenk on our next visit to Switzerland. Stay tuned for our sparkling repartee, new photos & insights.

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