Untracked powder alongside groomed trails days after a snow fall. Yes please! Empty, perfectly groomed runs and no lift lines. Absolutely. Easy access to incredible backcountry peaks & huge freeride descents. Definitely. Affordable in all aspects. Shit yeh! Quant, authentic Swiss mountain village. Awesome. Unpretentious, relaxed vibe. Perfect. Welcome to Eischoll - a place that encompasses all that we love about skiing.

Not really sure that I need to write more than the above paragraph. Suffice to say we adore everything about Eischoll and its interlinked neighbour Unterbäch. As a combination its ticks all our boxes, BUT IT MAY NOT TICK ALL YOURS! So read on before going.

The aspects that some skiers & snowboarders may find less satisfying than we do include the following. Eischoll’s (and Unterbach’s) ski lifts - they are slow and feature several very long surface tows (T-bars) required to access the best skiing. The terrain aspect is to the north, so it is cold & dark for much of winter (that’s the price of great quality snow). Total ski trail length may not satisfy a multi-day visit. Novice (learn to ski) areas are tiny. The ski trails linking the two ski areas may require some skating (or walking for snowboarders) if the snow is ‘warm’. On-mountain dining is minimal. The villages are quiet and with limited services & nightlife (just a few bars really). Accommodation options are limited. The access road can be challenging to drive. And there are probably a few other things that will give many skiers ‘paise’ before visiting…..

From the Rhone River valley, the drive up from Turtmann up to Eischoll is challenging to the uninitiated. Luckily traffic is usually light from this direction, so its narrow & steep sections are (mostly) simply negotiated. In icy conditions it could prove trickier though. If easy frightened on mountain roads, drive up via the much better road from Visp instead, or take the cable car up from Raron.

The Hangebrüke Milibach is a sensational suspension bridge spanning a gorge between Eischoll & Unterbach. Its 260m length & 65m height above the gorge are seriously impressive, and even more so given the backdrop of the mountains & valley.

One issue with Eischoll is the very limited amount of accommodation available. We stayed on the main road in town just on the edge of the old town in B&B Eischoll. Reasonably priced, perfectly clean, but austere rooms with a good breakfast was more than adequate for our purposes. Were we to stay again we would probably stay in nearby Unterbach, simply due its more central location, easier access to the ski lifts & ski servicing, plus better hotel and dinner options. Having said that, Eischoll village does have a few things going for it, read on.

The old town centre of Eischoll with its timbered houses & barns, narrow laneways and rushing water is the best preserved in the region. Just below the main through road, it is easily missed but definitely worth a wander through by day & night. It is as authentic as they come and a fascinating insight into how everyone once lived in these parts.

Restaurant Pöstli in the centre of the old town is excellent, but its operating hours can be a little ambiguous. Best to make a reservation as seating is limited. We did this by going there the night before and clarifying if it was open the following night. Food is great. Some of the specials are not cheap but are well worth the experience. For non-German speakers, service is just passable, but such is life if you are not fluent in the local language. It is a quirky place for an evening out.

Eischoll has a small, but adequate supermarket with friendly staff if wanting to self-cater, but we would recommend stocking up properly in one of the larger nearby towns before coming up from the valley.

If driving up, car parking at the chairlift base is limited, but adequate if you are early (which of course is the only to ski everywhere). A secondary car park is nearby, but up the hill slightly. The main car park is directly ski-in at the end of the day, something we do love.

If you used the cable car to come up to Eischoll from Raron, you will have to stomp up the hill a little to get to the chairlift. Let’s face it, the mere fact you are in ski area like Eischoll probably means you are fit & don’t mind the walk up ……. or down. Of course you can ski further down into the village if the snow cover is at low altitudes.

The triple treat of Eischoll, Unterbach and Moosalp encompass everything that we adore about skiing. All the snow, fun, adventure, beauty & relaxation without the gross expense, pretence & noise. Do yourself a favour and visit. We will return when next in Switzerland.

See our thoughts on the pros and cons of this ski resort via our Eischoll overview page.
See our video here

Eischoll is a compact ski resort with MANY options.

I had no expectactions because there hadn't been much fresh snow in the days leading up to my visit. That's part of why it's a gem, because there was heaps of fresh snow in the resort beside the piste, and, the access to side/back country and more fresh is so easy. The quality of the snow was very good.

Including Unterbach, there are many long surface lifts that give the opportunity to look at the diverse terrain and pick a line, or two, or three.......

Plus there are the usual "other" activities that you can often find in Switzerland, like toboganning - really fast on long runs:-)
See our video here