I had visited the Schilthorn in the mid-90s during summer & was suitably impressed by the absolute grandeur of the place. I did wonder what it would be like to ski here. A mere 30 years later I finally found out. In that 30 years I learned that the landscape definition of ‘breathtaking’ is stepping out onto the rim of the Grand Canyon for the first time. Intriguing that a journey up to Schilthorn in winter has a similar impact.
A mid-January, mid-week visit had me on the train from Lucerne to Interlaken Ost riding with the train into a snowy dawn. The forecast was for a clearing day but the driving snow was suggesting otherwise. The train from Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen was progressively loading up with skiers & non-skiers alike. First lesson in the Jungfrau region – there are just as many non-skiing tourists using the transport as there are skiers. At Lauterbrunnen the seething horde ran for the waiting train to Wengen & Kleine Scheidegg whilst I and a few other hardy souls exited & crossed the road the cable car. Second lesson at Mürren Schilthorn, the cable cars run to a timetable rather than continuously on demand, forcing down-time on those not necessarily wanting it.!
At the top of the cable one joins the ancient rail carriages trundling between Gütschalp & Mürren. The snow was bucketing down & the mountain shrouded in fog. Most skiers got off at Winteregg to take the chairlift up. At the end of the line a pleasant walk is required to a funicular or cable car. Remembering I still hadn’t put my skis on, I opted for the funicular & skied all alone to the Mürren cable car station. The snow was perfect. Visibility was not. The place was deserted. Third lesson – no one skis here mid-week in January during a snowfall. Good to know!
Deciding against waiting for the cable car I smashed a few delightful on & off-piste turns on the 500m vertical from the Schiltgrat chair. Lots of possibilities were left behind as the cloud lifted appreciably & the upper mountain called. Fourth lesson – when you can see, go up (a simple lesson & not one I need to worry about as I am a daily practitioner).
The 2677m pinnacle of Birg was socked-in on arrival. Spent my time wisely sampling the new Thrill Walk – a walkway hugging a cliff below the lift station. A series of ‘thrill’ elements get the juices flowing. The best of them was a steel mesh tube that one crawls through over nothing but air & streaming cloud below. Fantastic.
As the gloom lifted the stunned silence descends. Everyone collectively holds their breath as the vista slowly opened up. The audacity of the engineers to put ski lifts up here becomes apparent and the gloriously challenging off-piste terrain reveals itself as well.
Steeps off the Schilthorn led to huge off-piste terrain in questionable light but glorious powder snow conditions. A few small groups were observed around Birg & into the Blumental but the off-piste was essentially deserted. I barely scratched the surface of the freeride possibilities. There is so much terrain beyond the Kandahar chairlift down toward Winteregg that with a keen group, a week in good snow would certainly be entertaining. You can ski BIG here.
For quick access to the ski lifts (& more importantly the Birg cable car), overnighting in car-free Muerren is essential. The quiet village perched above the Lauterbrunnen valley gets morning sun (if that’s important to you!). The journeys up from the valley towns of Lauterbrunnen & Interlaken are marvellous, but the time it takes to get the top of the mountain could get tedious after a few days.
On down days, or if travelling with children, the many non-ski activities in the region are outstanding. The sledding is particularly good- long trails & the local sledders are fearless & incredibly fast.
The best après ski at Muerren Schilthorn is wherever you don’t have to ski afterwards i.e. near a cable car, in a village or close to a train station. Avoiding skiing here after drinking is probably good for your health. A few beverages at the Iglubar below Birg is recommended though. A short ski will get you to a chair and back to the top of Birg for a safe cable car download!
Mürren Schilthorn is best for adults with good ski ability. There is a lot for children & families in the Jungfrau ski region, but we would only recommend bringing them to Muerren on a good clear day with perfect visibility. For everyone else, Mürren Schilthorn may not have the world’s most modern, high capacity lift system & its terrain may not lend itself to be easily navigated, but what a place. Bloody marvellous!
