Gstaad has that ring of opulence about it, although in truth it is a sleepy town where I have had to wait for the cows to cross the road whilst driving through it. Zweisimmen doesn’t have the same cachet, but for me it gives you access to the very best slopes in the Gstadd Mountain Rides.Gstaad Mountain Rides comprises 6 sectors for pricing purposes and 10 distinct ski areas. Although Glacier 3000 is included in the pass it really is geographically closer to Les Diablerets, whilst the rest of the runs are mostly below 2000m. Getting around these runs in the Simmental and Saanenland is a doddle with a train running from Zweisimmen across the Röstigraben to Châteax D’Oex connecting most of the areas up, and the train is included in the lift pass.
However the largest ski area is best accessed from Zweisimmen, reached easily by a train from Berne on the BLS service. A useful feature of the service is that, if you have a Snow’n’Rail combined train and lift pass, somebody comes round the train at weekends to trade in your lift voucher for a lift pass. That means you can get straight off the train, walk the 200 yards to the gondola and go straight up to the slopes. How’s that for service!
I had been thinking of going to Lauchernalp above the Lötschental, where this time of year the local carnival is celebrated with people dressed as the fearsome Tschäggättä, even on the slopes. However it is a high resort and it promised to be a cold day, so I opted for the lower runs above Zweisimmen. Even though the runs are low, however, I’ve always found the snow holds well here, with shaded tree-clad slopes and sheltered off-piste.
The snow was excellent after an indifferent January in the Alps. No bare patches and lots of new snow, with powder off-piste. New snow overnight meant that the extensive off-piste here was untracked. There is quite a lot of gentle off-piste around. There’s some on the Rinderberg and above St Stephan, and stuff around Hornberg, but both sides of the valley above Chaltebrunne have wonderful areas that are great fun to explore in new snow. I am always surprised there are not more boarders here, since nearly all the runs are served by gondolas and chairlifts, there are no real flat areas, there’s a park and there is so much easy, lift-served off-piste.
Anyway, all round a good gig. One of my favourite resorts, especially for mid-winter.
The Black Forest is relatively low-lying and you cannot guarantee good snow throughout the season, but it is still relatively reliable for the peak season. It is convenient for much of northern Switzerland, including Basel, and is much cheaper than the Alpine resorts for a winter holiday.
We organised a family holiday this month to Todtnauberg, a high valley not far from Feldberg, the highest point in the Black Forest (and in the whole of Germany, outside the Alps).Mazumdars in the Black Forest Despite the good snow in December the temperatures had risen unseasonably high and even at 1150m, the village had patchy snow. Nonethless, the nursery area near the centre of the village and the larger, connected section across the valley were open.
In total Todtnauberg boasts 6 surface lifts, 12 red runs and 4 trails. There is an excellent high cross-country circuit. Should the snow not be too good on the lower slopes, the runs above Liftstüble can still offer good conditions and whatever the snow conditions, there are some lovely winter walks in the area. Todtnauberg is also situated at the top of what claims to be the highest waterfall in Germany, the Todtnau Waterfall, and there are a number of pleasant walking trails that take you down along the length of the falls.
The setting is spectacular and from various points around the village and the surrounding hills you can see the Alps in the distance. We stayed at the family-run Pension Enzian, conveniently located next to the Kapellenlift. It is a lovely little establishment, very simple but with good food and wonderful hosts and certainly one I would recommend. In our case the party included skiers, non-skiers, pensioners, infants and children and we felt we were all catered for well.
Driving to Todtnauberg is relatively straightforward, with the village being served by a dedicated road running off the main Todtnau to Freiburg road. There is also reasonably good public transport with a direct bus to Freiburg (which is well worth a visit if you have not been there before) and a bus to Todtnau which connects to the service to Basel (either direct, or via the train from Zell im Wiesental). I’ve known people come from Basel to ski here for the day, although most people opt for Feldberg.
The skiing in Todtnauberg lies between 1021m amd 1388m and probably provides around 20km of ski runs and trails in total. The runs are all graded red but are generally easy enough for people more comfortable on blue runs. There are no particular gotchas for boarders other than that all of the lifts are surface lifts, and mainly t-bars at that. There is a ski school in the village.
Felderg is very close to Totdnauberg as the crow flies, but around 15km away by road. You can get to Feldberg by bus, changing in Todtnau.
I’ve posted details on Feldberg at the companion site here. It is easily the most comprehensive winter sports area in the Black Forest, and Todtnauberg is probably the second largest. There are others, though. Muggenbrun (970-1243) and Brandenberg-Fahl (850-1380) have a handful of lifts. Herrenschwand (Todtmoos), Widen, and Aitern-Multen also have more than one lift. Additionally a number of other villages have basic facilities, perhaps one lift and a couple of runs back into the village.
For Cross-country, Feldberg, Todtnauberg, Muggenbrun, Widen and Aitern-Multen have both prepared trails and Langlauf ski schools. They also have prepared winter trails, often the same ones as used by cross-country skiers but not exclusively so. Which of course, gives you also the opportunity to whistle along to that old sixties classic “A Walk in the Black Forest”. There is also plenty of scope for snowshoe walkers, especially using the extensive summer trails that are not prepared in winter.
All in all the Black Forest is a good choice for winter sports enthusiasts. It represents excellent value for money compared with Alpine resorts and, in general, better caters for tourists than the Jura. The cuisine is delicious and you really should savour a proper, freshly-made Black Forest Gateau and some of the outstanding local wines. There is also plenty to see and do, with marvellous spas dotted around – we particularly like Bad Bellingen and Badenweiler, but Titisee has the most impressive. In addition there are rustic villages steeped in history, quaint little museums, lots of waterfalls, the ubiquitous souvenir shops (for your cuckoo clock) and the wonderful old towns of Freiburg, Colmar and Basel not too far away.
If you book well in advance, you may be disappointed if you have set your heart on perfect snow conditions, but generally Feldberg, at least, is reliable from Christmas through the end of February or later. For a last minute getaway, though, you could do a lot worse.
A number of friends have already hit the pistes and have generally given good feedback on snow conditions. There were some good early dumps and cold conditions, although by Christmas a warm front lifted the temperatures alarmingly. However few lift systems were fully open to take advantage of the fresh snow, but with Christmas that has all changed. Many resorts have switched to their peak season schedules since 22nd December and the Oatridge family had their first ski outing.
The venue was Austria, initially Pitztal (with a top run from 3440m) and then Kitzbühel.
Pitztal has its main installations at the head of the valley, with two main areas at Rifflsee and the Glacier which together offer 68km of pistes and 44km of trails. There is also a small beginners area a couple of hundred metres from the Rifflsee base station. Rifflsee is a pleasant area of runs that are largely of similar standard irrespective of colour and connects to the Glacier base station – although to get back to Rifflsee you need to take the bus. The Glacier area is reached by a train service at Mittelberg and, although there is a trail back down, there is currently no pistes back to the base station. However with runs between 2840 and 3440m, this is a great area for early and late season skiing. The valley also has some good cross-country trails.
We stayed in the Seppl Sport & Vital Hotel in Weisswald, just a short bus ride from the valley stations. The hotel is a family-run establishment with a spa, pool, sauna, bowling alley etc and would generally get top marks but for the relatively expensive extras which could significantly add to the hotel bill if you are not careful. It lies conveniently at the terminus of the most frequent bus service, and only a short walk from the main post bus stop.
To get there from Switzerland you need to take the outstanding Railjet from Zurich to Landeck, switch to a local train to Imst then get off smartly to take the post bus connection that runs up Pitztal to Mittelberg. The journey is spectacular although the section by bus takes around 50m and is quite windy.
Like Swiss Railways with Snow’n’Rail, their Austrian counterparts (ÖBB) run a Kombitickets Wintersport scheme. It is nowhere near as extensive as the Swiss scheme and has some strange omissions, but it does include Lech, Zurs, St Anton, Kitzbühel, Nassfeld, Schladming, St Johann, Gastein, Zell am See and a dozen or so other resorts. The Austrians are almost as efficient as the Swiss, so taking the train and bus makes a lot of sense.
Kitzbühel has a rail station with a direct service to Innsbruck, although switching to a local train at Wörgl enables you to get off at the Kitzbühel Hanhenkamm stop, right next to the main gondola lift. There is also a good bus service from the main rail station, which is inclusive of a lift pass.
Kitzbühel actually comprises four sections. The small unconnected Gaisberg area in Kirchberg, the larger unconnected Kitzbüheler Horn area, a large area above Jochberg and the main area between Kitzbühel and Kirchberg which takes in the Hahnenkamm and Pengelstein peaks. From Pengelstein a gondola runs to and from the Jochberg section, although it is not possible to ski or snowboard between them. Although the highest peak across the area covered by the lift pass is only 2004m, the slopes are largely North-facing and have a good snow record. I love the runs of and around Pengelstein, lots of nice cruisy runs with enough variety and challenge and off-piste variations to keep anyone happy.
And then, of course, there is the Hahnenkamm run itself. In practice it is not one run but a series of variations, enabling you to pick and choose whether to take steep or flatter sections. it has stunning views over Kitzbühel and the surrounding areas where the valleys of the Kitzbühler Ache and Inn converge. However, what makes this run so special is that you know that are taking the route of one of the greatest ski races in the world. Truly a unique experience, and definitely a candidate in the “ten runs you should do before you die”.
Swiss Winter Sports features now on the radio, albeit only if you live in the Basel and Baselland areas. The excellent Basel-based Radio-X runs an English language show every Tuesday evening from 6.30pm until 8pm, and they now feature a short section on winter sports in which Kiwi John interviews Nic Oatridge to get the low down on a different resort every week. Radio-X is on 94.5 FM and the English Show has a web site at http://www.theenglishshow.com where you can catch up on older broadcasts. If you do live in the Basel area and are an English-speaker I really do recommend you tune into this informative programme quite apart from listening to hear ski and snowboard tips.
