Ski & Winter · The cheap day out
No lesson, no technique, a fraction of a lift pass, and the same Eiger over your shoulder. The runs you can reach from the valley floor, what they cost, and which one suits children.
Skiing in the Jungfrau region is wonderful and it is not cheap: a day pass is CHF 79 and six days CHF 404, before hire and lessons. Sledging costs a fraction of that, needs no skill and no lesson, and runs on the same mountains with the same view of the Eiger. For a family with mixed abilities, or a non-skier in a skiing group, or anyone with one spare afternoon, it is the best value day in the valley.
The runs below are the ones you can reach from a Lauterbrunnen base. Lengths and figures are the operators’ own; where a figure is not published, this page says so.
The closest run to the valley floor and the one most visitors never hear about. 4.74 km with 447 metres of descent, graded easy, from Sulwald down to the hamlet of Isenfluh, which has been part of the municipality of Lauterbrunnen since 1973, so this genuinely is the home run. You reach the top by cable car from Isenfluh to Sulwald, a small and very local lift, and sledges can be hired at the start.
Isenfluh sits up a side road above the main valley and a postbus runs there from Lauterbrunnen; check the current timetable before you set off, because the service is thinner than the Stechelberg line and the last bus down matters more than the first bus up.
4.5 km from Kleine Scheidegg down to Wengen station, on the mountain the Lauberhorn World Cup is raced on, with the Eiger over your shoulder the whole way. It is the one most people mean when they talk about sledging here, and the most scenic of them by some distance.
The Winter Hiking and Sledging Pass is CHF 61, which covers the train up. Jungfrau Railways note that the difficulty varies with snow and weather. In hard-frozen conditions an easy run becomes a fast one, and that applies to every run on this page.
If you want the story rather than the easy afternoon: Big Pintenfritz starts at the Faulhorn at 2,681 m and runs over 15 km down to Grindelwald. Jungfrau Region Tourism calls it the longest sledging run in the world. There is no lift to the start: you walk up, which takes most of a morning, carrying your sledge. It is a proper day out and it is not a family outing.
Also in the area, if you are already heading to Grindelwald: the City Run from Bussalp, and a bob run up in Mürren.
| Run | From → to | Length | Reaching the top |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sulwald – Isenfluheasy, 447 m descent, hire at the start | Sulwald → Isenfluh | 4.74 km | Cable car |
| Fox Rununder the Eiger | Kleine Scheidegg → Wengen | 4.5 km | Train, pass CHF 61 |
| Big Pintenfritzlongest in the world | Faulhorn 2,681 m → Grindelwald | over 15 km | On foot |
| City Run | Bussalp → Grindelwald | not published | Bus |
Less than you would think. Waterproof trousers and gloves matter far more than anything technical, because you will be sitting in snow and you will come off. Boots with a grip, because steering and braking are both done with your heels. Goggles or sunglasses if it is bright. No helmet is required, though the hire shops will offer you one and on a fast, icy run you should take it.
Sledge hire is available at the Sulwald run and through sports shops in the villages; Jungfrau Region Tourism suggests asking in advance about on-site rental rather than assuming. Prices are not published centrally, so ask when you book your lift ticket.
Sledging is the obvious half-day when the weather is too flat for skiing, or when the high trails are closed and you want something other than a walk. It also solves the mixed-group problem: skiers take the regional pass, everyone else takes a sledge, and you meet at the same mountain restaurant for lunch. For the wider winter picture see Ski & Winter, and for the month-by-month detail, January and February are the most reliable snow.
Common questions
The closest run is Sulwald down to Isenfluh, 4.74 km with 447 metres of descent, graded easy, reached by the cable car from Isenfluh to Sulwald. The best known is the Fox Run, 4.5 km from Kleine Scheidegg down to Wengen. For a bigger day, Big Pintenfritz runs over 15 km from the Faulhorn to Grindelwald.
The Winter Hiking and Sledging Pass, which covers the train up to Kleine Scheidegg for the Fox Run, is CHF 61. Sledge hire is extra and is not published centrally, so ask when you buy the lift ticket. Compare that with a CHF 79 day ski pass before hire and lessons, and sledging is the cheapest proper day on the mountain here.
4.5 km, from Kleine Scheidegg down to Wengen station, on the same mountain as the Lauberhorn World Cup course. Jungfrau Railways note that its difficulty changes with snow and weather, so a run that is gentle in soft snow can be quick when it has frozen hard.
Big Pintenfritz, which starts at the Faulhorn at 2,681 m and runs over 15 km down to Grindelwald. Jungfrau Region Tourism describes it as the longest sledging run in the world. There is no lift to the start, you walk up carrying your sledge, which takes most of a morning.
Yes. There is hire at the top of the Sulwald run, and sports shops in the villages will lend one for a small fee. Jungfrau Region Tourism advises asking in advance about on-site rental rather than turning up and hoping. Prices are not published centrally.
The Sulwald to Isenfluh run is graded easy and is the gentlest of the local options, which makes it the usual family choice. Any run gets faster when the snow freezes hard, so judge it on the day rather than on the grading, and take the helmet when it is offered.
Waterproof trousers and gloves matter more than anything technical, because you will be sitting in snow and you will come off at some point. Boots with grip, because you steer and brake with your heels. Goggles or sunglasses if it is bright.
For a short visit or a mixed-ability group, yes. A Jungfrau day ski pass is CHF 79 and six days CHF 404 before hire and lessons; sledging needs no lesson, no technique and far less kit, and runs on the same mountains with the same view of the Eiger.
An apartment and two studios in Lauterbrunnen, on the winter ski-shuttle route and a short hop from the Wengen and Isenfluh runs. The Apartment has its own private wood-fired hot tub.
Nightly ranges for our own three places, before cleaning. What you actually pay moves with the dates, the length of stay and how far ahead you book, so treat these as the shape of it rather than a quote. Dollar figures are converted at 1 USD = 0.835 CHF, set 15 October 2026.
What’s open, what’s shut, what the weather and the trains are up to, and which weeks are quiet. One email, first of the month, written here.
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