Jungfrau Ski Region

The Jungfrau Ski Region sits in the Bernese Oberland above the twin valleys of Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, under one of the most famous mountain walls in the Alps. It's really three ski areas on one pass — Grindelwald-Wengen with Kleine Scheidegg and Männlichen, Grindelwald-First, and Mürren-Schilthorn — spread across two valleys and stitched together by cog railways, cable cars and gondolas rather than a single continuous lift network. The marketed figure is around 211 km of piste. The bases sit relatively low, from Lauterbrunnen at around 800 m up to car-free Mürren at 1638 m, and the skiing climbs from there towards the Schilthorn at nearly 2970 m. It is a region you travel through as much as ski — the railways are part of the holiday, not just the way up.

The setting, first and foremost — there is nowhere else you ski with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau lined up in front of you, and the car-free villages of Wengen and Mürren perched on their shelves above the valley are unlike anywhere else. The Lauberhorn above Wengen is the longest downhill on the World Cup circuit, and skiing even part of that line is a genuine thrill. It's scenery-first skiing with real heritage behind it.

A spread-out, scenery-led region rather than a compact ski circus. The three areas each have their own feel — the broad, sunny slopes above Grindelwald and Wengen towards Kleine Scheidegg; the sheltered, family-friendly First side; and the steeper, higher Mürren-Schilthorn across the valley. You move between them on trains and cable cars, so days here have a rhythm of riding and skiing rather than lapping one bowl. The bases are low and green, so it feels more Alpine-village than high-and-white.