Sledging and skating in Wengen: the non-ski winter day

Sledging in Wengen starts at the railway station. The Wengernalpbahn takes you with your sledge to Wengernalp, the top of a 4.5 km run that ends back in the village. The same train and the Männlichen cable car put more than 50 km of groomed sledge runs in the Jungfrau Region within reach, from the 4.5 km Ritas Speedway on Männlichen to the 15 km Big Pintenfritz above Grindelwald. Add the open-air ice rink in the village centre, curling on an indoor sheet and a wooden snow bike called the Velogemel, and a family can spend a winter week here without a ski pass.

The Fox Run: Wengen's own sledge run

The Fox Run is the run that finishes in Wengen. It starts at Wengernalp, beside the Lauberhorn World Cup downhill course, and runs 4.5 km down to the finish next to Wengen station at 1,274 m. Jungfrau Railways gives the descent as about 25 minutes. The track passes under the railway, follows the piste to the Bumps lift and winds through the Allmend forest into the car-free village, with fast bends in the upper half and a gentler forest section below.

For families, the train back up leaves from the finish, so you can repeat the run all day, and the Wengernalpbahn also stops at Allmend, which cuts the run to the forest section. Our sledging page for Wengen lists the shorter options.

Männlichen and the runs on the Grindelwald side

The Männlichen cable car leaves from the upper edge of Wengen, a few minutes on foot from the hotel, and lands at 2,229 m. Ritas Speedway starts at the top station and runs 4.5 km down to the Holenstein middle station of the Grindelwald-Männlichen gondola, about 600 m of descent with many bends and a view from the Eiger to the Wetterhorn. From Holenstein the gondola takes you back up for the cableway home.

The Eiger Run is on the Grindelwald side: the Alpiglen to Brandegg section is about 3 km with gradients up to 36 percent, for confident sledgers rather than first-timers. From Wengen you take the Wengernalpbahn over Kleine Scheidegg and down the Grindelwald side to Alpiglen. On winter evenings this section is floodlit: in 2026/27 the night trains run daily from 28 December 2026 to 2 January 2027 and on Fridays and Saturdays from 8 January to 13 March 2027. The evening ticket is about CHF 29 for adults and CHF 19 for children aged 6 to 15 or holders of a Jungfrau ski or sledging pass, sledge not included.

The Big Pintenfritz is for fit adults and older teenagers only. From the First gondola station at 2,166 m you pull your sledge for about 2.5 hours past the Bachalpsee to the Faulhorn at 2,680 m. The descent drops to Bussalp and, when snow allows, on to Lochsteinen, about 15 km with more than 1,000 m of descent and a day of about 3.5 hours plus travel. The GrindelwaldBus brings you back. The ticket covering gondola, descent and bus is about CHF 55 for adults and CHF 29 for children aged 6 to 15.

Bussalp is the family alternative. Bus line 126 climbs from Grindelwald station in about 35 minutes; from the top the City Run is 5.4 km down the road to Weidli and the Family Run 4.5 km on winter trails to Lochsteinen. A Bussalp sledging ticket with one ascent, sledge hire and the return from the end of the run is about CHF 53 for adults, and children aged 6 to 16 travel on a CHF 15 day ticket.

Tickets, sledge hire and getting to each start

The Winter Hiking and Sledging Pass covers the Wengernalpbahn, the Männlichen cableways and the region's other winter lifts for 1 to 7 days, valid 21 November 2026 to 25 April 2027. A 1-day pass is about CHF 61 for adults, CHF 44 for ages 16 to 19 and CHF 30 for ages 6 to 15, rising to CHF 64 for adults in the Christmas and February peak weeks. For a single Fox Run descent, a one-way ticket from Wengen to Wengernalp at the station is enough. The pass does not cover the GrindelwaldBus to Bussalp or the First gondola.

In Wengen, Central Sport, Intersport Wengen and Alpia Sport rent wooden and plastic sledges by the day, helmets as add-ons; check the current day rate when you book. On the Grindelwald side the Intersport Rent Network has 5 stations, in Grindelwald, on Männlichen and on First, with a wooden Davos sledge or a Torggler sports sledge at about CHF 19 per day. Helmets are advised on every run.

Access from Wengen: Fox Run by Wengernalpbahn to Wengernalp, no change; Männlichen by cable car from the village; Eiger Run by train to Kleine Scheidegg, then the Grindelwald-bound train to Alpiglen; Bussalp and First by train via Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald, then bus 126 or the First gondola.

All prices and times here are approximate and given as a guide. Jungfrau Railways and GrindelwaldBus set their own fares and operating times and adjust them from season to season, so check the current details on jungfrau.ch and grindelwaldbus.ch before you go.

The Wengen ice rink and curling

Wengen's open-air rink is in the centre of the village next to the tourist office, a few minutes on foot from the station. It is an artificial-ice surface, open daily through the winter from 10:00 to 18:00, weather permitting. Entry is about CHF 12 for adults and CHF 6 for children under 16 without a guest card; with the Jungfrau Region guest card from your hotel, adults pay about CHF 6 and children skate free. Skate hire is about CHF 8, or CHF 6 with the card. Over Christmas and New Year a natural rink is also set up at the sports centre when the cold holds. Our page on ice skating in Wengen has the practical notes for families.

The indoor arena next to the rink has 3 curling sheets, and beginner sessions for families and groups are arranged through Wengen Tourism, indoors or on the outdoor ice. You need flat, clean-soled shoes and warm clothing, nothing else; see our page on curling in Wengen.

All prices and times here are approximate and given as a guide. Wengen Tourism sets its own opening times and fares for the rink and adjusts them from season to season, so check the current details on wengen.swiss before you go.

The Velogemel

The Velogemel is a wooden sledge with a saddle, handlebars and two runners in line, steered like a bicycle. Christian Bühlmann of Grindelwald patented it in 1911, and it is still built there and used nowhere else in Switzerland. You hire one at the Intersport Rent Network in Grindelwald for about CHF 25 per day, on site only, and ride it on the Bussalp runs.

Grindelwald has held a Velogemel World Championship every February since 1996. The 2027 edition is on 7 February 2027 at Bussalp, from Oberläger to Mittelläger, with registration opening on 1 November 2026. Our Velogemel World Championship page explains how to get there from Wengen on the day.

Two sample days from the hotel

The Victoria Lauberhorn is not on a sledge run. It is about 1 minute on foot from Wengen station, where the Fox Run finishes and every train in this guide departs, and the rink is a few minutes away in the other direction.

• With a 5-year-old: Take the 09:30 train to Allmend with a hired sledge and child seat, sledge the forest section down to the village and have lunch at the hotel. At 14:00 spend an hour at the rink, where children skate free with the guest card, then use the indoor pool in the wellness area from 16:00 before dinner at Pasta & More.

• With teenagers: Take the 08:45 Wengernalpbahn to Wengernalp for 2 or 3 Fox Run descents on the 1-day pass, with lunch at Wengernalp between runs. At 13:30 take the cable car to Männlichen, sledge Ritas Speedway to Holenstein and return by gondola. In the evening use the outdoor whirlpool, or on a Friday or Saturday take the night train to Alpiglen for the floodlit Eiger Run.

Come and spend a non-ski winter day with us at the Victoria Lauberhorn in Wengen.

Victoria Lauberhorn, Wengen, a Faern Collection Hotel.

Hero image: Copyright © Jungfrau Region Tourismus AG