Ski Lifts in Adelboden

Some of Adelboden’s main ski lifts are old, the main irritation being the sequence of three antiquated gondolas connecting Adelboden to the main ski area, but overall the lift system is adequate and new gondolas are planned for 2013.

Adelboden Ski Lifts

The Adelboden-Lenk region includes five separate ski areas and more than 50 ski lifts, which are owned and operated by five different lift companies. Two-thirds of the skiing is in the main Sillerenbuhl-Hahnenmoos-Metsch ski area with over 20 lifts serving more than 60 runs on north and south-facing slopes on either side of the Hahnenmoospass. The remaining ski lifts serve three small ski areas near Adelboden, each with a cable car or gondola and a network of drag lifts higher up. There’s also another ski area with eight lifts on the far side of Lenk. The official lift statistics (72 lifts) count all ski lifts including lifts in Kandersteg, which are visible on the ski map but largely irrelevant to Adelboden.

Apart from three high-speed chairlifts on the Lenk side of Hahnenmoos, many of the lifts are quite old and the gondolas between Adelboden and Sillerenbuhl need replacing with a unified high-speed gondola system covering the same entry and exit points. Queuing for main lifts can be a problem at peak periods but because Adelboden is not well known and usually not crowded, the lift system is just about adequate.

Access to the main ski area from Adelboden (1,353m) is slow. It starts with an antiquated gondola a few minutes walk from the centre of the village, which provides a lift connection down to Oey (1,260m). A second and third gondola of similar vintage provides the main uplift from Oey to Berglager (1,491m) and then to Sillerenbuhel (1,974m). There’s also a free ski bus that runs from Adelboden to Geils (1,707m), in the heart of the ski area, where two chairlifts and a gondola provide further uplift to Luegli (2,138m), Lavey (2,200m) and Hahnenmoos (1,957m). Geils also has a dedicated area for children with a magic carpet and drag lift, an Indian Teepee and a restaurant nearby. Adelboden-Lenk Ski Lifts Tel: +41 (0) 33 673 90 90; Web: www.adelboden-silleren.ch.

The Tschenten Alp base station is visible from the main street and close to the centre of the village. A colourful arrangement of red, blue and yellow gondolas depart three at a time from the base station and provide easy access to the mountain restaurant on Tschenten Alp (1,950m) and a choice of five red runs and a blue run served by a chairlift and two drag lifts. Tschenten Ski Lifts, Tel: +41 (0) 33 673 11 06, Web: www.tschentenalp.ch.

The Engstligenalp (1,964m) is accessed by cable car from Unter dem Berg (1,405m), about 5km from Adelboden (10 minutes by car). Half a dozen drag lifts provide access to seven ski runs for all abilities and a couple of nursery slopes for novices. The Engstigenalp is popular for cross-country ski trails, winter walking, dog sledding and an exceptional Ice Igloo. It’s a great place for families, but best visited in fine weather. Engstligenalp Ski Lifts, Tel: +41 (0) 33 673 32 70, Web: www.engstligenalp.ch

The Elsigenalp is a quiet ski area with 16 ski runs – three blue, 11 red and two black pistes – served by a cable car and eight drag lifts. It’s 20km from Adelboden, about 20 minutes by car, but if you don’t have a car there is a bus service from Adelboden via Achsten to Elsigenalp. Elsigenalp Ski Lifts Tel: +41 (0) 33 671 33 33; Web: www.elsigenalp.ch.

If staying in Lenk rather than Adelboden, there’s a cable car at Rothenbach (1,072m) on the outskirts of the town which provides access to the main ski area. Lenk also has a small ski area south of the town with a network of two gondolas, two chairlifts and four drag lifts serving a dozen red and blue pistes, and one short black run. Lenk Ski Lifts Tel: +41 33 736 30 30; Web: www.lenkbergbahnen.ch

Adelboden Lift Passes

The Adelboden lift pass is valid for all of the ski lifts in Adelboden-Lenk. The 6-day Adelboden lift pass also allows access to the ski lifts in the main sector of the Gstaad Super ski area for one day only. That might be of interest to those staying in Lenk, but it’s not much benefit if you’re staying in Adelboden.

Adelboden Lift Company

Bergbahnen Adelboden AG
Fuhrenweidli
Bodenstrasse 2
CH-3715 Adelboden
Tel: +41 (0) 33 673 90 90
Web: www.adelboden-silleren.ch