Apartments and a hotel sit conveniently on the slopes of the resort at Lauchernalp, Switzerland, offering ski-in, ski-out convenience. (Leah Larkin / Special to S&S)
Apartments and a hotel sit conveniently on the slopes of the resort at Lauchernalp, Switzerland, offering ski-in, ski-out convenience. (Leah Larkin / Special to S&S)
The resort town of Kandersteg, near Lauchernalp, offers 36 miles of prepared cross-country ski tracks. Skiing through the nearby woods and fields leads you past weathered old barns and pretty lakes. (Leah Larkin / Special to S&S)
The Swiss resorts of Zermatt and Saas Fee grab the headlines in ski circles. Everyone wants to ski the big names.
But less-known and not-so-popular resorts, such as Lauchernalp in southern Switzerland, have advantages. They’re usually less expensive, less crowded and often more friendly.
Lauchernalp is mini compared to the giant resorts. It has just 15½ miles of slopes serviced by a gondola from the valley station in Wiler to the middle station and ski hub at 6,600 feet. From there, two chairlifts and a T-bar serve the slopes. Last November, the resort added a new gondola from the top of the longer chairlift that opens up a glacier slope at 10,266 feet.
Despite Lauchernalp’s limited size, experienced skiers could be content at the resort for a day or even a weekend. The slopes are wide open, so snowboarders should be satisfied, too. For families, Lauchernalp is ideal because there are lodging facilities (apartments and a hotel) right on the slopes for the ultimate ski-in, ski-out convenience, and a ski kindergarten and child care are available.
From the top, the runs are long, long. The red run is a delight, and the black run could challenge any expert. Ride the new glacier lift to the Hockenhorngrat for superb scenery, then a delightful cruise down on a leisurely blue run.
The slopes at the ski hub, where there are several restaurants and shops, are gentle, perfect beginner terrain.
Ski apartments in Alpine chalet style off to the side of the slopes give the area a cozy mountain character. And, as Lauchernalp is on the southern side of the Alps, you’re apt to find more sun here than in ski areas on the other side of the mountains.
If you’d like to combine downhill with cross-country skiing, you could stay in nearby Kandersteg, which has 36 miles of prepared cross-country tracks.
Ski down the mountains one day, and through the fields and forests another. Cross-country tracks are right out the front door of many Kandersteg hotels. There are also snowshoe trails in the area.
Leah Larkin, a member of the Society of American Travel Writers, is a journalist and skier who lives in France.
If you go ...
Getting there: From Germany, Lauchernalp is accessible by autobahn from Basel to Bern to Spiez. At Spiez, leave the autobahn and drive to Kandersteg, where you put your car on a train through the Lotschbeg tunnel for a 15- minute ride to Goppenstein, 10 minutes from the ski area.
Costs: A one-day ski pass at Lauchernalp this season is 45 Swiss francs (about $36); two days, 86 Swiss francs. A ski package for three nights’ accommodation at a facility on the slopes including a three-day lift ticket is 280 Swiss francs. The same for seven nights’ lodging, and a six-day ski pass is 572 Swiss francs. There is a 50- percent reduction for children 6 to 16 years old, and those younger than 6 are free. Lodging is also available in the valley and is less expensive.
Where to stay: The Waldhotel Doldenhorn in Kandersteg, a four-star hotel on a cross-country track, offers double rooms from 110 Swiss francs, including breakfast. The hotel has an excellent restaurant with half-board arrangements also available. Its Web site is www.doldenhorn-ruedihus.ch.
For more information: See www.lauchernalp.ch and www.kandersteg.ch.
— Leah Larkin
