Grindelwald Ski Resort

Grindelwald is one of the world's classic resorts with a ski history that dates back to the early 1880s, when a visiting English tourist strapped on his newfangled skis in his hotel room and heroically clomped out down the stairs, through the bar and onto the snow.

Whether this was the oddest thing ever to have happened in the village, which was already nearing 700 years old then, is not known. However it did begin a trend which led to the development of one of Switzerland's leading ski areas, the Jungfrau, which Grindelwald shares with its neighbour Wengen. The pass also covers Grindelwald's own slopes on First and the more distant pistes of Mürren, across the valley, where the revolving restaurant was famously featured in (and part funded by) the James Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

However good Grindelwald's resort facilities and skiing are, for many its biggest attraction is the truly awesome scenery that surrounds it, including the magnificent Eiger. This is one of the few cases where the word ‘awesome' is correctly used, and one of the reasons many regard the Jungfrau region as having the most stunningly beautiful scenery in skiing, and that's with plenty of tough competition.