[wearelate]

28 November 2021 at 3:09:05 #826326

Hi there,

I have booked a hotel stay on the week of 6 December in Grindelwald. I made the mistake of not checking the operating status of train/gondola before booking and only just found out that both the Firstbahn and Grindelwald-Mannlichen Bahn will be closed when I’m there, ruling out any hikes from the First and Mannlichen – I was looking forward to Männlichen – Kleine Scheidegg (Nr. 63).

I’m looking at doing short 1-3 hour hikes during my stay, of easy to moderate difficulty.

Right now one option I have in mind:

• Taking the train from Grindelwald > Kleine Scheidegg
• Hiking there and back from Kleine Scheidegg > Fallboden «Pelzmantel» (Nr. 65) grindelwald.swiss/en/winter/tracks/kleine-scheidegg-fallboden-pelzmantel-nr-65/
• Hiking down from Kleine Scheidegg > Alpiglen/Brandegg (Nr. 64) grindelwald.swiss/en/winter/tracks/kleine-scheidegg-alpiglen-nr-64/
• Taking the train from Alpiglen/Brandegg > Grindelwald

Questions I have:

1. Is my route above manageable? Are there any other easy-moderate routes I can do starting from Grindelwald or connected easily from Grindelwald?
2. How do I gauge if I need any special equipment (e.g. snowshoes or spikes) to hike during first/second week of December? I understand that snowfall has already begun but I have no experience in winter hiking and I’m not sure how to gauge the need for snowshoes for each hiking route.

I have also planned hikes in Lauterbrunnen and Zermatt after my stay in Grindelwald so any help will be greatly appreciated!

Thank you all very much 🙏

Effortlessly learn from the questions and answers in the forum. Receive a daily e-mail with new discussions. Sign up

[Annika]

28 November 2021 at 9:59:33 #937681

Hi wearelate, thanks for joining MySwissAlps!

Yes, early December is still low season and it’s a bit early for winter hikes (https://www.myswissalps.com/besttimetovisit/winter).I can’t tell for sure if the routes you’ve chosen will already be groomed and signalized as winter trails. But if you’re lucky and there’s enough snow, you can certainly enjoy the hikes you selected. They match your criteria and they’re manageable if you’re in good physical shape. I’m not sure if you plan to do both hikes on one day; that might be a bit too much if you’re not used to winter hiking at all. Note that Kleine Scheidegg-Alpiglen contains a descent of over 700 m, which can be tough on legs or knees if you’re not experienced.

If there’s snow in the valleys, you can also make relatively easy snowy hike from Grindelwald to Zweilütschinen/Wilderswil and take a train back. Another beautiful option would be Lauterbrunnen-Stechelberg (http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking/lauterbrunnen-stechelberg) .Train and bus times can be found here: http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable.

Please find winter hiking information, including suggestions for easy trails, here: http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking/winter. Tips for hiking gear and rental locations are listed here: http://www.myswissalps.com/plantrip/clothing/winter.

Does this get you started?