Wengen

Wengen nestles at 1274 metres altitude on a sunny, sheltered, terrace above the Lauterbrunnen Valley, at the foot of the snow-clad Jungfrau. The picture-postcard Bernese Oberland village is a popular holiday resort, offering family-friendly skiing and hiking around the mountain regions of Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg. Since 1893, car-free Wengen has been reached by the Wengernalp cogwheel railway from Lauterbrunnen, where there is ample parking space. All major excursion destinations can easily be reached from Wengen, including the Jungfraujoch, at 3454 metres Europe’s highest-altitude railway station and the Schilthorn summit with the Piz Gloria 360° revolving restaurant. In summer, 15 mountain rail & cableways access over 500 km of well-marked walking and hiking trails and stunning vantage points. The more adventurous can take a tandem paragliding flight or immerse themselves in canyoning or river rafting. In winter, Wengen is a paradise for skiers and snowboarders with around 110 km of mainly easy to medium-difficulty pistes. Sledging fans will find runs galore and winter walkers can enjoy spectacular scenery along some 50 km of prepared trails. Wengen’s après-ski scene is also pretty cool!


Lauberhorn World Cup ski races

The International Lauberhorn Races have been held in Wengen since 1930. The Men’s Downhill Ski Race is one of today's great Alpine classics and considered one of the toughest on the World Cup circuit. The challenging 4260-metre run covers an altitude difference of 1028 metres and the world’s top skiers not only have to overcome gradients of between 10.5 and 90% but also take many hazardous jumps at breakneck speed. The athletes shoot out of the start on the Lauberhorn summit, over the fast downhill stretch to the Hundschopf - a heart-stopping leap into space - and hurtle down to the finish at Wengen’s Allmend. The run also holds the fastest and the slowest sections on the entire World Cup circuit. The Kernen ‘S’ bend forces skiers to slam on the brakes and slow to a mere 70 km/hr. The straight Hannegg Schuss pushes speeds up to an incredible 150 km/hr. Less than 2 ½ minutes skiing time – but what an astounding 2 ½ minutes! Just reaching the finish demands a colossal combination of courage, concentration, stamina and skill.