Out-of-the-ordinary winter activities away from the slopes

Switzer­land is the snow sports par­adise par excel­lence. Ski­ing, snow­board­ing, cross-coun­try ski­ing and sledg­ing are prob­a­bly the most pop­u­lar win­ter sports in the coun­try. But how about a spe­cial expe­ri­ence away from the slopes in the win­ter months? Here are our ideas for out-of-the-ordi­nary win­ter activ­i­ties that are sure to give you your money’s worth as a fan of the slopes or après-ski hero:

Snowtubing through the ice track

At the Tobog­gan­ing Park in Leysin, in the Vaud Alps, you can try out the crazy leisure activ­i­ty of snow­tub­ing. This activ­i­ty is best com­pared to the Olympic sport of bob­sleigh­ing, except that you speed down the groomed ice tracks on a tyre rather than a bob. Cre­at­ed by for­mer Swiss bob­sled­der Sil­vio Gio­bel­li­na, the slopes ensure rapid descents at top speeds. For the brave, there’s even a loop and a jump on the tyre with a soft land­ing on the big air bag. Cool, isn’t it?

Open: Decem­ber – March
Accom­mo­da­tion: Mon­treux Youth Hos­tel

Hot dip in the cold lake

What could be nicer than warm­ing up with a warm bath in win­ter tem­per­a­tures? Of course: Relax in a float­ing hot tub! On Lake Brienz, you can drift in a hot tub filled with water at a tem­per­a­ture of 38°C dur­ing the win­ter months. The Hot­Tug boat with an elec­tric motor is warmed up by a wood stove and offers space for up to six peo­ple. A unique expe­ri­ence that you should def­i­nite­ly try with fam­i­ly or friends in win­ter.

Open: All year round
Accom­mo­da­tion: Inter­lak­en Youth Hos­tel

Melting away at lofty heights

Saastal Berg­bah­nen offer a very spe­cial expe­ri­ence for all gourmets: Round off your win­ter day in Saas-Fee with a leisure­ly gon­do­la ride and enjoy a deli­cious fon­due at lofty heights. This deli­cious trip starts at Spiel­bo­den val­ley sta­tion and takes around an hour. The views of the moun­tains and the evening lights over Saas-Fee are sure to stay with you for a long time to come.

Open: Decem­ber – April
Accom­mo­da­tion: wellnessHostel4000

Through the deep snow at full speed

Although it’s not bike sea­son at the moment, the con­di­tions are right for the ulti­mate fat­bike adven­ture. In Davos Klosters, you can race through the snow on moun­tain bikes with extra-wide tyres. On the unspoilt Pis­cha moun­tain, a three-kilo­me­tre fat­bike tour awaits you, lead­ing you down a groomed descent through the deep snow. The fat­bike is trans­port­ed to the start­ing point by moun­tain rail­way. After, you tear up the slopes and enjoy a mag­nif­i­cent view of the Flüela Val­ley.

Open: Decem­ber – April
Accom­mo­da­tion: Davos Youth Hos­tel

On your bike, get set, go

What you sim­ply can’t miss in Grindel­wald: A ride on the his­toric Vel­o­gemel. The tra­di­tion­al «snow bike» was once used as an every­day means of trans­port in the Eiger vil­lage in win­ter. Today, you can hire the wood­en bicy­cles on run­ners at Grindel­wald rail­way sta­tion and use them to ride down the groomed trails from the Bus­salp to the vil­lage. You’re sure to have tons of fun rid­ing this unusu­al vehi­cle against a unique back­drop of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.

Open: Decem­ber – March
Accom­mo­da­tion: Grindel­wald Youth Hos­tel

Our St. Moritz tips

Need a few more ideas for St. Moritz? Nina has sum­marised our favourite expe­ri­ences in the birth­place of win­ter sports for you.