Skiing

Skiing Titlis In Switzerland

By Heather Burke

December 3, 2014

3 minutes to read

By Heather Burke, Boston.com Correspondent

I am riding a rotating cable car with a bunch of Asians in Switzerland. Greg and I are in the minority holding our big mountain skis. Most are Chinese and Indian passengers in street clothes aboard Engelberg’s Titlis Rotair – a Swiss ski tram that turns a full 360 degrees during its five-minute ascent to the 9,908-foot summit. At the top of the Titlis Glacier, we click into our skis for an exciting descent down the snowy Swiss slopes. Our foreign tram companions are giddy at their first sight of snow, sliding in their shoes, throwing snowballs, rolling and laughing in the white stuff, and taking photos of us on our skis – as if we are the spectacle.

How fun to watch their discovery of snow, even better to share a lift but not have to share first tracks. The majority of tourists visiting Engelberg come to witness winter and snow for the first time, see Titlis Glacier, ride the Ice Flyer Chair, and traverse the Cliff Walk at 10,000 feet – Europe’s highest suspension bridge – then take three ski lifts down to the ski village to see the 12th century monastery. But we came to ski Engelberg for its exhilarating 6,500-foot vertical drop, 25 lifts and two separate ski areas; Titlis and Brunni.

Most skiers have never heard of Engelberg, which translates to Angel’s Mountain. If you like the off-piste, big-mountain Alps, then this central Swiss ski resort could be your new ski heaven. Ski film makers are coming to Engelberg and going off-trail (off-piste) for steep, deep, long, backcountry runs. We skied several white-knuckle, steep, scary runs: The Laub, Gatliberg, Steinberg and Zuls, but we barely scratched the off-piste offerings at Engelberg. Next time we will hire a guide or bribe a local with beers at Ski Lodge Engelberg’s bar in the delightful Swiss town.

Never heard of Engelberg? Well, it’s not well-known, except maybe by the Swedes, nor is it new. Engelberg’s first ski lift was installed in 1913. The world’s first revolving cable car, the Titlis Rotair, was installed here in 1993, and was completely upgraded this season. You have to see it to believe it as you make a panoramic circle in the glass-lined cable car during the five minute ascent, a great opportunity to scout your line on the Steinberg Glacier from above.

Among Engelberg’s vast ski terrain is the family-friendly southern-exposed ski terrain of Brunni, and the high elevation mountains of Joch and Titlis Glacier. If the Asian invasion and the huge Benedictine Monastery sound less than Swiss, let me assure you that Engelberg offers skiers all the Alpine trimmings, like Swiss chalet lunches on mountain, and an Igloo Village mid-mountain serving fondue and shots. Engelberg is super popular with kite skiers, winter hikers and sledders, it’s an alpine amusement park with few boundaries. At day’s end it’s a long, scenic 7 1/2-mile run to the base (or three lifts downloading).

A few ski days skiing Engelberg would be a cool add-on to a ski trip in the nearby Jungfrau region of the Swiss Alps, all reached by the efficient Swiss train system. Engelberg is near Lake Lucerne, and the Haslital ski region. The most skier friendly lodging is Ski Lodge Engelberg, steps from the train station, a short walk to the ski lifts and Engelberg’s best restaurants. The Ski Lodge is run by passionate Swedish skiers and frequented by locals that love to tell tales about big pillow top drops over beers in the convivial bar.