Ski Like James Bond And Bode Miller in the Swiss Alps

Want to ski like James Bond?
Who can forget James Bond’s legendary ski run from the Piz Gloria in Switzerland’s Jungfrau? I got my chance last winter to ski this wild, exciting, and epic run. Fortunately, I was not being pursued by the bad guys like 007, so I could enjoy the deep powder and steep scenic descent. Glad too that I had declined the Bond Martini at lunch because I was shaken and stirred enough. Oh, lunch was amazing as well, a tremendous platter of Swiss cheese and smoked meats, enjoyed while revolving a full 360-degrees at the 9,744’ mountain top restaurant at the Piz Gloria Schilthorn summit lodge. This is just an average day in the high alpine of The Jungrfrau, skiing in the shadows of the legendary 13,000’ Mönch, Eiger, and Jungfrau.

The Jungfrau ski region in Switzerland is one of the most splendid, scenic and spacious for skiers, stretching across four Swiss ski towns — Mürren, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, and Grindelwald. There are more than 224 kilometers of ski trails with 44 lifts, cable cars, trains, and trams. That first run from the Schilthorn summit, in untracked off-piste powder, was worth the trip across the pond. And it continued for miles, over 6,000’ vertical past Swiss chalets, cheese huts, and through the adorable Swiss mid-mountain village of Mürren. Amazing. And that’s just one of four area ski resorts.

Our next day, we boarded a tram from Wengen, a delightful alpine ski village across the valley from Murren (also reached only by train). Perhaps you have heard of Wengen for its fabled ski racing history, home to the legendary Lauberhorn Downhill. Forget Bond now, you can ski Wengen’s unrelenting longest World Cup course in the world like Bode Miller — 4.4 kilometers in just over 2 minutes for the Gold. Your speed and time is recorded from the Start Chalet at 8,111’ to the finish (where you can pose with a cardboard cutout of Bode).

The skiing at Wengen is on Kleine Scheidegg-Männlichen (say that after some schnapps). Six packs, quads, and gondolas zip in every direction of this most central ski area of the Jungfrau. As Swiss skiers came out to carve up the 110 kilometers of groomed boulevards (called “prepared pistes”) on their razor sharp Stöcklis, Greg and I found freshies of powder in between. Later our Guide hiked us up to a crazy off-piste run, The White Hare. It was bold and beautiful skiing in soft protected snow directly below the eerie jagged Eiger’s North Face. This is stuff you just don’t ski in the states.

After a life altering run like White Hare it was time to partake in some Swiss après ski. Long lunches of fondue and goulashsouppe, followed by strudel and schnapps are traditions not to be missed. So is drinking in cozy chalets, like the TeePee Bar or The Start Bar, perched atop the World Cup course. So what if after several toddies we still have a three mile ski to our Hotel in Wengen?

Wengen is a magical Swiss village, the best place to stay in the Jungfrau because of its central location in the ski region and its views of spectacular peaks and waterfalls that cascade thousands of feet toward the valley floor. Catching the last of the day’s rays from our balcony at Hotel Regina was poetic. The après ski music pumped from a few bars in the village, but we enjoyed our cocktails in peace, shaken not stirred like Bond would (maybe Bode too). And we had one more Jungfrau ski region to tackle the next morning.

It’s a long four stage gondola ride from Grindelwald village to reach Grindewald’s first ski slopes. The upper mountain is an alpine amusement park for skiers, riders, and sledders. There’s even a crazy zip line named First Flyer. The longest sled ride in the world, The Faulhorn, starts here at 8,812’ and continues 15 kilometers back to the village. We preferred discovering all this great terrain on skis. Grindelwald has the most lodging and is reachable by car, so it has more bustle than the car-free ski villages of Murren and Wengen. Grindelwald’s sunny slopes and ski lifts seemed busier too, but we were able to find solitude, soft snow, and wide open bowl skiing just a few yards from the prepared pistes – all with amazing views of the mighty Eiger, Schreckhorn, and Wetterhorn peaks.

After an amazing lunch alfresco of Swiss fondue, with views of the entire Jungfrau region, we skied for miles past chalets, along fences and farms, over roads, and under bridges to a bus back to Grindelwald, where we caught a train to a tram back up toward Mannlichen to ski back to Wengen. You need to plan your day and plot your exit strategy on these huge ski resorts – it’s part of the adventure.

To say we skied miles in the Jungfrau is an understatement. We skied, we smiled, and we drank in the Alps. We met amazing Swiss pioneers like the Gertsch family, who helped found the Lauberhorn race. We loved every minute in these inimitable Alps. Tourists flock year round to witness the Eiger, the Monch, and Jungfrau peaks, to rotate 360-degree at the Piz Gloria summit lodge, and to ride the train to what they call the Top of Europe and take pictures of these timeless tall mountains.

By Boston.com Ski Correspondent Heather Burke, Photos by Greg Burke