sledding mt. pilatus in lucerne, switzerland.
Hands down, the best part of our trip to Lucerne was the our day spent at Mt. Pilatus. From the Lucerne city center, we hopped on Bus 1 towards Kriens-Obernau and rode it the 9 miles south of Lucerne to the Linde-Pilatus bus stop at the base of the mountain. Upon arrival, we followed the others on the bus for a 10 minute walk up a hill to the ticket station.
We knew we wanted to accomplish two things at Mt. Pilatus: 1) go sledding and 2) go the summit of the mountain. We informed the ticket lady of our wishes and she offered us the cheapest package (49 CHF) possible to do both (our wallets were hurting from the previous night’s fondue dinner). We were to ride all the way to the top, switching gondolas at Fräkmüntegg, and then we could spend however long at the top of the mountain. We would then ride the gondola back down to Fräkmüntegg where we could rent sleds and sled all the way to the bottom of the mountain, which turned out to be 6 kilometers.
It was not a particularly beautiful day, so we reluctantly left our sunglasses at the hostel and decided it’d be worth the trip to the top anyway. The first leg of the gondola ride was particularly eerie; we could not even see the gondola in front or behind us. Once we emerged through the Krienseregg station, the fog subsided and we started getting our gorgeous views of the surrounding landscape. The gondola ride definitely got my fear of heights acting up a bit, but it was totally bearable. The hike to the very peak of the mountain on the other hand was not for me. Icy steps + wooden railings brought out all sorts of heebie-jeebies. The fog prevented us from seeing the gorgeous lakes below the clouds, but it sure was sunny at the peak and we were really able to see for miles, enjoy the beautiful day, throw some snowballs, and grab a hot chocolate at the cafe.
And now, for the highlight of the trip: extreme sledding. It’s not actually called extreme sledding, but it sure was to us Texans. To the Swiss, this was apparently the standard. Before this trip, my idea of sledding involved a plastic sheet with handles and a snow covered hill. Sledding on Mt. Pilatus, on the other hand, involved classic wooden sleds, called toboggans (who know toboggans were something other than a hat), on ski (but sled) runs with easy and difficult routes for the 6 kilometers all the way down the mountain. We were total newbs choosing between the different sleds and went for the 8 CHF rental option. When we received our sleds, we asked the expert how to “drive” them. He explained to dig our respective heels into the snow to guide the sled and to dig both in to slow down and stop. He then suggested we try out the kiddie hill a couple of times. We approached the “kiddie hill”, which was actually one of the steepest runs we encountered, and both watched nervously as some other tourists tried out their sleds. After one run, we figured we’d pick it up along the way, and began the adventure riding down sled runs and through the trees, it was a scene right out of the song “Over the River and Through the Wood”. We had an BLAST and I demand that none of you go to the Alps in the winter without finding somewhere to sled.
SledCam2013
We traveled from Kriens all the way to the Pilatus Kulm. After spending time at the summit, we headed back down to Fräkmüntegg where we sledded all the way (6 km) back down to Kreins.
foggy view out the gondola window
hanging in the clouds
first glimpse of sunshine
getting high
doesn’t suck, does it?
gondola selfies
Whataview! (Yes, Texans, that is a Whataburger reference)
regretting not bringing my sunglasses
Mt. Pilatus Panorama
View from the top (which admittedly Maggie took on my camera since I wussed out halfway up)
blue clear sky
a little mountain chapel – still unsure how one gets there
kiddies waiting at the kiddy hill
no skiiers on this mountain, sledders only
we ‘sledded’ upon so many cool spots
newbs
oh happy day!
snow angel-ing
Have you ever been sledding?
Sledding looks so fun!! When we were in Zermatt, little kids were sledding down the city streets on the cutest sleds I’d ever seen! I kept telling my husband…I WANT ONE!! Needless to say, we didn’t get one, but one day…it. will. happen. lol
Oh and yes, Switzerland is SO EXPENSIVE. I was shocked. I may or may not have spent $200 on a fondue pot. It was necessary. (or at least I keep telling myself that!)
I’ve actually seen some of the sleds at Aldi and they’re pretty inexpensive! Oh don’t worry, our Fondue meal was also $200 for two – like blown away, but it was definitely a must-do and I’ll always justify that
Wow — impressive pics of the Alps! It looks gorgeous! And sledding must be such fun. Of course I went sledding millions of times, but it was nothing compared to what you did!! Our small babyhills here bring you down in no time, and the Scheersberg, which is the highest spot around here is only 100m
Sledding down takes less than a minute, and one spends much more in always walking back up to the top, ha ha!
This is defo something I will keep in mind for when I will be back around Bavaria!
Have a great day!
Svenja
haha Karlsruhe isn’t the best sledding city either – we are trying to find somewhere in the Black Forest so we can do it again, it was just too much fun!! And yeah, my previous sledding experiences always including walking uphill too much, so I much enjoyed using a gondola to get to the top
That looks so much fun!!! Coming from Edmonton we did a lot of sledding growing up… it’s always a lot of fun. I imagine that doing it in the Alps is a whole new experience though!
I just couldn’t believe how long the sled run was – dying to do it again already!
Breathtaking, simply breathtaking! Switzerland is, without a doubt, one of the nicer spots on this planet.
Spent a little time in Zurich and Geneva back in the day, but didn’t have the opportunity to sled. As a child, I experienced riding down the street in a cast iron skillet after a sleet storm, and it was quite the thrill, as I recall.
Was not aware you have a fear of heights? I endure that deficit myself.
So proud to see you so happy, loving and experiencing life, to its fullest.
Love, missing, and thinking, of you.
Daddio
Still haven’t made it to Zurich (well been at the train station) or Geneva, but the sledding was definitely a treat.
I think I held my breath the entire time I was looking through those photos (except when you referenced Whataburger). but good lord that is extraordinarily beautiful. ok bye I’m moving and living with you. see you soon.
Oh good, once you arrive at the FRA airport just take the next train to Karlsruhe, the run hourly. Can’t wait!
That looks like so much fun! Sledding is one of my favorite winter activities!
I would now pick it over skiing any day
That sounds like sooooo much fun! I’ve never been sledding.
I knew a toboggan was a type of sled… the hat is a new one on me!
Ah it was awesome – we are hoping to find somewhere similar in the Black Forest to do it again!
My Lucerne trip included lots of cough medicine and marathons of Sex and the City…this gives me major mountain envy!
Color me jealous! I thought the fondue post was too much but this looks amazing! Plus I love a good gondola ride, even when you go into a cloud and it gets a little scary.
I’m with BevChen though… what kind of a hat is a toboggan??
The sledding was just so incredible on that mountain – perfect day!
And I usually refer to the toboggan hat as a a beanie, but it is another word for them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuque
What a beautiful place! Schlittenfahren is so much fun! I haven’t done it for a while but I would love to do it again. I still have my old wooden Schlitten!
If it snowed in KA I would definitely buy one, it was SO much fun!