Adelboden, Adelboden

Located in the Engstligen Valley, Adelboden is a traditional mountain village in the Bernese Oberland - one of Switzerland's main tourist areas. Not so many years ago skiers made up the vast majority of winter holidaymakers visiting the Bernese Oberland but recent surveys have shown that increasing numbers of visitors are now discovering the well prepared hiking paths this region has to offer. Popular with the European nobility and artists of the 19th century, the first English winter visitors arrived in 1901 attracted by the spectacular scenery with its towering peaks, mountain lakes, alpine streams and wild flowers. Situated beneath the Wildstrubel which rises to 10,600ft, Adelboden is located at 1353m above sea level, its southerly aspect ensuring that during the winter months it gets around 9 hours of sunshine per day. The slopes are, however, predominantly north-facing thus ensuring good snow cover throughout the season. This is a modern ski area, lift-linked with neighbouring Lenk by a network of over 185km (117 miles) of pistes. Six miles apart as the crow flies, the two villages are separated by a variety of skiing terrain creating one of the largest and most attractive wintersport regions in Switzerland. The two resorts are essentially quite different, Adelboden is the larger with a more extensive infrastructure. Both centres have gained the prestigious Swiss family friendly seal of approval and as such offer facilities and assistance specifically for families. Adelboden has become one of the classic venues for the annual FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup series. Usually timed to take place just before or just after the Lauberhorn race at Wengen its one of the few races still held on the original course down the treacherous Chuenisbergli. This slope requires great technical skills and only big names have made it to the winners list. Italy's Alberto Tomba took almost ten years to master the course before celebrating his first success there while Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark had five wins between 1979 and 1984. During those years the race venue was moved to a higher part of the mountain at Tschentenalp in case of lack of snow. The World Cup race has turned into a mountain party for the 25,000+ spectators with lots of activities and receptions around the finish area and Adelboden's delightful alpine atmosphere making this a very appealling venue for visitors and ski teams. ActivitiesSnowboarding: Two terrain parks with lift accessiblity and two halfpipes. Snowboarding lessons also available.Cross Country Profile: 23 kms of cross country skiing.LodgingLodging is available in all categories- 10.000 guest beds. An additional 7,000 beds in Lenk.Winter RecreationSnowboarding, cross country skiing, off piste, curling, ice skating, ice climbing, tobogganing, snowbeach volleyball, snow tubing, snowbiking, sleigh rides, and paragliding.