Event: Switzerland - Engelberg

Engelberg

When:	Daily
Where:	Engelberg

Less than two hours from Zürich lies the scenic ski resort of Engelberg, a beautiful mountainous haven notable for its fine snow conditions and off-piste skiing.

The official ski season here lasts from November until April, although skiing is possible throughout the summer on the glacier that saddles the impressive 3200-metre high Titlis mountain.

The town of Engelberg was founded around 1160 by Benedictine monks and the 12th-century monastery remains an iconic backdrop to the town. An influx of British tourists helped transform the area into a ski resort in the 1850s and Queen Victoria even visited in 1869.

Engelberg is now relatively free of British skiers and is terrific value for money, especially midweek. The resort divides up into three skiing areas: Titlis, Fürenalp and Brunni, which collectively offer 82km of runs.

Advanced skiers thrive on Titlis, enjoying such features as the 1000-metre Laub drop of pure fresh powder and two testing black runs. Overall the resort is best suited to intermediates, boasting a variety of red runs scattered about the Titlis, Jochpass and Trübsee sides of the mountain. Boarders are catered for with a half-pipe and snow park at Jochpass, while beginners can take advantage of nursery slopes, more than 15 blue runs and accessible red runs at Brunni.

Apres ski can be found in the form of several bars, all of which feature live music, while there is live entertainment on tap at the Hotel Terrace. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants, and for those wanting to unwind, terrific spa facilities at the Sporthotel Eienwäldi and Hotel Waldegg. Other ways to enjoy the fabulous scenery and outdoors include paragliding, skating, a new cutting-edge form of toboganning called air boarding, snowtrekking, snowshoing, curling, ice skating, tennis and swimming.

Visitors to Engelberg during summer will be just as spoilt for choice, with over 360km of hiking paths, four mountain lakes and beautiful flora and fauna.

Please contact the local tourist office for more information on any of the activities.