This unique sled run near Engelberg Switzerland starts with a beautiful 1 km winter walk from the top of the Fürenalp cable car. Then an exhilarating sled ride back to your starting point (or walk back if you prefer). The best part: they provide sleds for free!
You can do the loop as many times as you like. Then take a break at the restaurant, with gorgeous panorama views of the Engelberg mountains. With small children, you can also sled smaller hills close to the restaurant, if they aren’t up for the whole journey.
We loved our sledding day at Fürenalp, a fun and special way to enjoy winter in Switzerland away from the ski resort crowds.
| Region: | Engelberg near Lucerne |
| Address: | top of Fürenalp cable car |
| Car: | Parking at Wasserfallstrasse, 6390 Engelberg (46°48’06.6″N 8°26’57.8″E) 40 mins from Luzern, 1hr15 from Zurich |
| Transit: | Bus stop: Engelberg, Fürenalpbahn 1hr17 from Luzern, 2hr15 from Zürich HB |
| Trail: | 1 km winter walk, 1 km sled or walk back, about 30 mins |
| Elevation: | 1830m |
| Skill: | easy |
| Condition: | groomed winter path |
| Services: | restaurant |
| Cost 2022/23: | cable car Adult CHF 20.50 / Child CHF 10 small discount for SBB GA/Half-fare |
| Open: | December to March, assuming snow |
| More info: | www.fuerenalp.ch • webcam |
Location
Fürenalp is located in the Engelberg region south of Lucerne. See Fürenalp on Google Maps.
Fürenalp winter map
Here is the winter map provided by Fürenalp. The pink line is the winter walk. The green line is the sled run. The yellow lines are snowshoe trails.
Getting There
By transit: Take the train to Engelberg, then bus to Engelberg, Fürenalpbahn (runs once an hour, 13 minute ride). The bus drops directly at the cable car station.
By car: Drive to Engelberg and follow the main road past the main village, following signs to the Fürenalp lift (as shown below, GPS: 46°48’06.6″N 8°26’57.8″E , closest address Wasserfallstrasse 222, 6390 Engelberg). There is a small parking lot next to the valley station, which is free in winter.
Operating times
For winter season, the cable car runs from mid-Dec to mid-April from 9:00 – 17:00. The Fürenalpbahn fits 8 people.
Ticket prices
In the 2022/23 season, return fare on the cable car is Adult CHF 20.50, CHF 10/child age 6-15, under 6 free. Slight discount for SBB GA/Half-fare cards. Junior cards not accepted. See current prices here.
The line is the same to pay and go up the lift. They take cash and cards, but the day we were there, the card machine had problems and we had to leave and get cash. Bring cash just in case.
Sledding Equipment
Fürenalp provides sleds free of charge for the sled run. This is a great deal as most sled runs charge CHF 15-30/day for sled rental on top of the lift fee.
hey are stacked outside the top cable car station. You don’t have to check in with anyone. Just grab a sled and go. I saw about 20 sleds when we arrived, no danger of running out.
Most are traditional wooden sleds. We preferred the wooden ones with the red fabric seat. They also have plastic sleds. You can bring your own sled if you prefer (we brought one just in case). When riding the cable car, set your sled outside the car in the luggage basket.
Fürenalp also rent snowshoes and poles at the valley station. It costs CHF 8/person (very affordable!). They also have child-sized snowshoes for about a 5 year old.
Winter walk up
Here’s a view from the cable car down to the Fürenalp valley station.
From the top of the cable car, follow the pink “Panorama-Weg” and purple “Zum Start” signs to the path that leads to the sled run. Do not walk up the sled run, which can be dangerous for you and the sledders.
The path is nicely groomed as shown below.
Looking back down the path toward the cable car.
You are only climbing about 100m of elevation but sometimes it felt tough. We were all sweating and took off our jackets after a few minutes.
The end of the walking path and start of the sled run.
Sled run down
Now jump on your sled and speed down. There were a few flat bits where we needed to get off the sled and walk a few meters. And a few sections sloped off to the right, so we ended up in a snow bank. But overall, it was a smooth, fast ride.
We saw a few families with small kids just sledding on the first part of the winter path near the restaurant.
Snowshoe Trail
Most people were not sledding. Instead they were doing a winter walk, snowshoeing or ski touring.
Restaurant
The restaurant has a outdoor patio seating with a view. The food was a step above most other mountain restaurants. We’re looking forward to coming back here just to eat.
There are also a couple picnic tables with a view, if you prefer to eat away from people.
See also: 10 Long Sled Runs near Zürich
