15 Best Long Sled Runs near Zurich

In Switzerland, many ski resorts have long sled runs that descend several kilometers down the mountain, an exciting alternative for non-skiers. Although I find these a bit scary and dangerous, the kids love them!

Here are the best winter toboggan runs we recommend within a day trip distance of Zürich and Lucerne.

IMPORTANT! Check the sled run status before you go, as they may close due to poor snow conditions or bad weather.

See also: For small children, see Easy Sledding Hills near Zürich. New to sledding – see Sledding in Switzerland: Beginners Guide.

Eastern Switzerland

1. Elm • 4 km sled run

This is our go-to sled run with friends and family. It’s 4 km from the top of Ämpächli gondola down to the parking lot, full of twist and turns. A few sections are a bit steep and scary if the conditions are icy. But most people seem to survive.

We often do one run at the end of the ski day, which just costs a bit extra to rent the sleds since we are already at the top of the gondola with our ski pass. One adult will take the gear down while the rest of the family sleds down. 

It’s one of the most affordable, with both day pass and single ride options. They also offer night sledding on Wed, Fri, Sat from 19:00 – 21:30.

See my full review and video of the Elm sled run

2. Flumserberg • 3 km sled run

Flumserberg has a 3 km sled run from Prodalp to Tannenheim. You ride the gondola to Prodalp to reach the sled run and rent sleds. It’s quite steep, descending 350 m of elevation over a relatively short distance.

My husband, my kids and many friends have done this run. They report that it’s fun when the conditions are great, but scary when it’s icy. With small children, you can instead use the small sledding hill next the Prodalp gondola station.

Flumserberg offers night sledding on Thursday and Saturday nights 19:00 to 21:00 from end of December to beginning of March. You can book fondue on these nights. 

3. Chäserrugg • 5.9 km sled run

The sled run at Chäserrugg has two sections for a total of 5.9 km, shown on the map below. The lower section from Iltios to Unterwasser is milder and better for smaller children. If you just sled the lower section, the day pass is cheaper. But this lower section doesn’t always have enough snow and you have to wait longer to go back up the mountain because the funicular only goes about every 20 mins. 

The upper section from the Espel-Stöfeli gondola down to Iltios is steeper and more exciting, better for older children and teens.

4. Pizol • 3.5 km sled run

The Pizol resort has a 3.5 km sled run on the Wangs side of the resort, from Furt to Maienberg (shown as purple dashed line on map below). Some parts are steep, so better with older children.

If there is enough snow all the way to the valley (not likely), you can keep sledding the rest of the way to Wangs, a total of 7 km. But they warn that this is only for age 18+ and is quite dangerous. 

You can rent sleds at the Furt station, both plastic and wooden sleds. On Friday evenings, they offer night sledding from 18:00 – 22:30, on an illuminated sled run. 

5. Braunwald • 3 km sled run

Braunwald has a 3 km sled run from the Grötzenbüel middle station to Hüttenberg. To get there, you take a funicular from the valley up to the Braunwald alpine village. Then a short walk and two gondolas to the Grotzenbüel station, where the sled run starts and you can rent sleds.

You can rent sleds at the Grötzenbüel station. They have child seat attachments, but only a few, so get there early before they run out. 

6. Kerenzerberg • 7 km sled run

This sled run is one of the longest in eastern Switzerland. It follows the same route as the summer mountain scooter ride, which we love. The sled run is accessed by a chair lift. You can purchase single rides or a day pass. They also offer a family ticket. You can rent sleds on site. They offer night sledding on weekends.

A few more in eastern Switzerland:

• Atzmännig – 1.9 km, descending 360m, average difficulty
• Kronberg – 7 km, descending 772m
• Arosa & Lenzerheide – Arosa has 3 runs, Lenzerheide has 4 runs
• Davos Klosters – lots of options on each mountain in the resort
• Flims Laax – 3 sledding runs

Moderate

7. Melchsee-Frutt • 8 km sled run

At Melchsee-Frutt, there is an epic 7km long sled run, one of the most fun sledding experiences we’ve had. It feels a little scary as some of the switchbacks don’t have barriers on the side and you could fall off the side of the mountain.

I think this is best with older kids, but we saw lots of families with little kids doing it. We did the sled run after snowshoeing in the morning, a run reward for the kids.

8. Stoos • 2 km sled run

The 2 km sled run at Stoos is at a higher elevation than most other sled runs (starting at 1900m), which sometimes means more & better snow. You can rent sleds, airboards and other weird sled-type things at the Fronalpstock middle station (bring cash).

This sled run is quite steep at times, which the kids love but I found quite scary. It’s one of the closest to Zürich and some of the prettiest views. So this would be my first choice for visitors. 

9. Brunni Engelberg – 2.5 km sled run

On the Brunni side of Engelberg, there are two 2.5 km sled runs starting at the top of the Ristis chair lift, as shown on the map below. We did the Rinderbühl sled run on the left side of the map, which is moderate difficulty and better for older children. Small children can use the sledding hill near the cable car instead.

You can rent sleds for CHF 8/day and airboards for CHF 15/day at the Ristis middle station. I spend half the day sledding with the kids, which was more than enough for me. After lunch, the kids kept sledding while I hiked down the panorama winter trail and met them at the cable car station, where the sled run ends.

10. Mt Rigi • 3 km sled run

The Rigi mountain trains service 3 sled runs, starting at either Rigi Kulm or Rigi Staffel and end at Rigi Klösterei, shown in purple on the map below. All are rated easy, about 3-4 km each.

A day pass covers unlimited trips on the trains to access the sled runs. You can rent a sled at Rigi Kulm.

11. Sattel Hochstuckli • 3.5 km sled run

Sattel has a 3.5 km sled run from the top of the Mostelberg gondola (1200m) that takes you to the ski resort back down to the valley parking lot (800m). It’s shown in purple on the map below.

Parts of this sled run are very steep and fast. My kids loved it but my husband was not interested in doing it twice. Because of the low elevation, this sled run is not open very often. So definitely check the status before heading out. Sled rental is available at the gondola. 

12. Hoch Ybrig Laucheren • 2.5 km sled run

This sled run is accessed from the Laucheren chair lift, not the Hoch Ybrig cable car at the main hub of the resort. They will load the sled on the back on the chair lift, so you don’t have to carry it in your arms. The sled run is rated for all ages. 

14. Rotenflue Mythen Region • 4.5 km sled run

The Mythen Region has a few sled runs. The longest is accessed by the Rotenflue gondola, racing 4.5 km halfway down the mountain, descending 525 m, quite steep compared to other sled runs (see detailed trail map). At the Rätigs middle station, you can ride the gondola back up to do it again or ride down to your car.

You can rent sleds and helmets at the top of the gondola. They also rent “Bremssohlen,” which are traction cleats which stretch over your shoes that help you break better on the snow. The views from Rotenflue are spectacular. You could combine this activity with a short winter walk on the groomed paths in this area.

15. St Karl – Illgau • 2.3 km sled run

This quiet local-only place has a fun sled run that ends through a sleepy alpine village. Many kids rent this . The cable car is small (I think only 6 people) and only runs about every 10 mins.

Note that the cable car closes over lunch from 11:45 – 12:45. On Saturday evenings, they offer night sledding from 18:30 – 21:00. The path is not lit so you should wear your own head lamps.

More sled runs near Lucerne

• Klewenalp Stockhütte – 4.7 km sled run, descending 524 m, about 30 mins
• Wirzweli – 4.5 km sled run
• Pilatus – two runs: 3 km medium difficulty and 4.8 km easy difficulty
• Andermatt – multiple routes about 4 km each