Braunwald lies in the Glarus region and is a small, family-run ski area: 26 kilometres of piste served by 10 lifts.
The area runs from 1236 to 1901 metres above sea level, giving around 665 metres of vertical. The lower slopes depend on snowmaking in mild winters.
The season usually runs Dec – March.
An adult day pass costs CHF 58.
Of note: Autofreies Dorf, erreichbar nur mit der Standseilbahn ab Linthal
Pistes by difficulty
- Leicht (blau)9 km36%
- Mittel (rot)15 km59%
- Schwer (schwarz)1 km5%
Distribution calculated from OpenStreetMap and applied to the 26 official kilometres of piste. An approximation, not a figure from the lift company.
Snow report
Not currentThis reading is 23 days old and is not being updated automatically at the moment. Current figures are available from the SLF and from the resort itself.
Source: SLF / WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research. A single measuring station, not the resort’s official piste report.
Piste map, map & webcams
Interactive piste map
Every piste and lift colour-coded by difficulty, zoomable, built on OpenStreetMap. Community-maintained data; where it differs, the official piste map next to it is authoritative.
Open on OpenSkiMap →Official piste map
The lift company’s drawn piste map, plus lift status and tickets.
sportbahnen-braunwald.ch →Webcams
Live images from the mountain on the resort’s official site, usually several locations.
View webcams →Piste maps and webcam images belong to the lift companies and are protected by copyright. That is why we link directly to the original instead of copying it.
What sets this ski area apart
Braunwald is car-free and sits on a mountain terrace at 1256 metres above Linthal. It is reached by the funicular opened in 1907, five years after the goods cable car from Rüti. The Grand Hotel Bellevue went up in the same year: railway and hotel arrived together, as they did almost everywhere in the early days of Alpine tourism.
The slope was inhabited long before tourism. On the Bergeten at around 1600 metres stood a summer settlement from the twelfth to the fifteenth century, with sheep, goats and cattle. Locally the remains are called Heidenhüttchen, the heathens' huts; they were excavated in 1971.
The name appears in 1421 as Brunwald and probably goes back to the Old High German brunnōn-walt, forest with springs. The local mountain is the Ortstock; to the north stand the Eggstöcke with their three-part via ferrata, and to the south the view runs to the Tödi.
Sources: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braunwald_GL
Up to 10% off the ski pass if you arrive by public transport
This resort takes part in Snow’n’Rail, the combined offer from SBB RailAway: book the journey and the ski pass together and the pass costs less.
Snow’n’Rail Braunwald at SBB →All resorts with Snow’n’Rail →
Getting there by public transport
Destination stop: Braunwald. Fastest connection on a Saturday morning in the currently published timetable, from the open Swiss timetable interface, retrieved 10 August 2026. A guide value, not a timetable: the real journey time depends on when you leave and what you connect to, and winter-only bus services are not yet included.
Worth knowing: this resort is in the Snow’n’Rail scheme, so the lift pass is up to 10 per cent cheaper if you arrive this way. From Zürich HB that is 1 h 49 on the train instead of behind the wheel.
Frequently asked about Braunwald
How high is Braunwald?
The ski area runs from 1,236 to 1,901 metres above sea level, a vertical range of 665 metres. For snow reliability the lower figure matters more: that is where the snow disappears first, and where a mild December is felt before it is felt at the top.
How many kilometres of piste does Braunwald have?
26 kilometres on 10 lifts, according to the operator. There is no binding standard for measuring piste kilometres, so the figure is comparable between resorts only to a point. The lift count says at least as much about how big a place feels.
What does a day pass at Braunwald cost?
CHF 58 for an adult day pass at the standard rate, as of summer 2026. Booked early it is often less; on a peak Saturday it is not. Arriving by public transport takes up to 10 per cent off through the Snow’n’Rail scheme.
When is Braunwald open?
The usual season window is Dec – March. No starting date has been announced for winter 2026/27 yet. Most resorts commit only in the autumn, because a postponed opening costs more goodwill than a late announcement.
How do I get to Braunwald by train?
The destination stop is Braunwald. From Zürich HB the fastest connection on a Saturday morning takes 1 h 49, changing 1 time; from Bern 3 h 00. A guide value, not a timetable.
Braunwald in the magazine
Where you can practise transceiver searching: 27 facilities in Switzerland
More than two dozen Swiss ski areas have a permanent practice facility for avalanche transceiver searching. Use is mostly free and needs only a valid lift pass. The complete list, linked to our resort pages, and what such a facility can do.
Snow'n'Rail: every Swiss resort in the scheme, and what it actually saves
All 27 SBB Snow'n'Rail destinations with verified discounts, plus the arithmetic on when taking the train really pays. Between CHF 5 and CHF 28 a day, and that is not the whole difference.
When do Swiss ski resorts open for winter 2026/27?
Four resorts start in October, nine in November, 72 not until December. The announced dates, the pattern behind them, and an honest answer to how binding a date announced in August really is.
Where this resort stands
Braunwald is one of 2 ski areas in the canton of Glarus, and it is quickest reached from Zurich by train, in 1 h 49.
Nearby ski areas
Distances are straight-line, not driving time. In the Alps a ridge between two valleys can turn 12 km into a two-hour drive.
Key figures
- Region
- Glarus
- Season
- Dec – March
- Kilometres of piste
- 26 km
- Elevation
- 1236 to 1901 m (665 m of vertical)
- Lifts
- 10
- Adult day pass
- around CHF 58 (guide value)
- Summer skiing
- no
- Glacier
- no
- Snow park
- no park
- Coordinates
- 46.939, 8.999
- Official website
- sportbahnen-braunwald.ch
All values are guide figures still being verified. For day-to-day information, use the resort’s official website.