Grindelwald – First
… 🛹 Snow park 8/10, our rating
Which pistes and lifts are open today: at the lift company →
Photo: Lauretta3654 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Grindelwald – First lies in the Bernese Oberland and is a manageable ski area: 50 kilometres of piste served by 10 lifts.
The area runs from 944 to 2501 metres above sea level, giving around 1,557 metres of vertical. The upper slopes therefore sit at an altitude that usually holds snow reliably even in weaker winters.
The season usually runs Dec – April.
Freestylers get a well-developed snow park, an adult day pass costs CHF 79.
Of note: Grindelwald’s sunny side, White Elements snow park
Pistes by difficulty
- Easy (blue)27 km54%
- Intermediate (red)18 km36%
- Difficult (black)5 km10%
Distribution calculated from OpenStreetMap and applied to the 50 official kilometres of piste. An approximation, not a figure from the lift company.
Snow report
SLF measuring stationWe only show readings from the last seven days, and the most recent one we have is older. Current snow depths 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.
jungfrau.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
First is the sunny side of Grindelwald. While Kleine Scheidegg and Männlichen sit on the other side of the valley, First runs across the south-facing slopes north of the village, looking straight at the Eiger, Mättenberg and Wetterhorn. That is why the sun reaches the pistes early even in January, and equally why the snow softens faster in spring.
Worth knowing when planning: there is no ski link between First and Kleine Scheidegg/Männlichen. Anyone wanting to ski both has to come down to the village and take the other lift. On a map Grindelwald looks like one large connected area; in reality it is two separate sides of the same valley.
Grindelwald itself is among the oldest tourist villages in the Alps: first hotel in 1820, first winter season in 1888, railway connection in 1890. The village fire of 1892 destroyed 44 houses and 72 other buildings, including the newly built station.
Sources: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grindelwald
Snow’n’Rail at Grindelwald – First: up to 10% off the ski pass
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. At SBB the destination is listed as Jungfrau Ski Region.
Snow’n’Rail Jungfrau Ski Region at SBB →All resorts with Snow’n’Rail →
Getting there by public transport
Destination stop: Grindelwald. 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.
Frequently asked about Grindelwald – First
How high is Grindelwald – First?
The ski area runs from 944 to 2,501 metres above sea level, a vertical range of 1,557 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 Grindelwald – First have?
50 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 Grindelwald – First cost?
CHF 79 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 does Grindelwald – First open?
The usual season window is Dec – April. 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 Grindelwald – First by train?
The destination stop is Grindelwald. From Zürich HB the fastest connection on a Saturday morning takes 2 h 38, changing 2 times; from Bern 1 h 36. A guide value, not a timetable.
Is there Snow’n’Rail at Grindelwald – First?
Yes. Grindelwald – First is one of the destinations in SBB RailAway's combined offer: book the journey and the ski pass together and the pass costs up to 10 per cent less. At SBB the destination is listed as Jungfrau Ski Region. That percentage is the maximum SBB advertises; what actually comes off depends on the ticket type and the date, and only SBB can tell you bindingly.
Is there a snowpark at Grindelwald – First?
Yes, and a good one: we rate it 8 out of 10. That rating is our own assessment, based on the size and number of features, how regularly the park is shaped, and whether it runs all season. It does not come from the lift company.
Grindelwald – First in the magazine
Weekend of 7/8 November: Glacier 3000, Verbier and Cervinia start, and from Tuesday the freezing level climbs to almost 3000 metres
What the lift companies themselves confirm for the weekend, what they do not, and what the official MeteoSwiss forecast says for next week: dry until Monday, then rain up into high terrain, with snow returning only on Friday.
Nine months too warm, eight months too dry: Is that unusual, and will November be drier because of it?
In Zurich, Bern and Davos every month since February was warmer than the average and every month since March drier. We recalculated up to 162 years of measurements: dry spells like this occur about as often as chance would predict, and a dry summer says little about November.
World Cup opener in Sölden: Moltzan wins by a hundredth, Braathen wins on a shortened course, Odermatt third
Two races, two tight podiums: Paula Moltzan wins the women's giant slalom ahead of Lara Colturi by 0.01 seconds, and among the men Lucas Pinheiro Braathen wins ahead of Loïc Meillard and Marco Odermatt. Results, Swiss placings and the conditions.
Dry first, then it turns: the weather up to the Titlis opening and the World Cup in Sölden
The next two weeks in 51 weather runs: dry and cold until Friday, ideal for the snow guns. From 17 October it turns unsettled, and in one run in four the south gets half a metre or more.
Where this resort stands
In our rankings of all Swiss ski areas:
Grindelwald – First is one of 9 ski areas in the canton of Bern, and it is quickest reached from Bern by train, in 1 h 36.
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
- Bern
- Season
- Dec – April
- Kilometres of piste
- 50 km
- Elevation
- 944 to 2501 m (1,557 m of vertical)
- Lifts
- 10
- Adult day pass
- around CHF 79 (guide value)
- Summer skiing
- no
- Glacier
- no
- Snow park
- 8/10, our editorial rating
- Coordinates
- 46.659, 8.053
- Official website
- jungfrau.ch
All values are guide figures still being verified. For day-to-day information, use the resort’s official website.