Linda

I am wondering if anyone has been to this area during the first 2 weeks of May. In my research, it looks like there are some lifts and possibly some hotels closed. Anyone with personal experience of this time of year? This is when I am planning on being there next year and not really any other options. <BR> <BR>Thanks, Linda

Bill Fleites

Linda, <BR>I was in the Bernese Oberland area at the end of May, beginning of June of 1999. I stayed up in Murren, and indeed it was off-season and some hotels were closed, and the ones open had very low occupancy rate. On the downside a lot of places are closed or if open closed early in Murren. On the positive side, I had the whole place to myself and mingled with the few locals that remained up in Murren, and the views of the mountains are really awesome. To see pictures and read my travel notes you can visit my website: www.gatortravels.com.

Bob Brown

In addition to the conditions described in the previous post, many of the scenic trails will still be covered with snow. <BR>Even those that are below the snow line will be extremely wet, and probably muddy. <BR>On the other hand, the BOB network of trains will still be operating and you could go to the Jungfraujoch -- expensive but wonderful on a clear day. <BR>The Grindelwald - First Gondola follows a schedule that, as I read it, offers no service from April 17 until May 18. <BR>Other lift services are also retricted. <BR>And, if I read the schedule correctly, the cable car from Wengen to Männlichen does not operate April 16 - June 1. <BR>

Ed

Certainly many hotels are closed and some lifts (e.g. Schynige Platte, Almendhubel, possibly the Grindelwald-First and First-Wengen cables.) <BR> <BR>On the other hand you'll have the place to yourself (almost) and you'll find more than enough things open to enjoy yourself. <BR> <BR>The mountain weather at that time of year is very difficult to predict. Helpful to take along a sense of humor at that time, and some plans alternate to the mountains if necessary. (Which is occasionally necessary in the summer anyway.) <BR> <BR>You 'should' be able to get in some walking. It varies quite a bit from year to year as to where the snow line will be by early May, and how much avalanche danger exists in certain places. In many years hiking at pretty decent altitude (above the tree line certainly) is possible for much of April ... on many days. As Bob observes, though, you should expect a bit of dampness on the ground. <BR> <BR>A bad time to go? No. Certainly more preferable times. But the area is SO spectacularly beautiful that if May, or anytime, is the only time you can go ... go! <BR> <BR>You'll find more extensive comments on off-season visits to the Oberland beginning at www.twenj.com/swisswhen.htm <BR> <BR>Ed

Linda

Thanks for the comments so far; I'm not sure what I will end up doing. I really do want to go there; just want to know for sure what will be open and closed. <BR> <BR>Linda

Bob Brown

Hi Linda. Bob again. We all know how tricky spring weather can be, particularly those of us who live in the Middle West!! <BR>(Which I don't anymore.) <BR> <BR>According to the Berner Oberland Timetable for this summer, the <BR>Schynige Platte schedule will probably run through 22 October, but bad weather can change the situation. The probable opening of the line for this past spring was May 27. (The time table was printed before the actual opening.) <BR> <BR>The timetable also states that that the trip to the Jungfraujoch will be closed for part of the year. From Nov 1 until April 30, the train travels only from Wengen to the Eiger Glacier station and return, snow and weather conditions permitting. Only limited sections of the line may be open, depending on the weather conditions. <BR>The same is true on the other side of the Männlichen Ridge: Trains will operate only from Grindelwald Grund to the Eiger Glacier station when snow and weather conditions permit. [This is a literal translation from German; I will include the full text below. I consider snow to be a weather condition, but the Swiss want to make it clear.] <BR> <BR>In the summer, passengers change trains for at Kleine Scheidegg for the final leg of Jungfraujoch trip. Because the Eigergletscher station is the first stop on the Jungfraubahn after leaving Kliene Scheidegg, my educated guess is that passengers would still have to change trains to continue to the Eiger Glacier in the winter. <BR> <BR>If you are there in early May, the full trip to the Jungfraujoch should be open. <BR>At least one of the visitors to this forum likes to correct my English translations of German, so here is the German text so that s/he may have his/her opportunity. I don't want to disappoint. So I shall facilitate matters by including the German text: <BR> <BR>Vom 1 Nov - 30 April verkehren die Züge <BR>Wengen-Eigergletscher nur, wenn es die <BR>Schnee- und Witterungsverhälnisse <BR>gestatten ev. nur streckenweise. <BR> <BR>[For a language that permits the formulation of one-word nouns so long that you have to take a breath twice when saying them, German at times can be amazingly succinct. This is one of those times.] <BR> <BR>Having been up and down that line from Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald more than once, and knowing the winter conditions on that Männlichen Ridge, I can well understand that operating a cog toothed train on that slope could quickly become a very dicey undertaking. It would take very little icing on the rails for the coefficient of friction to drop below the braking threshold. Also, the slope is tailor-made for avalanches and long stretches of the ridge have elaborate snow fences for just that reason. But even the snow fence system is not always sufficient to prevent trouble. Two winters ago a major avalanche took out a section of the cable line from Wengen up to the Männlichen station. It was months before the line was back in service. Other conditions blocked the rail line and highway between Interlaken to Grindelwald for days. An airlift of supplies into Grindelwald was required. In the spring, snow melt flooded parts of the valley and damaged the road. <BR>Work crews were still working on the road this summer, but most of the work this summer was more improvement than repair.

Linda

Bob, Ed and Bill, <BR>I want to thank you for your information. Bob your latest comments were very helpful. I was thinking of maybe staying in Lauterbrunnen instead of Grindelwald. Maybe there won't be so much snow around at the lower elevation. <BR>Ed, I have been to that website you recommended and it is a great source of info. Bill, I went over your website with a fine tooth comb. What a great site! I checked out most of your other destinations as I will be at those also. <BR>Great pictures; can't wait to go. <BR> <BR>Thanks again, you all have been very helpful! <BR> <BR>Linda

Bob Brown

Linda: Grindelwald is not much higher than Lauterbrunnen; 800 meters while Grindelwald ranges from about 950 meters to 1150 meters in elevation because it on the side of a hill. Lauterbrunnen by contrast is located along the flat part of the valley. The snow blockage I described was a most unusual condition and did not occur until heavy snow had accumulated late into the winter. Even then, Grindelwald was blocked mainly by the fact that the the avalance fell at a critical point. The valley road south from Interlaken takes a left turn toward Grindelwald at a village called Zweilütschinen where it soon passes through a very narrow passage in the cliffs. The snow struck right at the narrowest point, and in sufficient depth that it took several days of hauling to clear it away. The valley is thickly populated and the snow could not be thrown just anywhere. It was not the the elevation of Grindelwald that caused the problem; it was the accumulation of snow on the high ridges above the valley. People were still having a good time in Grindelwald unless they needed to go somewhere. Some of the more influential ones were taken out by the helicopters that brought in food. <BR>I don't think the hotel owners were crying over a captive audience!!! <BR>(Zweilütschinen is the point at which the Weisse (White) Lüschine and the Schwartze (Black) Lütschine rivers meet, hence the name, with zwei meaning two.) <BR> <BR>Now about Lauterbrunnen. I have spent now a total of 3 weeks in the village. In fact we returned just a few days ago from our year 2000 trip which included a whole week there. As a town it is relatively small and quiet. Grindelwald is much, much more of a tourist mecca and is vastly more active. Our apartment in Lauterbrunnen provides a lovely view out the front window of the Männlichen Ridge and of the upper third of the Jungfrau out of the side window. <BR>We selected Lauterbrunnen for several reasons, with the major one being that we found an apartment that was comfortable and a landlady who speaks excellent English. (That is something of a joke; Teresa was born in England and grew up near London.) The second major reason was that Lauterbrunnen is a transportation center and you can easily get from there to Grindelwald, Isenfluh, Wengen, Gimelwald, Mürren, the Schilthorn and the Jungfraujoch. <BR>If you go down valley, by train you roll into Interlaken Ost, and from there you can take a train to the rest of Europe, or if you have a car, you can drive.