Best Sledding in Switzerland: A Guide's Honest Ranking

The best sledding in Switzerland is not the longest run, it is the run that has snow on the day you arrive and that you can brake on. Ten runs below, from 2 km at Zermatt to 11 km off the Faulhorn, compared on official figures read on 25 October 2026. The column most lists leave out is the one that matters: which of them we have ridden ourselves.

Pierre Vetsch guides sled evenings above Lauterbrunnen every winter and has ridden the Big Pintenfritz, the Bob Run and the Isenfluh road more times than he counts, plus Zermatt, Davos and the Pilatus on his own days off. He has not ridden Preda, and this guide says so instead of ranking it from a brochure.

Which sled runs in Switzerland are the best?

For a first run, the Bob Run in Mürren, 2.86 km and rated easy. For the day you will talk about for years, the Big Pintenfritz from the Faulhorn, 11 km after a 2.5-hour walk. For a quiet evening with nobody on the road, the 4.72 km from Sulwald down to Isenfluh. Those three are the ones Pierre rides, and the ranking starts from them.

Our criteria are written down so you can disagree with them: snow you can count on, a length that fills an afternoon without wrecking your legs, a lift or train that brings you back up, and a price that does not need a ski pass. Fame counts for nothing. The table lists ten runs with the official length, drop and rating, and whether Pierre has ridden them.

In figures, with Pierre's verdict where he has ridden the run: the Big Pintenfritz runs 11 km with about 1,400 m of drop after a 2.5-hour walk from First, rated difficult, and worth the walk. Preda to Bergün is 6 km and 400 m, about 20 minutes, rated easy and lit from Tuesday to Sunday. The Bob Run from the Allmendhubel is 2.86 km and 270 m, about 14 minutes, rated easy. Sulwald to Isenfluh is 4.72 km and 425 m on a closed road, with no official rating. Männlichen to Holenstein is 5.88 km and 605 m, about an hour, rated medium. The Eiger Run drops 1,377 m in about 1 h 10 with sections up to 36 percent. The Niederhorn run to Vorsass is 3 km, rated medium, last run at 16:00. Zermatt's Rotenboden to Riffelberg is 2 km and 223 to 234 m, about 10 minutes, rated medium, and in Pierre's words pretty but pricey for what it is. The Schatzalp run in Davos is 2.8 km and 300 m with 18 bends, built for beginners and children; Pierre has sledded in Davos without noting which run. The Fräkmüntegg blue run on the Pilatus is 4.85 km and 429 m, about 25 minutes, rated easy, and Pierre calls it top, with lots of people.

Pierre Vetsch, founder and head guide, says: Asked where he would send a visitor with a single day of sledding in Switzerland, his answer is "Mürren, Bob Run". His first criterion for a best run is "reliable snow", before length or views. Outside the Jungfrau Region he has ridden Davos, the Pilatus and Zermatt's Rotenboden run, and not yet Preda.

The nine runs around Interlaken are rated one by one in our guide to the best sled runs near Interlaken. This page looks further, to Graubünden, Valais and Lucerne.

What is the longest sled run in Switzerland?

The Big Pintenfritz above Grindelwald, about 11 km from the Faulhorn down to Grindelwald, with roughly 1,400 m of drop. Jungfrau Railways gives the run as 2,552 m to 1,153 m and about 3 h 30 in total, walk included, because the start can only be reached on foot: around 2.5 hours up from the First gondola to the Faulhorn.

The length is the easy part. The walk is the price. You climb past the Bachalpsee on a packed winter trail, pulling the sled you rented on First, to the Faulhorn at 2,680 m, then sled back down through Bussalp. The day ticket from First costs CHF 55, CHF 29 for children and Half Fare holders, sled extra. Jungfrau Railways says the run can end at Lochsteinen when the snow allows.

Two other long runs come up in every list. Preda to Bergün in Graubünden is 6 km on the closed Albula pass road and takes about 20 minutes, which tells you how gentle it is. The Madrisa run above Klosters is 8.5 km from the Saaseralp down to Saas, according to Davos Klosters. Neither needs a walk, and that is the real difference: the Big Pintenfritz is a mountain day with a sled at the end.

Pierre says: The Big Pintenfritz is "yes, worth the walk", and the hardest part is "the 2.5-hour walk", not the run. The moment he keeps from it is "the start at the Faulhorn". Peter, the cabin attendant at Isenfluh, told him he loves the Faulhorn run too, but that you have to walk to reach it, which makes it complicated with guests.

Fun fact: Davos Klosters calls itself the birthplace of international sledging and dates its first official sled race to 1883, on its own tobogganing page. The wooden sled you rent on First is still called a Davos sled.

Which Swiss sled run is best for beginners and families?

The Bob Run in Mürren, from the Allmendhubel down to the village. It is 2.86 km, drops 270 m and the Jungfrau Region rates it easy. The funicular back up costs CHF 16 return and runs every few minutes, so a family can ride three times in an afternoon without a long wait or a long walk.

Pierre's answer for a first run on your own is "Mürren, Bob Run", and for a family with children aged 6 to 10 it is the same run. The Niederhorn above Lake Thun is his other family pick: "yes, for families", a 3 km run rated medium, with sleds rented at the top for CHF 18 and a gondola from Vorsass that lets you ride it again. Across the country, two more runs are built for first-timers on the official pages. The Schatzalp run in Davos is 2.8 km with 18 bends, lit in the curves and described by Davos Klosters as suitable for children and beginners. Preda to Bergün is rated easy and takes 20 minutes, with a train every half hour back to the top.

What to avoid for a first time is clearer than what to pick: anything the operator rates difficult, anything with a walk-in, and anything you start after 15:00 in December. Our guide to sledding with kids near Interlaken explains the age limits run by run, and how to steer a wooden sled covers the braking you will need on all of them.

Insider tip: on the Bob Run, buy the Allmendhubel ticket at the bottom of the Stechelberg cable car. The woman at the Stechelberg ticket desk told Pierre you can buy the Allmendhubel ticket directly there, which saves a queue in the village.

Where is the snow most reliable for sledding?

Above 1,600 m. The MeteoSwiss station at Mürren, 1,632 m, had at least 30 cm of snow on the ground on 15 February in 13 of 13 winters between 2000 and 2019, and on 15 December in 8 of 14. Grindelwald at 1,107 m had 30 cm on 25 December in only 5 of 15 winters, and no snow at all in 7 of them.

That is why Pierre runs his evenings in Mürren "most of the time" rather than at Isenfluh, which sits lower. The highest start in this guide is Rotenboden at 2,815 m above Zermatt, where Gornergrat Railway calls the Riffelberg run the highest of its kind in the Alps. It is short, 2 km and about 10 minutes, and the pass costs CHF 92 with the sled included, but altitude buys you snow in early December when the valleys are brown.

Pierre's best month is "February", and April still works "yes, in Mürren". The Eiger Run has an official season from 30 November to 2 April, and the Allmendhubel and Männlichen lifts are in the timetable from 12 December 2026. The full month-by-month picture, with the snow records per station, is in our guide to when sledding season starts.

Big Pintenfritz or Preda-Bergün: which long run should you pick?

Preda-Bergün if you want a long run without effort, the Big Pintenfritz if you want the day. Preda to Bergün is 6 km, 400 m of drop and about 20 minutes, rated easy, with a train every 30 minutes back to Preda and lighting from Tuesday to Sunday evenings. The Big Pintenfritz is 11 km, about 1,400 m, rated difficult, and you walk 2.5 hours to reach it.

They are not the same sport. On the Albula road you sit down at 1,800 m in Preda and arrive in Bergün before your hands get cold, then take the train and do it again. Graubünden Tourism lists sled rental in Preda by the station and in Bergün, and the 2026/27 day ticket price was not online when we checked on 25 October 2026. On the Faulhorn you earn one descent with a morning of walking, and the descent itself takes longer than most people's whole sled day.

Our verdict, signed Pierre: Preda for a group of mixed ability, for an evening, or for anyone who has never steered a wooden sled, because 20 minutes rated easy forgives mistakes. Big Pintenfritz for fit sledders who want a mountain day, on a clear day in February when the trail is packed, and never as a first run. He has ridden one of the two, the Big Pintenfritz. Preda is the one Swiss classic still on his list, and this section will say so the day he has done it.

For the Grindelwald side of that choice, our guide to sledding in Grindelwald for first-timers says which run to start with.

Which famous sled runs would a guide skip?

The Eiger Run for a first time. Pierre's answer to which run he advises a beginner against is "Eiger Run": 1,377 m of drop from the Eigergletscher to Grindelwald in about 1 h 10, with sections Jungfrau Railways puts at 36 percent. Fame does not make it gentler, and the Eiger watching you does not help you brake.

The famous run he calls overrated is a different one. Asked which celebrated run does not deserve its reputation, Pierre picks "Zermatt Rotenboden": in his words, "pretty, but pricey for what it is", 2 km and about 10 minutes for a CHF 92 pass. The Pilatus, by contrast, he rates "top", with one warning, "lots of people". On Davos his only comment is that it shares its name with the sleds.

Two more to approach with respect. The First to Bort run above Grindelwald is described by Jungfrau Railways itself as "a real challenge", 606 m in about 20 minutes. The Rinerhorn run in Davos has 33 bends and steep turns on 3.5 km, which the resort markets as adventurous, meaning not for your first afternoon. A lift employee and a sled rental man in Grindelwald told Pierre that guests sometimes take the wrong run or get surprised, that you should follow the signs, and that it goes faster than you think.

Our pillar on whether night sledding is dangerous puts numbers on that: the Swiss accident prevention office counts about 6,400 sledding injuries treated by a doctor every year, and recommends a helmet.

How do you reach the best sled runs by train?

From Interlaken Ost, the Jungfrau runs are under an hour and the rest of the country is a day trip. On 15 January 2027 the timetable gives 36 minutes to Grindelwald, 43 to Isenfluh, 45 to the Niederhorn base at Beatenberg, 50 minutes to Mürren, 2 h 07 to Zermatt, 2 h 14 to the Pilatus gondola at Kriens, 4 h 28 to Davos Platz and 5 h 01 to Preda.

From Zurich the picture flips: 2 h 38 to Grindelwald against 2 h 52 to Preda, which is why Bergün fills with Zurich families on weekends. All of these times come from the Swiss timetable for 15 January 2027 and will shift by a few minutes with the December timetable change. The sled itself is never the problem: every run in this guide rents them at the bottom or the top, from CHF 7 at Isenfluh to CHF 18 at the Niederhorn, and Zermatt includes it in the pass. The full price list, run by run, is in our guide to what sledding costs in Switzerland.

What people who sled on their own forget to count, in Pierre's words, is "the bus or the train to the start" and "the lifts". The other thing they forget is the last lift down, or up: the Niederhorn's last sledding run leaves at 16:00, and the mistake Pierre sees most often among people who go alone is "missing the last lift".

Your Questions About the Best Sledding in Switzerland

Jungfrau Region or Gornergrat: which is better for a first sledding day?

The Jungfrau Region, for a family trying sledding for the first time. Mürren's Bob Run is 2.86 km, rated easy, and the funicular back up costs CHF 16, so you can ride it three times and stop when the legs say so. Zermatt's Rotenboden to Riffelberg run is 2 km, rated medium by Zermatt Tourism, starts at 2,815 m, and the Sledding Pass costs CHF 92 per adult, sled included, with rides from 11:00 to 16:00. If you are already in Zermatt in December, the altitude is a real advantage for snow. If you can choose, the easier rating, the lower price and the choice of nine other runs within an hour make the Jungfrau side the better first day.

What is the best sled run near Zurich for a day trip?

Preda to Bergün, on the timetable for 15 January 2027: 2 h 52 from Zurich main station to Preda, then 6 km of easy, lit road down to Bergün and a train every 30 minutes back up. The Pilatus is closer, 4.85 km on the Fräkmüntegg blue run rated easy, with sleds rented at the Kriens valley station. Grindelwald is 2 h 38 from Zurich and gives you the Männlichen to Holenstein run, 5.88 km rated medium, and the Eiger Run if you are experienced. For a Zurich day, Bergün wins on ease and lighting, the Pilatus on travel time.

Do I need a ski pass to go sledding in Switzerland?

No. Every run in this guide sells a single lift ticket or a sledding day ticket: CHF 16 return at Isenfluh and on the Allmendhubel, CHF 55 for the Big Pintenfritz day ticket, CHF 49 for the Niederhorn sledding day ticket from Beatenberg, CHF 92 for the Zermatt Sledding Pass. The Jungfrau Winter Hiking and Sledging Pass, from CHF 61 a day, is only worth it from two lifts in one day, in Pierre's words "yes, from two lifts". A Half Fare Card halves most of these tickets, and children under six ride the Niederhorn free.

Is the summer toboggan run the same thing?

No. "Best toboggan Switzerland summer" searches lead to rail toboggans like the Fräkigaudi on the Pilatus, a sled on a steel track with a brake lever, open in the warm months. The runs in this guide are winter runs on snow, on wooden sleds that you steer with your feet. Pierre recommends the rail version to "families in summer" and nothing else. Our article on sledding versus luge in Switzerland sorts out the words, the sleds and the speeds.

Should I wear a helmet on these runs?

Yes, the Swiss accident prevention office recommends a ski or bike helmet for sledding, and Gornergrat Railway lists one in its equipment advice for the Rotenboden run. Nobody is checking, and most people on the Bob Run do not wear one, Pierre included on his evenings, which he will tell you himself. On a run rated difficult, the Big Pintenfritz or the Eiger Run, bring one. Rental shops in Grindelwald and Mürren rent helmets with the sled; ask when you book the sled.

Sled one of these runs with a guide

The run that beats all ten is the one where somebody has already checked the snow that morning. That is what Pierre does before every evening: he calls Isenfluh or Mürren, picks the run that has snow, and takes a group of eight at most up the lift at 15:30 for the pink peaks, the descent with headlamps and a cheese fondue afterwards, with transport from Interlaken included.

If you would rather go alone, take the Bob Run, buy the CHF 16 ticket at Stechelberg, and watch the last funicular. If you want the choice of run made for you, book the sunset sledding with cheese fondue from Interlaken, CHF 139 with everything in the price, and let the snow decide which of the best sled runs in Switzerland you ride tonight.

How we made this: based on Pierre's interview of 25 October 2026 and his earlier answers of 30 September to 24 October 2026, facts and prices checked at the official sources on 25 October 2026, written with AI assistance.

Source: Jungfrau Railways, Graubünden Tourism, Zermatt Tourism, and sled evenings at Isenfluh and Mürren, winter 2025/26.

*Written by Pierre Vetsch, founder and head guide at Swiss Local Adventures