It’s a bluebird and the snow’s just winking at us to set off down the slopes. Blue skies, perfect powder, and plenty of time to enjoy skiing in Mürren, Switzerland. Today the wide, sunny pistes are competing with the promise of a dry martini and experiencing the world’s steepest cable car.
Mürren’s the Bernese Oberland’s highest ski scene, ideal for a spring visit as you can enjoy snow sports until the end of April on its 56 kms of slopes.
It’s also buzzin’ at the Skyline Snowpark, with its jibs, rails and boxes and a kicker line suited to all freestyle levels. There’s also a ski cross course if you want to mix it up a little more, and that luring off-piste playground!
But we’d made a plan and we stuck to it, packing into the new gondola (opened March 15) to get to the mountain peak.
Schilthorn Summit
Sadly faced with the Schilthorn summit’s black run I had an intermediate knee knock. This led to a ‘maybe not’ moment – time for a look at the mountain top’s many attractions while my friends took the leap.
It hit me on the viewing platform – the sheer magnitude of these peaks… The UNESCO World Heritage Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau are the region’s famous faces, but there’s another 200 well worth a look.
You can see from the Bernese and Valais Alps, to Lake Thun and the Swiss central plateau – and if it’s really clear Germany’s Black Forest and France’s Mont Blanc massif shuffle into view. These icons are the playground of the peak paparazzi, as everyone Tik Toks and Insta’s to remember the special times on their trips.
Why Raise a Dry Martini in Switzerland?
But there was a time when these ol’ stunners shared the limelight. In 1969 James Bond’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (OHMSS) was shot here, with George Lazenby and Diana Rigg bringing movie glamour to the chiselled mountain backdrop.
The best way to drink this all in (perhaps avoid a dry martini) is from the Alps’ first revolving restaurant. Piz Gloria is mentioned in Fleming’s book – it was the hide-away for villain Blofeld.
Today it still rotates gently around, showcasing the 360 super view while allowing ample time to savour the sumptuous James Bond Brunch.
Brunch sorted, I joined the set jet to visit Spy World, immersing myself fully in Bond memorabilia. The interactive museum has info’ on the film shoots, and fun stuff, like ‘flying’ the helicopter sim’ and a white-knuckle bobsleigh ride.
Skiing in Mürren
Talking of white-knuckles…we head back to the slopes. Piste 9 is recommended as a ‘dare I’ downhill. The Direttissima is an 88% drop – the Jungfrau’s steepest, but this is one place you can see life from an even greater angle.
I mentioned a new gondola earlier. It’s part of an incredible new cable car system that wizzes you up the mountain in just 22 minutes.
Work on the Schilthornbahn 20XX Project started in 2022, linking the Lauterbrunnen Valley to the summit. It’s cut journey time by a third and doubled passenger capacity to 800.
World’s Steepest Cable Car
Sounds good, but here’s the ‘how’. To get from Stechelberg village (866m) to Mürren (1,641) in just four minutes means taking the world’s steepest cable car.
The 775m high cableway spans almost 1,200 meters of track, with a 159.4% gradient. Norway’s Loen Skylift was formerly the steepest, with a 60 upward gradient, so this latest system takes cable car travel to a whole new level! It’s a mega ride, with cabins suspended from 11-meter-long arms to manage the steep slope.
Back on track and steepest trip sorted, you then jump from Mürren to Birg (2,676m) and Birg to Schiltorn (2,973m). It’s cost CHF135m – an investment for your adventure! Visitors previously had a four-stage journey, which included a gondola via Gimmelwald. Now it’s a three-stage super ride.
Two more cable cars (late autumn 2025 and spring 2026) will complete this mega-project. These will run from Mürren to Birg and up to the Schilthorn, providing second tracks next to the existing cars. They’ll then be linked electronically to the cableway, allowing the system to run without maintenance breaks.
Michelle Wyss, Schilthornbahn AG’s media and product manager, said:
“The new infrastructure was necessary to remain competitive, and to meet international guests’ ever-increasing expectations.
Mürren tourist office director, Jürg Sutter-Salvisberg is excited:
“A direct connection from the Lauterbrunnen Valley to Mürren was a vision on posters decades ago. Now it’s real, and Mürren is directly and quickly accessible with the world’s steepest cable car,” he said.
History of Skiing in Mürren, Switzerland
And it’s here the success of the present overlaps with the resort’s famous past. Sir Henry Lunn launched Mürren as a winter sports resort in 1910/11, and his family played a key role in its history.
Between the wars Henry’s son, Arnold Lunn, developed Alpine ski racing here, and in 1924, he – along with other British skiers – started the Kandahar Ski Club. Arnold’s son, Peter, captained the 1936 British Winter Olympic’s team.
Then in 1928 came the launch of the world’s longest amateur Alpine ski race (15km), The Inferno. This runs from Schilthorn to Lauterbrunnen and is now part of an annual January festival.
Mürren Palace
Henry bought the Mürren Palace Hotel in 1911, and it was Arnold’s base as he raised the resort’s ski racing reputation. Things have changed a lot since that time … and in many ways they haven’t! Henry added a ballroom that’s now been restored to its former glory, along with the hotel’s listed exterior.
We were super chuffed to stay there, as aside from living the luxury lifestyle, we were living the dream in a landmark property steeped in ski history. Mürren Palace was closed for 15 years and treated to a £27m investment. There are now 49 rooms/suites at the four-star superior property.
It re-opened in December 2024 with the addition of Palace Ellipse. This six-storey tower houses 14 suites, a chilled spa space and an exercise area. The well-equipped local sports centre is also at guests’ disposal.
Excited about the area’s future is the hotel’s director, Samuel Bichsel:
“The direct connection from Stechelberg to Mürren means real added value for our guests. The shorter journey time, no more reloading and of course the spectacular ride on the steepest cable car in the world is extraordinary,” he said.
I’d definitely concur. So I’m raising my dry Martini – to Murren’s history, and its history in the making.
Factbox about Skiing in Mürren, Switzerland
For more information on Switzerland, visit switzerland.com and to find out about Mürren, go to muerren.swiss
SWISS connects Switzerland with the world, offering more than 160 weekly flights from London Heathrow, London City, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh to Zurich or Geneva. One-way fares start from £76 to Zurich and from £54 to Geneva, and include all taxes, fees and surcharges, one piece of checked luggage weighing up to 23kg and one piece of hand luggage. SWISS are also happy to transport your first set of ski or snowboard equipment and boots free of charge in addition to your standard free baggage allowance subject to availability (excluding hand-luggage-only fares). Swiss.com
