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Lenk in the Swiss Alps
Skiing and Snowboarding, the Mountain &Activities
The beautiful Swiss Alps frame the area of Adelboden-Lenk.
In America, there's Disneyland, Sea World, picnics and baseball games as places for families to visit for entertainment.
In Switzerland, a country where getting to the Swiss Alps is almost as easy as going to a movie in the States, there's Lenk.
Located in the southeastern part of Switzerland, Lenk and neighboring Adelboden is a family-oriented ski destination with largely gentle slopes and a calm demeanor. It is also one of those places one imagines when they think of a Swiss ski village. It has milk-producing cows grazing on the hillsides in the summertime and horse-pulled sleds takings tourists through the small town, a thick blanket wrapped around their waists and legs to keep them warm and cozy.
Yet Lenk's tourism is traced not to its slopes but its sulfurous springs, which are believed to provide relief to sufferers of rheumatism and respiratory diseases. Today, guests in the thermal baths of the Lenkerhof Alpine Resort enjoy these beneficial effects, which is an idyllic way to bring the body back to life after skiing or hiking
Here's how to "milk" the most out of Lenk Simmental in the Simme Valley.
Lenk – The Village
This horse carriage transports guests from the Lenkerhof Hotel to dinner.
If it were not framed by the Alps, then Lenk would be a simple, small farming village in the Swiss countryside.
But of course it is framed by the Alps, so Lenk is a small, simple farming village in the Swiss countryside that happens to have excellent skiing and hiking.
Lovely Lenk is a small, cozy village in the Swiss Alps.
The village is so small – the main area is just a few blocks – it could be walked in ski boots. It's worth taking time to explore because it's so quaint. There are restaurants, hotels, the Intersport Glacier rental shop and a teepee. Yes, a teepee in the Swiss Alps. It's a bar, actually, called the Tipi Bar. For more on this subject matter, read PubClub.com's article on bars and nightlife in Lenk.
Lenk – The Mountain
The scenic mountains from the restaurant patio of the Lenkerhof.
While the village is Lenk, the combined mountains around it are known as Adelboden-Lenk in the Bernese Oberland area of Switzerland.
Its terrain is all grass, so there are no rocks and it takes only a light snowfall to start the skiing and snowboarding. This allows the season to begin with the turning of the calendar to November and lasting until May.
– Adelboden-Lenk Facts –
Total Lifts: 56
Total trails: 127 on three mountains
Total ride area: 185km
Cross-country trails: 71k
Top : 2,362m (Dossen in Adelboden)
Lift ticket Prices (in Swiss francs): Half-day, 40; one-day,57; two-day 104, 3-day 148; 4-day 189; 5-day 227.
Adelboden-Lenk Tourism Website: www.lenk-simmental.ch
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Adelboden-Lenk is the fourth-most popular ski area in Switzerland. There are 185 kilometers of terrain with 56 lifts and each has a restaurant/bar. Wait, isn't this a family resort?
Of course it is, but what adult skier doesn't like to have a cold one – or warm one, such as koffee schnapps – over a long and satisfying lunch.
In the summertime, the area offers an incredible 627 km of walking and hiking trails and 290 km of bicycling and mountain biking routes. A good destination is Engstligen Falls, the second-highest waterfall in Switzerland.
LENK – One one side of the village is Lenk and on the other, Adelboden. The mountain at Lenk is modest, like a beautiful but shy princess, reaching only 2,001 meters at its peak (the surrounding Alps tower beyond 3,200 m).
The view of the village from the slopes of Lenk.
There are ski schools for children barely taller than the steps leading to the gondelbahn; this is where they start to develop those natural Swiss skiing skills.
When it's time for lunch, Lenk has 14 spots to stop.
To hit the best trails, or pistes, head down to the right from the top and hang a left just beyond the cross-country trails; there's a long run that goes all the way to the base. It is prefect for mid-level intermediates and even fine for "advanced" beginners while also providing enough momentum for experts. It is not steep, but steady, and it's the ideal piste for families of all levels to stay together.
The trail goes around the Lenkerhof hotel and practically right back to the gondola, at which point it requires popping the skis or snowboard, crossing a narrow street and back up to the lift. Then it's back up to the top to do it all over again. There is also a toboggan run to the left of the gondola.
Sometimes it's difficult to focus on the runs because of the views.
With just 16 pistes, Lenk is an excellent place for the "first day" on the mountain or, perhaps, a half-day of fine skiing or boarding.
ADELBODEN – A larger mountain – here there are 65 pistas – stands tall on the other side of town and tackling Adelboden can take an entire day, or even two depending on how much variety a skier or boarder wants to put into a session.
The pro Alpine tour starting gate gives skiers a World Cup experience
The highlight of Adelboden is the World Cup run, one of the most challenging in the world. The FIS Alpine World Cup is held here (in 2009 it was in mid-January) on the Chuenisbärgli piste. It's steep but not intimidating unless, of course, 2009 Giant Slalom champion Didier Cuche of Switzerland or the dashing American beauty Lindsay Vonn suddenly appears and goes flying down the run.
Getting from the main lift to the World Cup run is actually more of a challenge than the run itself; it requires two gondola rides and plenty of traversing plus heavy use of ski poles, or sticks as they call them here. That is because Adelboden has two primary areas connected by a low-lying spot in between. The more advanced pistas are on the World Cup side; in fact once there the skiing and boarding is spectacular with several choices of trails.
 Adelboden is more challenging for intermediates and advanced skiers.
The area of Metsch/Bühlberg just off the luftseilbahn (aerial cable car) just beyond the Lenk village , is best for advanced skiers. THis is also the location of the Snow Park for snowboarders.
And there's more; Adelboden is adjacent to a third mountain, Frutigen, which is about the size of Lenk (18 pistas) but with more challenging offerings.
There's even the occasional smell of the cows who graze on these slopes in the summer. And it is those cows who produce the milk that is made into the tasty Lenk cheeses.
Bus service connects Adelboden and Lenk.
Location and Accommodations
Lenk is serviced by Swiss Travel System. The train runs from Zweissimmen every half hour.
The lovely and luxurious Lenkerhof hotel
The premier place to stay is the five-star Lenkerhof hotel. The location, at the base of the main Lenk piste and across the street from the gondola, is as ideal as the view. This is a beautiful property with large rooms, each containing a living space with a large chair and couch. Guests have access to the soothing spa (wellness) area, which includes a heated thermal pool mentioned earlier in this article. Various massages are also available at additional cost.
An excellent restaurant serves delicious dinners and a lovely lounge with live entertainment brings evenings to a relaxing finish. Breakfast is included and it's the works – eggs, bacon, ham, cereal, bread and a large table of local and Swiss cheeses. Here is the Lenkerhof Hotel website.
A Link to Lenk's Past and Future – Cheesemaking Tour
Cheeses aging in the Lenk Milch plant.
Sure, it's cheesy, but that's the point. Lenk is known for its milk and cheese-producing cows, and Lenk Milch (Lenk Milk) provides free. tours of its small facility each Friday at 2 p.m. Special tours that include tastings of these cheeses, along with wine, can be arranged for a fee.
To reserve a spot, contact Christian Leuthold of Lenk Millk here or visit its website at www.lenk-milch.ch.
The Forest Fondue
Making fondue in the forest with Swiss accordion music.
If, for some reason, the Alps aren't enough of a clue and the street signs in Swiss-German don't give it away, then taking part in the Forest Fondue will certainly confirm the fact you are in this part of the world. Because this just says Switzerland!
This experience leaves a lasting impression of a trip to Lenk.
It's fondue over a campfire outside of town by a small stream with a Swiss accordion band playing music. The husband and wife team work together, the husband huddled over a flame stirring cheese as it melts into a kettle, the wife going around to guests with little squares of bread and filling up shot glasses that hang around the neck with wine.
When the fondue is finished, the duo puts the kettle to another good use – a koffee drink that is spiked with schnapps. Guests are then given torches to light their way for the short walk back to the village.
The Forest Fondue is a MUST DO while in Lenk.
Contact the Meyers at 033-733-24-54 to set up this unique cultural experience; they can handle a handfull of people or a large group.
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