The longest sled run in Europe: A guide
By Oriana Pauli ∘ Posted 12th April, 2025 ∘
The longest sled run in Europe is called the “Big Pintenfritz” and it’s in Grindelwald, Switzerland. It’s 15km long and descends over 1500m of altitude, meaning the thrill lasts anywhere from 30-45min. Add this to your Swiss Winter Bucket Lists!
Essential Information
Where: Grindelwald, central Switzerland
When: middle December – end of March (depending on snow conditions)
Distance: 11-15km (depending on snow conditions)
Difficulty: The hard part is the 2-2.5 hour hike to the start of the sled run
Cable car costs to First (one way) : 36chf for adults, 18chf for kids.
Opening hours: 9am – 6pm
Why do it? The views are spectacular and the thrill of the endless downhill ride is hard to match.
Where is the start? How do I get there?
To get to the start of the longest sled run in Europe, you have to:
- Train or drive to Grindelwald, an alpine village in central Switzerland.
Zürich to Grindelwald is 2 hours 10 min by car or 2 hours 50 min by train. Luzern to Grindelwald is 1 hour 30 min by car or 2 hours 40 min by train.
From Grindelwald, you have two options.
Option 1 (Recommended): Cable Car + Hike
- Catch a 25 minute cable car from Grindelwald to First (First is the name of the mountain and pronounced Feerst)
- Hike around 2-2.5 hours (5.5km 550m ascent) with your sled from First to the top of the mountain where the sled run begins called the Faulhorn
Option 2: Bus + Harder hike
- Catch a bus from Grindelwald to Bussalp.
- Hike 2.5-3 hours (4.3km 870m ascent) to the top of the Faulhorn.
In case you’re wondering- there is no other way to get up to the Faulhorn. You have to hike up.
I recommend the first option because the hike is quite gentle at the beginning, the views are phenomenal and you take a different path up the mountain than you do on the way down.
The second option with the bus is not much cheaper. You also have to walk up a steep ascent without a break the whole way- plus you basically walk up the same path you’ll eventually sled down. I would probably only choose this option if I wanted to get to the top before the cable car starts running (if it works out with the bus timetable) to have the whole run to myself.
Price and Tickets
The cable car from Grindelwald to First costs 36chf for adults, 18chf for kids- you can check the latest prices and book tickets here. Bus tickets from Grindelwald to Bussalp cost between 20-40chf. You can check prices and bus timetables here.
You can rent sleds at Grindelwald, First or Bussalp. It’ll set you back about 15chf per sled. You can get a discount if you book online too.
The sleds can be returned at Grindelwald. When we got back it was quite late and the rental shop was closed- if that happens you can just leave the sled outside the shop.
Good to know: Info & Tips for sledding the Big Pintenfritz
- Check the snow conditions. There’s less snow than there used to be in Switzerland, so check if you’ll have enough snow to sled all the way down to Grindelwald. There wasn’t quite enough snow when we went, so we had to catch the bus the last little leg back to Grindelwald. It definitely didn’t ruin the fun for us (it’s still really long), but it is something to be aware of.
- Start early. We left a little bit too late and it ended up getting quite dark by the time we got down. We were also lucky to catch the last bus going back to Grindelwald- if we missed it we probably would have had to walk the rest of the way back. So check the bus timetables too, to see when the last bus goes!
- Bring chocolate and hot tea in a thermos. Chocolate and hot tea just tastes better in the mountains, when you’re freezing. They also give you the energy you need to make the summit.
- There’s restaurants at First and Bussalp if you need a hot chocolate or fondue at the beginning or midway through the sled run.
- Wear snow gear- snow pants, snow shoes, snow jacket, gloves…the obvious things.
- Safety first. Wear a skiing helmet and ski goggles. And a back protector if you want to be really careful.
Our experience
We actually did this before I started this blog. And I’ve never been great at taking photos (it’s all about being present in the moment right!). So here’s the one photo I have of the view during the hike: (yes, I know I already used it…)
The hiking path is really well prepared. It’s wide enough to walk two or even three side by side, almost more like a road.
The ascent was quite hard and we actually made it almost to the top but not quite. We were only about 100m from the summit but we were so cold, our hands were numb and we just couldn’t wait to sled down.
Here’s a photo from almost-the-top.
If I could, I would sled the Big Pintenfritz every winter- and if my family could come and visit me in Switzerland I would definitely take them here.
If you’re interested in the story behind the name ‘Pintenfritz’ you can read more about it here. You’ll also see an epic black-and-white photo of people using giant passenger sleds to get down the mountain back in the day. It looks like it took a whole person digging their feet into the snow to keep the sled from careening down the slope.
Hope this guide to sledding in Bergün was useful! If you prefer a shorter sled run check out this post I wrote:
Sledding Bergün Switzerland: Part picturesque, part terrifying. Everything you need to know
Oriana
Oriana was born in Zürich and is currently living in Basel, in northern Switzerland.
This travel blog is is her newest project with her twin sister. Their mission is to give everyone the confidence to travel Switzerland with ease.