"Fog," Jeremy said, looking out the kitchen window. Uh-oh, had our good fortune come to an end? I was hopeful our plan for the day would bring us above the thick layer. It sure did! As we rode the gondola up to the top of Grindelwald's First mountain at 7,000 feet, the snow literally sparkled as the bright sunshine reflected off its layer of ice crystals.
We started with a compulsory picture on the Sky Bridge, the end point of the complimentary First Cliff Walk. You can get in the bridge line most directly by walking through the gondola station's restaurant.
First Cliff Walk viewpoint with jaw-dropping views of the Eiger and Wetterhorn behind us
The walk to Lake Bachalpsee, about an hour each way from Grindelwald First's gondola station, was filled with incredibly picturesque epic views. The uphill part, in the snow, takes a bit of effort at which point Vivian realized that "leisurely", when found on my itinerary, can be a relative term. (Not that she minded.)
Surrounded by ski runs and off-piste tracks to explore, Chris was a bit tortured by the walk : "I wish I had my skis. This looks like so much fun."
These cool 'snow rollers' are an entirely natural phenomenon that occur when there's a combination of the right temperature, moisture, wind, and of course, snow
Dwarfed by the gigantic rock face
Stunningly blue Lake Bachalpsee was covered in a thick layer of white snow and ice, blending it into its white surroundings
Done with the hike, we did the short First Cliff Walk - a suspended metal walkway taking you along the edge of the mountain
Enjoying views and our super hiker prize
Near the restaurant, we went to the launching point to watch the paragliders take off. The guides were instructing their tourist to "run run run" to jump off the cliff. The daughter passenger didn't move fast enough so basically the tandem duo fell ungracefully off the cliff. Over my shoulder I heard a guide's causal "Don't worry" to the mom, who was going next. LOL!
"That was fun," Vivian said on our way back down. Having spent 4 1/2 hours at the top, we enjoyed our surroundings - arguably one of the most beautiful regions on the planet.
Greg didn't make it out with us today, staying back in Lauterbrunnen to tend to his cold symptoms. "It's been ugly cloudy all day."
About to be engulfed by the thick fog bank suspended over Lauterbrunnen valley
Greg's dark, foggy view all day in Lauterbrunnen valley
Logistics:
For 61 CHF you can buy a region "hiking and sledging" winter pass that includes traveling on most of the trains and gondolas (excludes the biggies: Top of the World and Schilthorn). We bought online tickets on our way out the door but never got the confirmation email. At the station we had to convert the website confirmation to paper passes.
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