Mürren (Murren)

Member Name: friendofmaddo

Product:	Murren
Date:	29/08/09 (53 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Everything :)

Disadvantages: Not good for intermediate skiers.

I have been skiing in this resort since I could walk, as my father and grandfather were. It is situated in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, on the Blumenthal mountain, in the Jungfrau region.

I can really do nothing but sing its praises. It is the tiniest, prettiest village, comprising of 3000 beds for tourists and the rest of the locals, with chalets and hotels arranged around one upper and one lower main road, with little paths in between. In the winter months you can ski on the roads, and it is perfectly safe- I think there is a total of 4 cars in the village. This is due to the fact that Mürren is situated on the top of a sheer rock face, and the only way to get to the village is by one of 2 cable cars, situated on either end of the village, so having cars tends to be expensive. They are hardly necessary, the village is very small, and any delivery vehicles tend to be little carts, designed to be agile. It is very quiet and so picturesque, and is wonderful to just sit and admire the view of the Monch, the Eiger and the Jungfrau, which are situated on the other side of the Lauterbrunnen valley, with a steaming mug of hot chocolate, whipped cream and rum. There is a Co-op on the lower road for anyone renting out chalets, but the locals tend to do their shopping in Lauterbrunnen, the village at the bottom of the valley, as it offers more choice. There are a lot of shops as well for ski rental and purchase, souvenirs, and sports shops.

The actual area on which you can ski around Mürren is quite small compared to the modern ski resorts, but there are countless passages through the mountains' forests, which branch off down a barely distinguishable path through two trees. There are three main areas to ski; the Winteregg, Berg, and the Schiltgrat. To access Winteregg and Schiltgrat, you must catch the Allmendhubelbahn. From this small area, you can catch the button lift up to the top of this run, and then down what is known as the hogback. There is then a junction; if you go left, you go to the Schiltgrat area, and right is the Winteregg area. Straight ahead you will see the end of the Kanonenrohr (see below).
The Winteregg area is comprised of the Palace run, (a narrow red run) the Maulerhubel (a blue run), which is wonderful for practising your carving technique, and the Winteregg runs, which are many runs, all named the same because they run into and cross over each other, where some areas are red, and some blue. Beware of this area with children, or if you are tired. The only way to get down from this area to the village (apart from climbing, or taking the train) is down the narrow Palace run, and this is often icy in later parts of the day, although is a good run if you like a little mogul field.
Berg is the area for the better skiers. You can get a cable car up to it, and is where the majority of the black runs are situated, as well as a lovely wide blue run, and challenging reds. It is the largest area, and so gets much less congested, which can sometimes be a frustration in the other two main areas. It is difficult for children to ski down from this area too, as it requires you to pass down the Kanonenrohr, which I find the hardest run on the mountain. However, it is very easy to return to the top on the recently installed (and much needed) chairlifts and get the cable car down to the village.
The last part of the mountain, the Schilgrat, is a very mixed area. It has easy blues for the ski schools, and some lovely reds and blacks, and also a very challenging off-piste mogul field, which is great fun, and often empty, called the Kandahar. The first time I went on it, I managed to get my ski stuck underneath a mogul from below. No idea how I did that, but it's a great run. To get back to the village, all you need to do is follow the bob run, easy as pie. This area also is home to the Suppenalp Restaurant, located between the Hindenburg and the Rad. It is a little difficult to get to but well worth the effort. Ask for their specialty, and then see if you can ski down to Mürren without falling.

There are lots of ski clubs you can join, which have weekly meetings. These clubs often organize days or half days (free) where you can ski with people of your ability, led by a Rep who knows the mountain well, and will maybe teach you a few things, and help you do things you wouldn't try by yourself, such as off-piste skiing.

Skiing is not the only thing to do in Mürren. The village is avid about curling, and there are tons of tournaments between hotels or just teams put together one night in a bar. There is a large sports centre, with a big pool and gym, and squash courts. There is also a large skating rink, and you can rent boots easily from the sports centre or one of the two rental shops straight across from the rink, (but of course, there are a lot more rental places, these are just convenient).

The area is also brilliant for walkers. One holiday, I damaged my hamstring and wasn't allowed to ski, in case I made it worse. Instead, I walked everywhere, and met my family at restaurants where they would stop for lunch. The views are unparalleled.

All this, without mentioning James Bond. One area I have not mentioned yet is the Schilthorn. On the top is the famous revolving restaurant, in which "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" was filmed. The actual run is unpisted and filled with moguls, but is well used, so unless you are lucky and an early riser, is not powder. The skiing scene in the movie was partly filmed on the back of this run, on the steepest, unpisted bit, which only the bravest skiers try out.

This area is great for skiers who have quite a lot of experience, but is also good for children starting out completely new. The skiers in the middle tend to miss out on the best parts of Mürren, as they can't appreciate the challenges, but find the easy runs too easy.

They say that if you can ski in Mürren, you can ski anywhere.

Summary: They say that if you can ski in Mürren, you can ski anywhere.