Mürren-Schilthorn Ski Area Winter Sports Visitor Numbers Increased By 10 Percent Despite Closure Of The Schilthorn Due To Construction Of New Cable Car.

The 2024/2025 winter season in the Mürren-Schilthorn ski area was dominated by the closure of the Schilthorn due to the construction of the new cable car. Nevertheless, winter sports visitor numbers increased by 10 percent. This increase is due to the long season, stable weather conditions, and strong demand following the Schilthorn's reopening in mid-March.

The winter sports season on the Schilthorn has been over since Sunday, April 27, 2025. Looking back, one theme dominated: the closure of the Schilthorn summit. Brunch, a refreshing prelude to a long day of skiing, and steep descents from the summit were canceled for most of the season. Nevertheless, this had little impact on winter sports business. Quite the opposite! Visitor numbers at the winter sports facilities increased by just over 10 percent in the 2024/2025 winter season. Thanks to snow farming, the Pända Snowpark Sessions were held for the first time at the end of September. In October, the freestyle elite had the opportunity to train in a training snow park on a roughly 400-meter-long snowfield with a specially installed cable car. For four weeks, up to 150 freestylers visited the park every day. By the first weekend in November, a wide slope had been extended to the Riggli chairlift, enabling public skiing from then on.

Quiet winter without heavy snowfall or storms

The winter brought sufficient, albeit not excessive, snowfall. The slope conditions were nevertheless ideal. Even the sun-exposed Gimmelen ski lift remained operational until the end of March 2025. However, the opening of the new Funifor cable car to the Schilthorn on March 15 was eagerly awaited: From then until the end of the season, visitor numbers were significantly higher than usual for this time of year. In contrast to the storm-lashed previous year, the Easter season in mid-April actually brought the best days of the winter season – both in winter sports and in the catering industry, where revenue increased by a good 20 percent in the first quarter of 2025.

Successful impact after expansion of chairlift and snowmaking

The positive frequency is due in no small part to the increased snow reliability resulting from the expansion of the snowmaking systems and the Winteregg chairlift. This was expanded last summer with 17 additional canopy chairs, increasing its transport capacity by 400 passengers per hour. This was the company's response to increased demand due to the Pända Snowpark and the snow-covered FIS training slopes in the Winteregg area. This facility also serves as a central gateway to the Mürren-Schilthorn ski area. Around one-third of snow sports enthusiasts access the area via this route.

Events that inspire

For the third consecutive year, the season finale for the best freestylers took place in the Birg-Grauseeli area in April: With this year's playful setup, the Swatch Nines thrilled not only the numerous spectators but also the athletes themselves. The Inferno Downhill race was a little different this year. Due to the lack of a cable car connection to the Schilthorn, the start was held at the entrance to the Engetal valley. However, this renowned event also ran flawlessly and once again delighted over 1,800 riders.

Outlook 2025/2026 with various innovations

Although the focus is now on summer business, it's worth taking a first look ahead to the coming winter season: This year, an early start to the season is planned again, with Pända Snowpark Sessions. The winter season is scheduled to begin on November 1, 2025, with continuous winter sports operations starting November 21. The second lane of the Funifor Mürren-Birg cable car will open at the end of November. Together with the already opened first lane, the cable car will then reach its full capacity of 800 passengers per hour. Also new is the ski pass system, replacing the previous Top4 Pass: As part of the Jungfrau Ski Region, Mürren-Schilthorn will also be integrated into the AlpsPass. This includes the ski regions of Adelboden-Lenk, Engelberg-Titlis, the Aletsch Arena, and three freely selectable ski days in five other partner resorts throughout Switzerland. The pass is valid from the beginning of November to the end of April. At the beginning of April 2026, the Swiss Snow Happening, the annual meeting of Swiss snow sports instructors, will take place in Mürren, thus rounding off the season.