Engelberg is a marvelous alpine ski resort, the name of which means “the Mountain of Angels” in the national language. This is a major ski resort situated in the heart of Switzerland. The distance to Lucerne is only thirty-five kilometers, and the distance to such a big city as Zurich is roughly ninety kilometers. Beginners, as well as experienced skiers, can easily find a suitable ski trail on the mountain slopes of the resort. Snowboarders are not forgotten as well and can also enjoy their vacation in Engelberg.
According to an old legend, the history of Engelberg started together with a Benedictine monastery that was built here. Once, a local man, Konrad von Sellenbüren, saw an angel in his dream. The angel ordered him to build a sacred shrine in Ochsen. The man started building a monastery, which was completed in the 20s of the 12th century. When the sacred building was ready, two abbots saw an omen. They saw a choir of angels standing on the mountain not far from the monastery. The angels were praising God.
Nowadays, the resort is divided into two equal skiing areas. One of these areas is for beginners and couples. This zone has its own name, Brunni. This area features five kilometers of red and seven kilometers of blue trails. Besides them, there are special ski slopes for beginners. It is not hard to get to the top because there are different ski lifts.
The other area is the main one. It is located to the south of Brunni. This part of the resort has an interesting terrain – there are two plateaus located on a different level. Surprisingly, even these plateaus have their own name. Gerschnialp has numerous blue slopes and yoke-type ski lifts. Trübsee has more complicated ski routes and a beautiful frozen lake. This area has twenty-one ski lifts, and the total length of all trails is seventy-three kilometers.
If you are a true mountain skiing professional, the Rotegg ski slope is an ideal choice for you. This is a three-kilometer-long trail on a glacier that has many cracks and thrilling areas that are covered with ice and are absolutely deprived of snow. Don’t even try to ski on Rotegg if you are not an experienced skier with professional skills. Otherwise, your vacation can end with an injury.
Besides skiing, Engelberg features interesting areas for snowboarders. Most tourists praise Terrain Park where snowboarders can choose from several half-pipes. There are also high ski-jump ranks that are suitable for experienced snowboarders only. Skiers can also use these jumps if they are not scared of the height and know how to jump. By the way, there is also a quarter-pipe here. On the beautiful Stand slope, there is a whole fun park that is also very interesting to visit.
Besides the winter sports areas mentioned above, tourists can try cross-country skiing (the total length of the trails is over forty kilometers), try walking in snowshoes and explore the surrounding area, and enjoy toboggan. There are special areas for all these activities, and the total length of all trails for them exceeds two thousand kilometers.
Engelberg hosts two interesting competitions, namely, Ice Ripper Style Trophy and Ice Ripper Snowboard Camp, in the last autumn month. These events gather together the leading snowboarders in the world. Skiers can show their achievements during the European Cup that takes place here in December. There is only one condition for participating – you need to be a specialist in jumping at night.
That being said, the Speed Race event, which takes place in December, is still considered the most spectacular one. Participants know not only how to ski well but also how to fall in a stylish way. During the competition, all skiers stand in a line and start skiing from the slope altogether. If someone falls, everyone starts falling, like domino tiles. The distance is not big, but not everyone reaches the finish line.
In order to get to Engelberg, the vast majority of tourists follow the same route that starts in Lucerne. Unfortunately, this is the only way to get to the resort. Upon arrival in this Swiss city, tourists need to get to the main train station and take a train to Engelberg. The fabulous mountain resort is the final stop of the train. The ride lasts only forty minutes.