Slope Specs: Why Adelboden is a Little-Known Swiss Treasure

Adelboden, Switzerland (tel. +41 (0) 33 673 80 80; www.adelboden.ch) is the kind of European ski resort that North Americans always say they hope they will find -- a charming, scenic and slightly out-of-they-way village visited mostly by Europeans and boasting wide-ranging and interesting terrain. In the Alps, great scenery is a given. Yet for totally unclear reasons, Adelboden does not have a high international profile. In North America, its name appears mostly as a dateline when it hosts men's World Cup ski races, like 2005 when American ace Bode Miller finished second in the giant slalom despite losing a pole on the first run and nearly doing the splits on the second. He finished second in the slalom there in 2008 with two considerably less cliffhanger-ly runs.

Among top ski racers, the Adelboden course is known as one of the most challenging on the World Cup circuit, but for the rest of us, its three ski sectors are fabulously suited to intermediate and advanced skiers and snowboarders. One lift pass is valid on all three.

Tschentenalp is the smallest of the three but also the closest to town. A pulse gondola ferries riders to a rounded hilltop crowned by one of the resort's numerous on-mountain eating places. Seven wide cruising runs drop off the backside, and one chairlift and one T-bar ferry people back up. Ski Tschentenalp for half-a-day, and you've pretty much done it.

Adelboden's other ski areas require a shuttle bus ride from town. The neighboring Metschalp-Elsigen and Engstlialp sectors also have primarily intermediate and advanced terrain but are also notable as gateways to the backcountry. Popular ski tours reach the Wildstrubel area, to the resort of Kandersteg and even to distant Crans-Montana. Best to go with a mountain guide.

The largest of the three domains is the Silleren-Hahnenmoos-Chuenisbärgli area that also connects to the lifts and runs of the resort of Lenk in the next valley. The World Cup course is near the bottom, off the Chuenisbärgli chairlift, and when you ski it, you know why it presents a fearsome challenge even to the best racers. This expert run is steady and steep, with wicked sidehill and tricky turns. Strong intermediates can negotiate it with no problem, but at World Cup speed, it is formidable.

Many of the remaining 65 marked runs are also ideal for most recreational skiers. Ride up one lift, drop off the back or follow a long traverse to another mountain, another valley. Some runs seem as populated as the Chilkoot Trail. You and your group will have others all to yourselves. A terrain park beside the Brenggen T-bar attracts young tricksters.

Non-ski, après-ski and instead-of-ski options abound. There's cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, winter walking on mountain trails (sounds odd to Americans but popular with Europeans who want fresh air and gentle exercise), sledding, tubing and enjoying in-town pleasures.

Adelboden offers excellent cuisine too. Casual mountain restaurants assemble lavish platters of locally made sausages, cheese, air-dried beef and bread. Fine dining opportunities include the mountainside Chalet-Restaurant Aebi (tel. +41 (0) 33 673 13 56; www.restaurant-aebi.ch), a family-run in a farmhouse built in 1786 that specializes in regional cuisine. On another hillside, former Swiss National Ski Team racer Sandra Burn and chef Andy Schranz run the Restaurant Hohliebe-Stübli (tel. +41 (0) 33 673 10 69; www.hohliebestuebli.ch) serving sophisticated contemporary cuisine in an exquisite and romantic setting.

The Solis Cambrian Hotel & Spa (tel. +41 (0) 33 673 8383; www.solisadelboden.com) displays 21st century stylishness but with the timeless advantage of a prime location in the middle of the village. If you prefer a location slightly out of town, the Parkhotel Bellevue (tel. +41 (0) 33 673 80 00; www.parkhotel-bellevue.ch) combines traditional warmth and comfort with modern amenities. Both have recently been renovated.

Lifts: 3 cable cars, 7 gondolas, 11 chairlifts, 21 surface lifts, 14 beginner lifts and tows.
Capacity: 52,400 per hour.
Ski season: December through late April or early May.
Marked pistes: 185 kilometers (41 beginner/novice, 48 intermediate, 11 advanced/expert).
Terrain parks: 1 terrain park and 1 freeride area.
Elevations: 4,428 feet (Adelboden village); 7,728 feet (top of Dossen lifts/Engstlialp area)

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