Tobogganing in the Kiental

Away from the tourist hustle and bustle of the Bernese Oberland is the Kiental natural oasis. The Kiental is a side valley of the Kander Valley and can be reached by public transport from Reichenbach by post bus in 15 minutes. In contrast to the more well-known Swiss winter sports destinations, the Kiental relies on gentle tourism, takes into account its location within the UNESCO World Heritage Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch and, in my opinion, is a real insider tip that absolutely deserves some attention.

Great toboggan run in the Kiental

I think the Kiental is great for a toboggan trip in winter (I know the correct German word would be “tobogganing”, but that just sounds so strange, forgive me). You could also ski here, but in my opinion the area is a bit too small for that. We got up early for our tobogganing trip and were rewarded with a deserted, freshly snow-covered mountain.

Tobogganing is one of those things… if there are too many people on the toboggan runs, I think it gets uncomfortable and dangerous pretty quickly. For this reason, I also put on my ski helmet on the sled. But if you’re traveling alone in a small group, it’s an absolutely fun thing to do.

In the Kiental, the Ramslauenen chairlift is perfectly optimized for the demands of tobogganers. The sledge is attached to the chair by an employee and you can ride comfortably and carefree uphill on the chairlift. A single ride on the chairlift costs 11 CHF for adults, the day ticket 32 CHF. From three departures, it is therefore worthwhile to buy a day ticket. Once you arrive at the top of the mountain station, you will be greeted by a nice marmot and can then start the descent immediately.

From the Ramslauenen mountain station, the 7-kilometre-long toboggan run with many curves leads back to the valley station. If you slow down on the way and interrupt the rapid ride, you can enjoy a fantastic mountain panorama all the way to Lake Thun.

We took our own wooden sled with us for this trip (which of course has extreme style ;-)). The Ramslauenen valley station also offers toboggans for rent for a daily rental of 12 CHF.

Recommendation: If you ever visit the beautiful Bernese Oberland, I recommend planning a detour to the Kiental.