The Resort

82 km of piste and one of the longest descents in the Alps. From the top of Titlis it is 12 kilometres and 2,000 vertical metres down to Engelberg, the kind of run that quietly rearranges your idea of what a ski day looks like. Off the pistes, Engelberg is one of the great freeride names in Switzerland: the Laub is a thousand vertical metres of wide open powder face, and the Galtiberg runs from the glacier all the way to the valley floor. Both want a guide and the right conditions. For everyone else there are broad, unhurried pistes and a sunny side at Brunni that nobody is ever in a hurry to leave.

Lodging & Après-Ski

Hotel Crystal awaits you right in the middle of Engelberg, two minutes from the station, with a breakfast included that was made from regional produce. Twenty-seven rooms, all of them looking at mountains, an alpine sauna area with Finnish sauna, bio sauna and steam bath for whatever the day has done to you, and a ground-floor ski room with boot heaters so every morning starts with warm feet. The ski bus stops two minutes from the door.

Good to Know

Engelberg's Big 5 are five lift-served freeride descents. Ski all of them in a day and you have covered close to 10,000 vertical metres. People do try.