#Winterlovetrail

It doesn't get much more Swiss than Adelboden, with its quadrangular Romanesque bell tower that speaks of centuries gone by and its grand chalets with carved wooden balconies and facings, scattered in the secret of a vast Bernese Oberland mountain amphitheater.

Rising above this small world, with an eye on the demanding World Cup giant slalom course at Chuenisbärgli (where Marco Odermatt has recently been ruling the slopes), the cable car rises with a gentle clatter to the Sillerenbühl (1,974 m), at the heart of the vast ski area.

Adelboden may have been the birthplace of organised skiing holidays (as long ago as 1903!), but there's more to life than lathes. Crisp, crisp, crisp... On the Winterlovetrail, step by step, hand in hand, in the crystal-clear air of a sunny morning, the collection of peaks velvety white echoes the muffled sound of snow under your soles. Of the 40km or so of winter trails in the resort, this is perhaps the most beautiful - or at least the most romantic, with themed stations to prove it. To the south, overlooking the historic Engstligenalp mountain pasture, Steghorn (3,146 m) and Wildstrubel (3,243 m) mark the border with neighbouring Valais. From the glittering alpine pastures to the shadows of the fir trees, the route gently follows the slope, taking in the (new) poetic swing at LoveNest. Click click. After 1 hour's wandering (3 km), the hamlet of Geils (1,707 m) comes into view with a promise: a traditional lunch of fresh ravioli, eye-to-eye in the delicious old wooden cocoon of the Chüejer Stuba. Eternal Switzerland, for two.

adelboden.ch
ogellisiberg.ch/winterlovetrail
thecambrianadelboden.com