Engelberg and the Titlis glacier

When snow is lacking in the Vosges and Black Forest or when the holidays are exhausted, many skiers take the road to the nearest Swiss resorts. By leaving at 7 am, they are at the foot of the slopes when the ski lifts open. Since December, and the opening of the Titlis Xpress, it only takes 16 minutes to reach the glacier (instead of 30).

As the new cabins have a transport capacity of 2,400 people per hour compared to 1,600 previously, waiting times are significantly reduced. On arrival at halfway up, at the Stand, everyone rushes towards the famous “Rotair” (a cable car that makes a complete rotation during the trip) to reach the glacier: everyone wants to be among the first to trace in the still virgin snow. Off-piste tolerated between the Titlis and the Stand.

If the slopes on the glacier are easy, the descent to the Stand on the small connecting track is difficult. Better to be well trained to venture there. All the fairly steep and narrow slopes in the Titlis area also require good skiing. Beginners will be content to make this beautiful climb just for the panorama, crossing the ice cave and the cliff walk, an impressive suspension bridge.

At the heart of the glacier

Before facing the biting cold, head for the ice cave, dug in the heart of the glacier.

The atmosphere is unique (especially when there is no enthusiastic group of tourists), in the bowels of a thousand-year-old ice radiating with a bluish glow ... tourist purposes: the cold air injected into it in summer is used to preserve the glacier. Precisely, it's time to take a closer look! On leaving, an impressive panorama opens up to the eyes: peaks wherever the gaze rests, emerging from the sea of mist. Signs prohibit venturing anywhere: "beware of crevasses".

Wind resistant, skiers and visitors climb the few meters to reach the cliff walk, this suspension bridge between two peaks. From there, the view embraces only mountains, endless peaks. Among them, a bizarre formation resembles a ... giant Buddha. All the more reason for many Indian visitors to call Titlis “holy mountain”, the sacred mountain (see below). While the experienced skiers set off on the bumpy track to reach the middle station, everyone else takes to the Rotair to enjoy, once again, the panoramic spectacle.

With the Angel Eye

But Engelberg also allows less experienced skiers to have fun. Near the Titlis, the Jochstock area offers wider slopes, requiring less technique. A cogwheel train, Angel Eye, takes beginners to the Gerschnialp. This is also where there is a beautiful Nordic domain. Engelberg's other ski area, Brunni, is a little paradise for children. And the “super beginners”.

At the bottom of the station, near the Benedictine abbey, the “Klostermatte” hosts a whole set of carpets and small ski lifts. This is where parents teach toddlers to ski, where beginners try their first descents.

Cable cars take families up to the heights of the sunny Engelberg mountain. There, the Yetipark is perfect for spending a day in the snow: several mini-tracks await children for skiing, sledding, deckchairs allow parents to sunbathe while watching young budding skiers. Others go through the Yetipark to rent a toboggan and climb higher, to Brunnihütte and Schonegg. As for beginner skiers, they will find a few slopes to ski down with confidence.

The angels of the mountain

Once upon a time. A certain Konrad von Seelenbüren wanted to build a monastery. But where ? Angels would have ordered him to take his ox and set out.

The brave beast then went to the bottom of a valley to stop in a meadow at the foot of a magnificent mountain, the Titlis. Konrad therefore had his monastery built here, on the Ochsenmatte, the beef meadow, with monks from Muri.

While considering what name to give to their monastery, Konrad and the monks had a vision: angels were singing at the top of Titlis. And here is the birth of the Engelberg monastery, the angels of the mountain. And the legend of “holy mountain”, the sacred mountain so dear to tourists who come from India (several “Bollywood” films have been shot there).

The virtues room

Quite quickly, the Benedictine monks opened a school and, even today, the walls of the monastery house a college and a high school.

Over the centuries, the abbey has resisted fires, epidemics and revolts. Part of the impressive ensemble can be visited. Do not miss the magnificent marquetry pieces of Father Colomba: the table in the large baroque room, the lady's game in the refectory and the virtues room with walls covered with representations of 34 virtues. Most of these exceptional paintings are made of maple, walnut and pear wood, as well as some exotic species from the Benedictine missions in Africa.

Also worth seeing is the large abbey and parish church in a very pleasant Baroque style. Outside, a forgotten bell (it didn't have the right sound) has become somewhat of the emblem of the cheese factory below, in the enclosure of the abbey.

Abbey cheese

It is probably the only demonstration cheese factory installed in the venerable walls of an abbey! In the center of this pretty bright space, cheesemakers take turns making, between 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., fresh cheese filled with chili, bear's garlic, wild herbs, etc., as well as the famous "Engelberger Klosterglocke".

A few hard cheeses complete the range which can be tasted directly on site. This beautiful project was born from an idea of the Odermatt family, which manufactures its cheeses with respect for traditions, with milk from around ten regional producers. Each year, some 800,000 liters are transformed in this way. The whole process is done by hand. All you have to do is have a snack in the small restaurant where customers can follow all the cheesemaker's gestures!