Snowshoe Trails in Switzerland

We tested the easy trail “Chli Shijen” at Ibergeregg, Schwyz

Snowshoeing is a wonderful way to explore the mountains in winter. Compared to the sometimes very busy ski slopes, the snowshoe trails are rather quiet.

If you think this is something you would like to try out, you have two options: you can book a guided tour at the local tourist office or you rent snowshoes in one of the ski outfitters and just follow one of the recommended trails in the area. Your choice very much depends on how ambitious and/or flexible you are in terms of timing, distance and speed.

Prepared trails make your hike easy and safe

I tried a few group excursions, which were a lot of fun, but I prefer to remain flexible. Sometimes, I am just not in the mood for a full day excursion, which usually involves getting up early and meeting at a certain time somewhere in the mountains. In the end, we bought our own equipment which makes perfect sense, if you plan to go snowshoeing on a regular basis.

Last weekend, we made a trip to Ibergeregg, which is in the Kanton Schwyz and belongs to the Mythen Region. It takes about an hour drive from Zurich. Since this was the first weekend with good snow conditions we avoided the large ski resorts.

Ibergeregg is a small ski and winter sport area in the Mythen area

Ibergeregg also offers some ski slopes, but it is rather small and mostly frequented by families.

Here you can see the map of the area, including trail suggestions. I downloaded the pdf-file from their website: schneeschuhkarte. Unfortunately, it is all in German. However, the maps, the climb/descent profiles and numbers are somewhat self-explanatory.

Trail posts along the way

The area offers several snowshoe trails ranging from 2.6 km/1:30 hrs to 9.5 km/5:00 hrs. The same color scheme which is used for ski slopes applies to these trails, too. Blue means the hikes are easy, red stands for intermediate and black is difficult. Last weekend, we tried the Chli Schijen, which is an easy blue trail.

Snowshoe Trail: Chli Schijen

Length: 3.1 km

Time: approx. 1.5 hrs

Climb/Descent: 135 meters

Difficulty: easy, moderate fitness level, no special snowshoe skills required

Route: round trip, starting at the parking lot

Terrain: nice mix of narrow forest trails and splendid views into the valley

Equipment rental: no rental available directly at Ibergeregg

A word of caution

Please do not create your own routes by just walking off the marked trails. Not only will you disturb the wildlife, which is already stressed by all the winter sport activities, you may risk your life. Even, if the terrain does not look dangerous at all, you may cause or get caught in an avalanche. Make sure you check the website of the area where you plan to go to see if the trail is open before you take off.