Hotels near Grindelwald-First

First occupies the north side of the Grindelwald valley, so its slopes face the sun and look straight across at the Eiger north wall. That makes it the afternoon area, and also the first to soften in spring. The Firstbahn gondola climbs from the edge of the village to First at 2,167 m in 25 minutes through two intermediate stations, Bort and Schreckfeld, and the runs back to the valley floor at 1,034 m give a vertical of roughly 1,134 m across 10 to 11 lifts.

Piste length is the second disputed number in this guide. The regional tourism board lists 56 km, skiresort.com 49 km. The regional figure is the one quoted here, with the caveat that the published sources contradict each other by seven kilometres. Bort is where Grindelwald's beginner terrain actually sits, which is worth knowing because Bussalp, higher up the same valley, is sometimes listed as a Grindelwald ski area and has no ski lifts at all: it exists for sledging and winter walking. First runs on the Skipass Jungfrau at CHF 79 adult across the same 21 November 2026 to 25 April 2027 season, and connects to the Kleine Scheidegg side by valley train rather than by piste.

Pro Tip: Pair the two Grindelwald areas in one day: Kleine Scheidegg from Grindelwald Terminal before lunch while it is shaded and firm, First after lunch for the sun. Both are on the same CHF 79 ticket. GrindelwaldBus line 121 covers the hop between Grindelwald railway station and the Firstbahn valley station if you would rather not walk the 8 to 10 minutes carrying skis.