Irish Sunday Mirror

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Going to the Top of the World? Take a pair of casual shoes in your backpack and leave your heavy ski boots at the Jungfraujo­ch station.

During the ski season, November-april.

Crystal Ski Holidays has a week’s half-board at the

walk through Wengen village from Hotel Belvedere, our Art Nouveau hotel. The train arrives exactly on time, it’s not too crowded and 25 minutes later, you are stepping on the snow. There is also a cable car up to the Mannlichen ski area just below Kleine Scheidegg. For skiers the slopes are gentle and wide – perfect for beginners and improvers. Scattered among the red and blue piste signs were some purple toboggan and hiking routes. Skiing back down into Wengen you can follow the route of the famous Lauberhorn World four-star Hotel Belvedere in Wengen, Switzerlan­d, from €750pp, (two sharing) including flights to Geneva on January 5, 2019, and first class rail transfers. From all major UK airports, quoted trip from Stansted. Six-day lift pass from €270 per person, ski hire from 2160, boot hire from €90. crystalski.co.uk, 0044 020 8610 3123 MORE INFO: wengenhote­ls. ch, wengen.com,

Cup race, one of the longest and toughest on the tour. Take the route down the other side of the Wengernalp and you follow the railway track down into Grindelwal­d. Stop at the restaurant by the Brandegg station half way down – their homemade apple fritters are a treat with a hot chocolate.

From Kleine Scheidegg you can buy a ticket for a connecting service that takes you to Europe’s highest railway station, the Jungfraujo­ch. The view from 11,332ft at the station restaurant over the Aletsch glacier is awe-inspiring. It’s also home to Lindt’s Swiss Chocolate Heaven, a shop that lives up to its name! If it’s après-ski and nightlife you’re looking for be aware this is Wengen, not Vegas. The Sina bar, adjoining an excellent pizzeria, is compact and friendly with a two-hour happy hour and the Rocks bar shows Sky Sports.

Near the centre is the Tanne bar, where you can try cocktails or 50 types of gin. They might even do you a vodka martini… shaken, not stirred.

Apart from chocolate, Switzerlan­d also has cheese fondue. It’s hard to imagine any meal justifying a 35-minute stiff uphill walk into a pitch black forest but Tino Fuchs’ fondue at the Waldhütte, above Wengen, did it.

There is no electricit­y in the former lumberjack’s candle-lit hut. Tino’s cow, Pamela, provides a distinctiv­e milk blended with other local cheese, wine and herbs to make a fondue to die for with Tino’s bread. After fondue, a bottle of red and a cherry schnapps, the walk back is barely noticeable.

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