I’m high up in Switzerland’s Mürren-Schilthorn ski area, a cradle of alpine skiing and
racing but I’m too busy enjoying a current theme in the resort to think about ski
history.
At lunch in the Piz Gloria restaurant – famous for revolving on its own axis and
sweeping past views of 200 mountain peaks as it moves – the hamburger I order comes
branded with a ‘007’ stamp. I visit the toilette and find doors emblazoned with svelte
Bond Girl figures.
After lunch, a quick wander reveals a 007 Walk of Fame and an interactive Bond World museum complete with helicopter simulator that swoops me straight into a thrilling
movie scene. All at 2,970m metres, at the top of the Schilthorn cable car.
Back in the village (1,650m) I stop to admire skaters practising on the ice rink. They’re performing to a familiar theme song.
In the Hotel Eiger, I sneak a peak at a luxury suite and find subtle film references
throughout. I ring the suite doorbell and a Bond theme tune comes back at me.
The hints are obvious. ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the only James Bond movie to feature actor George Lazenby, was filmed on the Schilthorn in 1969 and in fact, the Piz Gloria restaurant was built as Blofeld’s mountain hideaway for the film.
The film’s crew stayed there for five months and many locals worked as extras. Today, Mürren – a tiny mountain village with just 400 full-time inhabitants and 1,400 tourist beds – is a remarkable place combining traditional with contemporary.
The ski history is impressive. In 1910/11, tour operator Sir Henry Lunn launched Mürren
as a winter sports resort and during WW1, injured British POWs interned there were introduced to skiing.
This led to an alpine ski racing tradition which endures today with the Kandahar club, of
which ex-Olympic Irish skiers Tamsen and Kirtsy McGarry are members.
Mürren’s decision to embrace its Bond credentials may elicit the odd grumpy comment
from traditionalists but it has worked for the local economy.
The Schilthorncable car is busy in summer and winter and ski season occupancy has enjoyed an increase.
Bond themes aside, Mürren is a cosy winter cocoon offering the highest skiing in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland.
Accessible only by train and cable car from the Lauterbrunnen valley, it’s completely car-free and a safe haven for young families.
It’s normal to see young children being pulled along on sleds and everything is within an easy ten or fifteen-minute walk.
Above all, Mürren is a locals’ village and one that works through community co-operation.
Adrian Stahli, who runs the village’s only four-star Hotel, the Eiger, with his wife Susanna, is also president of the tourist board, head of the hotel association and a volunteer with the local fire service.
He still manages to greet his guests in warm Oberlander style at dinner each evening, Set on a sunny terrace facing the imposing Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau peaks, Mürren’s ski area is a family-friendly 51km with access to additional skiing in neighbouring Wengen and Grindelwald (213km in total).
Bond himself would be proud of the adrenalin-fuelled activities on offer now. Younger visitors are attracted by paragliding, off-piste skiing, base jumping and most extreme of all, wing-suiting.
Each January, the resort hosts the Inferno, an infamous downhill race open to
almost 2,000 amateur skiers.
It’s the world’s longest downhill race, covering 15km and 2,000 vertical metres. The prospect of it makes grown men and women shake in their boots but its popularity has led to a weekend festival of events and races (January 18-21).
Getting to Mürren is an adventure in itself. Using the Swiss Travel Pass, I took the train from Geneva, changing at Bern and Interlaken Ost before switching to a cable car at Lauterbrunnen.
From there, my luggage was transported to the resort while I enjoyed a
last short train ride through stunning mountain scenery.
At Mürren train station, my bags were taken by trolley to the Hotel Eiger across the street, a relaxed four-star property. The family-run hotel offers a warm welcome, swimming pool views to die for and tasty food.
Although it’s tiny, Mürren is blessed with an impressive sports centre – complete pool, spa, rinks.
If you want a morning off skiing, walk the magical forest trail down to Winteregg and take in the views of the Eiger.Or take the train to the ‘top of Europe’, the Jungfraujoch, or hire a mountain guide to complete day ski tours in the area.
If you’re skiing solo, think about joining a Ski Club of Great Britain leader for the day. I skied with Bob Anderson last winter, who showed me every inch of the mountain.
Take the children to the new Thrill Walk, a reinforced glass cliff path from Birg that offers great views, a 250m drop below and an eight-metre crawl-through tunnel .
The Skyline Walk, also at Birg, is a platform situated over a vertical precipice, again with stunning views. Children will also love the Skyline snow park and Apollo sledge run.
Adventurous adults with a day to spare might try winter kayaking on Lake Brienz, near Interlaken – if they could bear to leave their lovely Mürren cocoon…
Travel facts:
Getting there: AerLingus and Swiss Air fly to Geneva and Zurich. Invest in a Swiss Travel
Pass (www.sbb.ch) for your train trip and visit swisspasses.com to learn more about getting luggage sent directly to the resort.
Stay at: 4* Hotel Eiger in Mürren for a personable experience. Rates available form muerren.ch. Others include the Regina, complete with restored Art Deco dining room.
Eat at: the Piz Gloria for Bond-themed menus; the Suppenalp for fondue following a sledge ride from the top of the Allmendhubel; the Alpenruh hotel which has a new Michelin star chef this winter and the Stagerstubli for rosti and mountain dishes.
Apres at: Tächi bar at the Hotel Eiger.
Buy it: Murren local lift pass costs 291 CH for six days. Look out for the Golden Card with discounts in the resort. Many attractions, including Bond World, are free.
Explore it: muerren.ch jungfrau.ch inferno-muerren.ch. myswitzerland.com
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