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If you're at Balmer's in Interlaken, chances are about 50-50 that you'll be able to grab a free sled provided by Balmer's. Those who are already in the mountains will have to pay SFr 7.00 to rent a sled from a sport shop, but this is made up for by the lack of additional transportation costs.

In the Mürren area, there are three options for sledding: Gimmelwald, Gimmelen and Blumental. The roadway between Mürren and Gimmelwald provides an excellent sled run, complete with mattress barriers at the hazardous spots. Sled down, have a "Heidi Cocoa" or two at the Hotel Mittagorn, then either walk back up or take the cable car for SFr 6.80 one way. I prefer Gimmelen because you can get the uphill walking part out of the way first, have your drinks and then sled back down. The view from the Restaurant Gimmelen's terrace is also slightly more awesome. You can walk up to the Blumental as well, but it's a steep, icy haul, during which you constantly have to watch out for other skiers or sledders. It's better to take the Allmendhubel funicular up one way (SFr 6.80), snap some incredible photos of your friends at the top, in front of the snow-clad Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, then begin the hair-raising half-hour ride down.

A second possibility offers slightly less of a view but is a good way to get over on the Wengen side of the Lauterbrunnen Valley, for some variety. If you are staying in Interlaken, your total transportation costs will come to SFr 33.80. Get a one-way ticket from Interlaken East to Wengernalp, which is between Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg. (Change at Lauterbrunnen to the green train on the next track.) It's about a half hour's sled ride from Wengernalp back down to Wengen, where you can buy a one-way ticket home.

The last and best sledding adventure involves going to Grindelwald and taking the bus from the main parking lot by the station to a place called Bussalp. Bussalp offers one of the finest panoramas reachable by roadway, and the sunny outdoor terrace of its restaurant makes a good place to have a warming "Kaffee Fertig" before you start the hour-long ride down. (You can go down on the road, which is pretty tame, or the toboggan run, which is a little more exciting.) In addition to the SFr 16.80 round-trip from Interlaken East to Grindelwald, the bus costs SFr 13.00 one-way. This trip has become so popular that you now must book it with the tourist office as soon as you arrive in Grindelwald.