Switzerland 

                                       Spotlight On Mürren

                                                           (Originally written in 2002 for OnTheSnow.com)
                                                                                      by Ted Heck)

If you ever want to be James Bond, you can audition for the part in Mürren, the charming Swiss village in the Jungfrau region of Switzerland.

Remember that scene in On His Majesty’s Secret Service, where Telly Sevalas and his villainous henchmen chase Bond down the slopes? It was filmed here. Headquarters for the bad guys was the revolving restaurant atop the Schilthorn Mountain. It gives today’s skiers a 360-degree lunch, one in which the scenery is more important than what’s on the menu. On a clear day in one swing you see 200 mountains and 40 glaciers. A segment of the circle focuses on the magnificent trio of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau peaks.

The Schilthorn is still a starting point for another dramatic chase, the annual Inferno race in which 1,800 skiers challenge the clock in a 10-mile, 7,100-feet plunge down to the village of Lauterbrunnen. It is the world’s longest downhill race.

Let’s say, however, that you are not interested in being run over by the multitude of racers in the Inferno and that your Bond career may be just as short as George Lazenby’s. (It was the only time he played the role.)

So what else is there in Mürren? The immediate ski area has 33 miles of prepared slopes and 12 lifts. More than half the terrain is rated as intermediate. Because the slopes above the village are higher than other ski districts in the Jungfrau region, the snow is often better.

If skiers get bored, though, they can make their way across the massive canyon that separates Mürren from Wengen and then access the many slopes of the Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg areas. A popular run there is the famed Lauberhorn downhill course. Grindelwald is farther away with still another interesting venue on the First Mountain.

Mürren is traffic-free, with narrow streets and many chalets. It is small by alpine resort standards, with only 350 inhabitants and 2,000 guest beds. Americans are always struck by how much English they hear; the village has long been a favorite of British skiers. Part of the heritage is attributed to noted ski enthusiast Sir Arnold Lunn, who organized the first slalom ski race in 1922 and six years later conceived the Inferno.

Some visitors may consider Mürren a bit expensive. A room with continental buffet breakfast can cost $160 a night in a four-star hotel, but a comfortable room can be had for less than half that in a comfortable two-star. The village also has many apartment offerings.

Wherever you stay, the views of the mountains are priceless. One of the pictures this writer has used in publications shows a figure skater, practicing on the ice rink in Mürren. In the background is the awesome Eiger.

Mürren is quiet at night, but if you are not too tired from skiing during the day, have a look in the Tächi bar or the Blüemlichäller, where the locals meet.

The village is 11 miles from the cosmopolitan city of Interlaken and 90 miles from the Zurich gateway airport.