Eischoll

Eischoll has around 440 residents and sits at 1,220 metres, a short half hour's drive up a narrow, winding road, or eight minutes by cable car from Raron. That cable car climbs from the valley at 645 metres to 1,217 metres with two ten-person cabins and runs all year. The village presents itself as the home of the Lichtblume, a local nature legend that comes back to life in its own outdoor game for children.

The ski area has fifteen kilometres of piste between 1,260 and 2,200 metres with three lifts; in winter the Strygge-Erez ski lift links through to Unterbäch, bringing the total to around thirty-five kilometres. It's distinctly small-scale, exactly what you want when the children are still learning or when everywhere else is too busy. On Friday and Saturday evenings the lights come on along the Strygge-Dorf piste for night skiing between half past six and half past nine.

The toboggan run from Strygge down to the village measures three kilometres, with sledge hire at the valley station. There are also four snowshoe routes, groomed winter walking paths and ski touring routes.

Summer here is about walking and biking. Themed trails such as the Meisenweg, the Lichtblumenweg and the Suonenweg run past the old irrigation channels, and a suspension bridge crosses the Milibach. Mountain bikers have two genuine descents: the Lufu Trail from the mountain station back to Raron, and the flowing Lunggi Trail towards Steg and Gampel, which links into the Moosalp network. The Wildscheunen are a highlight: historic barns that volunteers have converted into small nature discovery spaces. For families there are playgrounds with a wooden marble run and barbecue spots. In summer the mountain railway runs from late June to mid-August, daily from ten to five, with a return ticket for CHF 12.