With more than 7000km of terrain serviced by over 1800 lifts, there’s no shortage of skiing opportunities in Switzerland. One of the biggest ski areas is in the Jungfrau region, where 206km of groomed heaven and limitless backcountry potential are spread across two valleys and three ski resorts, all in the shadow of the stunning Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountain peaks.

Who’s afraid of heights? Well don’t attempt the First Cliff Walk then. This 45-metre-long observation platform, floating high above the Grindelwald Valley and with unrivalled views towards the Bernese Alps, has been likened to walking a plank. Then there’s the single-rope suspension bridge over a stomach-churning drop. And metal walkways wrapping around a cliff face. Access to the cliff walk, as well as a thrilling zip lining experience, is included as part of a valid Jungfrau or Grindelwald-Wengen Sportpass. Just bring a head for heights.

Velogemel is a wooden bicycle sled where the wheels are replaced by in-line runners. Unique to Grindelwald, it looks like a rickety bike on clogs, assembled with an Allen key and chosen from an IKEA catalogue. Riding one can take some getting used to before you get the hang of it and the place to do that is on Bussalp, where a scenic 8km downhill course that’s perfect for beginners will take you all the way down to Grindelwald.

The Jungfrau region is blessed with 50km of sledging runs, including the longest in the world – a 15km run from the 2680m summit of Faulhorn to Grindelwald. Sledging is brilliant fun where you tear downhill on a wooden or metal sledge (also called sleds or toboggans), using your feet and shifting your weight to brake and steer. As you can imagine, it’s easy to lose control. But the thrill factor increases at night on the 3.5km Eiger Run from Alpiglen to Brandegg. One piece of advice: fortify your nerves with a shot of schnapps or a mug of gluhwein first at the Schhumpf Bar in Brandegg.

Each year, on a Saturday in January (January 19 this year), the world’s best skiers converge on the Lauberhorn to speed down the oldest, longest and fastest downhill course on the World Cup circuit. For Swiss nationals, this is the biggest event on the sporting calendar, with 35,000 spectators attending and more than a million viewers glued to their TV sets to watch it. Much like the Melbourne Cup, it’s the race that stops a nation, with a party atmosphere to match. Then, after witnessing repeated acts of daring-do, hike down to car-free Wengen for the after-party shenanigans.

Unless you’re a world-class mountaineer, the only way to see the feared north face of the Eiger up close is from the inside of a helicopter. The thought of climbing the 1800m high ‘murder wall’, as it has been dubbed, will scare the bejesus out of anyone who prefers to keep their feet planted on the ground. But flying along the face of it, as well as over the Jungfraujoch astronomical observatory, perched on a saddle connecting Mönch with Jungfrau, is bound to get your adrenalin pumping.

Believe or not, a railway line tunnels through the north face of the Eiger from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe, with an in-built stop offering a window out over the wall. The Sphinx Observation Deck at the top affords uninterrupted views over the Aletsch Glacier – the longest in the Alps – while the Plateau viewing terrace is favoured by youngsters wanting to strip off in front of a camera. Why there? Who knows.

Groups of up to 20 persons can reserve a slot inside Jungfraujoch’s Ice Bar, where everything – the walls, a bar, a curling rink – have been chiselled out of the Aletsch Glacier. The temperature is a constant minus-three degrees here, so dress warmly. Or you could try a dram of Swiss Mountain whisky that was distilled in Interlaken then aged for nine years here, inside the glacier.

Grindelwald’s only five-star hotel, the Romantikhotel Schweizerhof, is just a two-minute walk from the train station and the perfect place for loved-up couples to establish roots during an adventure-based winter holiday. The family-owned alpine chalet was built in 1893 and contains a Michelin-starred restaurant.

The best thing about snowshoe hiking is leaving the ski fields behind so you can see the winter landscape in its mostly natural state. It’s beautiful and, save for the crunch of snow beneath your feet, deathly silent. Footslog around the powdery hills of Lombachalp for the prettiest scenes.

Nothing says Swiss cuisine more than fondue, the winter staple that would be unthinkable not to try if you happen to be in the mountainous, landlocked country. Made from melted cheese in a communal pot, standard practice is for fondue to be eaten by dipping bread into the cheese using long-stemmed forks. Yummy!

With fair justification, Interlaken has been branded the adventure capital of Europe, with skydiving one of the adrenalin-fuelling pursuits on offer. Take in the majestic views over the snow-covered Bernese Alps ahead of a minute-long tandem free-fall that will freeze the inside of your mouth as you bellow out unbridled whoops of delight.

From mid-December to mid-February, Interlaken’s Höhematte park transforms into a winter wonderland with the erection of ICE MAGIC, an outdoor ice skating complex containing a circuitous collection of runways and rinks that will have you feeling like a kid all over again.

Interlaken was settled on a silt plain between two glacial lakes that can be so placid that the surrounding snow-capped mountains are often mirrored on their surface. Dry suits will keep you insulated while you paddle a kayak across peaceful Lake Brienz towards a medieval castle perched high on a knoll above the northern bank.

While running off a mountain ledge into the void sounds as ludicrous as jumping out of a plane, there’s no doubting that chasing thermal updraughts during a tandem paraglide from Beatenberg will leave you buzzing long before you touch down in Interlaken.