Today was the first time I went to Euthal to go walk on a frozen lake. It was magnificent! There are huge marked areas where one can safely walk, sled or ice skate on the ice. You can even rent ice skates there (SFr. 10 adults / SFr. 5 for children). There were at least 1,000 people walking on the lake today.

Euthal is on Sihlsee, near Einsiedeln. It's on your way to Hoch Ybrig.

Link to Euthal with pictures of the lake:

http://tinyurl.com/24n5fc

Very important to stay on the areas marked as safe! A few days ago a mother was pushing a baby in its carriage across an area marked as forbidden and, surprise!!, the ice broke. From the TDG: La glace du Sihlsee cède: une femme et son bambin tombent à l'eau. In German from the NZZ: Frau und Kleinkind aus eisigem Sihlsee gerettet (I hope that's what the story is about, I don't read German

Absolutely 100%. We saw people skating across the lake far away from the marked areas. Crazy.

In 20 minutes yesterday there was a report of a fox that had gone through the ice at the Lac de Joux. The picture was heartbreaking.

Did you see which kinds of skates they rent out? Did they look like the long distance skates with very long blades? http://www.marktplaats.nl/index.php?...tml%3Fxref%3D1

I went to Euthal again two weeks ago. You can still safely ice skate but the area is much smaller now. The ice skates have laces and look exactly like the ice skates you can rent at indoor rinks.

Does anyone know if this is open for skating yet?

By this time last year and the year before, loads of the lake had been opened up for skating, but there is nothing on the website this year.

www.euthal.ch is where I normally check

Anyone driven past it on the way to Hoch Ybrig who might have spotted any skaters just over the long bridge?

I just drove past it and the lake is not frozen.

Any update on the state of the lake? Is it frozen yet?

I think I saw something on 20mins yesterday that it will open this weekend if the temperatures remain cold.

Website is here

http://www.natureisfeld-sihlsee.ch/eisfeld.html

Not yet open

If the weather stays like this its only a matter of time. I drove past today and it was frozen over. Maybe not thick enough to walk on yet, but its certainly covered in ice.

And don't forget there's a speed camera in front of the schoolhouse in Euthal as you're going to Unteriberg.

In the news yesterday and in the paper this morning - the skating area in Euthal has been cleared and the ice is deep enough to be safe for skating.

Keep to the marked skating area!
Entrance (free) only by the camping site Euthal. (Louis Schönbächler does it off his own bat).

Parking places available.

Euthal is also on a Postbus route from Einsiedeln.
Zürich>Wädenswil>Einsiedeln>Euthal
Takes about an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half from Zürich Main Station. (HB)
The bus from Einsiedeln to Euthal runs mostly at half hour intervals, as does the train from Wädenswil to Einsiedeln - but occasionally there is an hour between bus runs, so check before starting off.

From 10.00 to 15.30 -Skates can be hired at the kiosk: adults skates - Fr.10.00, children's skates - Fr.5.00



Have a good time.

Went today. The sun was shining, it was fantastic.

Parking is 5CHF (follow the natureeisfeld parking signs) and the pedestrian entrance is no longer through the 'campsite', you now have to walk along the main road for a bit.

The ice is really rough compared to previous years, can only assume that slush has frozen on the surface.

The large loop is circa 2km, so says Nokia Sports Tracker.

Enjoy!

Found this thread while searching for something else... any idea when we can do this, how to find on the web (or call...?) if the lake is frozen and we can go there with the kids? Sounds like a fun, different thing to do.

Thanks!

This 'Eisfeld Euthal' would be the right place to look. The text says that there has been too much 'Föhn' and the water is still too deep.

Also check the Site for Einsiedeln.

After checking out this thread, and the links, I went skating last week. It was a great experience in the sunshine surrounded by mountains. The kids were at school so it was very quiet. We found the staff very helpful (and speaking good English). The ice was rather bumpy and slushy in places, perhaps due to the recent mild weather (and we didn't start skating until almost midday). Although we were painfully inexperienced at skating we gradually got in to it and had a fantastic time.

Many thanks to Longbyt and Gemeinder for the links.

Ah a shame!! I wish I had remembered last week (we chose to go lakeside and enjoy the sun... can't complain!).

This weekend, it's closed. Let's cross fingers they open again, will keep on checking each Friday.