Velogemel
When Old Man Winter is in a good mood and sends us plenty of snow, the snow-clearing services with their modern machinery are soon out and about to clear our roads. But if we go back in time, getting about in deep snow was no easy matter. A picture from 1905 shows a snow roller being pulled by two coachmen and horses. However, as we know, necessity is the mother of invention. Just as well – because otherwise the Velogemel might never have existed...
Made in Grindelwald.
Christian Bühlmann, a disabled cartwright and carpenter, found it too difficult to make his way to his customers on foot through fresh snow. And so this clever Grindelwald man invented the Velogemel. It is a kind of sledge based on a bicycle which can be used to ride on ski slopes and snowy roads. The inventor patented his work in 1911 and it has been very popular in Grindelwald ever since. Since 1996, Grindelwald has even hosted an annual world championship in Velogemel riding.
Warm up & lean back
After an icy ride, a "Gemelpunsch" in the hotel bar is a treat for all the senses.