🇨🇭 Körnlisegg (Snowkite)
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Best directionNE
Wind speed5–15kt
SeasonDec – Mar
Skill levelIntermediate
WaterSnow-covered ridge (snowkite)
A compact ridge spot above Pfäffikon SZ with a view straight down onto the Zürichsee, working specifically on NE Bise wind — unusually linear and consistent for a mountain spot when it's blowing. Two distinct areas: a longer, more open lower ridge with the strongest wind, and a smaller upper plateau that holds snow better but only works with wind from due NE to N.
View live 5-day wind forecast →Good to know
Getting therePark below the spot at the Gasthaus Körnlisegg restaurant — you're expected to actually buy something if you park there, not just leave the car. Access depends on snow at the Etzel pass: if it's clear, drive up from Pfäffikon SZ via the Etzel road directly; if Etzel itself is snow-covered (it becomes a sledding run), go via Sihlsee instead — from Pfäffikon SZ toward Ybrig, take the small "Etzel" turnoff on the right just before the lake, then follow the signs up.
HazardsThe lower ridge ("Krete") has a barbed-wire fence the full length of its lee side with bushes and trees behind it — stay on the windward side of the path. At its eastern end there's a small soaring slope with only about 150m of clearance before forest, so know how to stop your glide before you reach it. This is a Bise-only (NE) spot — east wind is mostly dead here except right on the ridge, and doesn't reach the upper plateau at all since trees block it there.
Best time of dayCheck high fog first — the nearby Ricken spot is the better bet when fogged in, with generally better odds of sun. Then check the forecast for the upper Zürichsee: a 0-6kt reading points you toward Ricken instead, 6-8kt is this spot's sweet spot. The lower ridge typically runs 5-8kt stronger than what you'd feel at the parking lot, so don't be discouraged by a calm start there.