Grindelwald, Switzerland ? Switzerland’s majestic mountains are set to reverberate this winter to “snowbombing” and jam sessions as the Alpine country tries to shed its staid image and attract the party crowd — ravers — as well as skiers.

The tourist industry needs new visitors badly. The German economic squeeze and American travel jitters because of fears of terrorism and the possible war against Iraq have dulled the vacation appetites of two big customers. Also, the Swiss franc is exceptionally strong against the euro and the dollar — making Switzerland a pricey destination for Europeans and Americans alike.

“We know we are going to have to compete hard with other destinations this winter,” says Silvia de Vito of Swiss Tourism, which has stepped up marketing campaigns, with posters of film legend Sophia Loren using all of her powers of seduction to woo potential visitors.

De Vito acknowledges that Switzerland’s main rival, Austria, will be cheaper this season — but not necessarily better.

“We have the most beautiful and the highest mountains,” she says, pointing out that Switzerland has more 12,000-foot peaks than other European country.

And at least there’s snow. Oodles and oodles of it. While the Swiss plains were soaked with rain throughout November, the precipitation fell as powder in higher-lying Alpine areas, allowing many ski lifts to open before the end of November.

Deals abound

Most hotels and chalets are full for the festive season and are filling up rapidly for the peak February school holiday period. But for the rest of the time, resorts are vying with each other to offer discount packages and other special attractions. Swiss Tourism plans a special section on its www.myswitzerland.com Web site catering to bargain hunters.

Worried about the anticipated slump in German visitors, the classy car-free resort of Zermatt is offering seven-night hotel packages in January, February and April starting from $882. A ski pass, ski or carving instruction, and ski hire is included.

A new Matterhorn Express cable car, which opened Thursday, promises to take skiers from the center of Zermatt to Schwarzsee at the foot of the famed Matterhorn in the space of just 10 minutes. A new casino is also opening in December. The resort offers superb skiing, and has a big gravity park for snowboarders.

In the central Bernese Oberland, Grindelwald offers a four-day, half-board package in a four-star hotel for $576, including the ski pass and entry into the local sports center. This dips to $378 in a two-star hotel. The special offers are available until the first week of February and after mid-March.

¢ www.mySwitzerland.com¢ www.klosters.ch¢ www.davos.ch¢ stmoritz.ch

Surrounded by the awesome Jungfrau, Eiger and Moench mountains, the so-called Village of the Glaciers offers good skiing on the First, Kleine Scheidegg, Maenlichen and Schilthorn mountains, as well as lovely winter hiking along 50 miles of well-prepared trails and a 9.3-mile toboggan run.

A popular feature on the Grindelwald calendar is the World Snow Festival in January when teams of artists from around the world spend a week carving impressive sculptures out of massive blocks of snow.

Another local favorite is the Velogemel World Championships in February. A velogemel, for the uninitiated, is a snowbike with a wooden frame, two metal runners and a steering bar in front which comes in handy for those tired of slogging through snow and slush.

“The world championships are a gag really because it’s very local. But we all enjoy it,” says Margrit Brawand, vice director of the tourist office.

New wave of festivals

Grindelwald — and most other neighboring villages in the Interlaken region — target the traditional tourist, this year emphasizing the fact that the United Nations recently declared the Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn region part of the “world’s natural heritage” — the equivalent of the Nobel prize for nature.

But other Alpine regions are striking out in different directions, trying in particular to appeal to the closely knit snowboard community. In eastern Switzerland, Laax offers “kiss the glacier” races for skiers and boarders, while Crans Montana in the Valais Alps has just opened a Snow Fun park.

Davos, best known for its annual gathering of rich and powerful at the World Economic Forum, will be transformed for MTV’s Winter Jam festival March 12-14, which is expected to attract about 10,000 “ravers.” Skiing and boarding by day and DJ Sound and live bands by night at the foot of the Jakobshorn.

Villars, in western Switzerland, promises a “snowbombing” week in April.

“Take 3,000 people, one world-class snowboarding competition, add a weeklong cutting-edge music festival, place them carefully in the idyllic surroundings of the Swiss Alps and leave until chilled,” proclaims the Web site of the snowbombing fans. It promises plenty of sun, snow and nocturnal naughtiness overseen by big name DJs. “Boards by day. Beats by night.”

“We saw in particular in Britain that there is a big market potential for such events among people who would never normally come to Switzerland,” says Swiss Tourism’s de Vito. “There’s a big market loophole.”

“We hope they will come to the festivals this year and then return as individual tourists next year.”

The Swiss have also received the boost of the snowboard World Cup finals in Arosa, which should pull in more crowds.

For those who prefer good, old-fashioned skiing, the glitzy resort of St. Moritz is putting together special packages to include the World Championships Feb 1-16, which are expected to be a major boost to the region’s tourism.

The St. Moritz area also offers unrivaled cross-country skiing facilities as well as stunning walks across the vast frozen lake.

The Engadin panorama near St. Moritz forms the backdrop for film diva Loren’s publicity shots.

“Incredible, beautiful!” said Loren during the shoot. “I love the snow above all else.

“For me Switzerland is the home of the mountains.”