Pizol

Pizol means “high peak” in Romansh and the resort has a huge vertical drop when the snow lies in the Rhine valley and has some fabulous off-piste and ski touring above the tree line. Day trippers can make Bad Ragaz, below the ski area, by train in 75 minutes from Zurich but the town is a well-established holiday destination with a wealth of diversions for longer stays.

Ski Area Pizol
Resorts Pizol, Bad Ragaz, Wangs
Ski Region Eastern Switzerland
Piste (km) 40
Top run (m) 2227
Bottom (m) 500
Max Drop 1727
Snow’n’Rail Y
Black (km) 2
Red (km) 17
Blue (km) 21
Lifts (#/hr) 12000
My Rating 4
Alpine 3
SnowPark 3
Nordic 1
Hiking 1
Family 5
Apres Ski 1
Free Ride Y
Snow making Y
Fun park Y
Snow park Y
Half pipes
Spa Y

In Brief

A complimentary bus service operates from Bad Ragaz station to the Pizolbahn gondola, and there is also a public bus from the station at Sargans to a gondola at Wangs. The two parts of the resort served by each of the gondolas are distinct, joined together by a pair of surface lifts from Pizolhütte and Laufböden (2227m). Personally I prefer the Bad Ragaz side, with the sumptious runs down from the Laufböden to Pardiel (and the open off-piste areas between). There are also two scenic black runs through the trees with good off-piste opportunities between them.  The area above Wangs is good value though – from the Pizolhütte (snow permitting) you can ski all the way down to Wangs at 509m, over an impressive mile of vertical descent with a background of the Rhine valley and Liechenstein below!

With only one chairlift up from Pardiel and two consecutive chairlifts from Furg, the queues can build up at a weekend, particularly if there are lots of lift stoppages. However there are a good range of  amenities – a funpark, childcare, a toboggan run, ski schools, a choice of places to eat and drink and a range of ski -in, ski-out accommodation options (as well as nearby Bad Ragaz with its spa).

Car parking at the bottom is not free.

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Grächen

This pretty mountain village lies on a sunny plateau south of Visp in the valley that leads to Zermatt. It’s family friendly, but not really a beginners resort with most runs, including the run back to the village, designated as reds.

Ski Area Grächen
Resorts Grächen
Ski Region Valais
Piste (km) 40
Top run (m) 2864
Bottom (m) 1600
Max Drop 1264
Snow’n’Rail Y
Black (km) 3
Red (km) 26
Blue (km) 6
Lifts (#/hr) 13500
My Rating 4
Alpine 2
SnowPark 2
Nordic 2
Hiking 2
Family 5
Apres Ski 1
Free Ride Y
Snow making Y
Fun park Y
Snow park  
Half pipes  
Spa  

In Brief

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Elm

Elm has a feature known as the “Martinsloch”, a 15m round hole in the Tschingelhorn at 2600m through which the sun shines onto the village church steeple for only a few days a year, in March and September. Elm is located in Glarus at the head of the Sernf valley, seperated from Braunwald to the West by the Chärpf (2794m) and from Graubünden in the south by the Panix pass. Elm is not a bad little ski and snowboard destination, with a reasonable range of runs for all abilities and generally good snow on the upper slopes. Sadly it is not on the Swiss Railways Snow’n’Rail circuit.

Ski Area Elm
Resorts Elm
Ski Region Eastern Switzerland
Piste (km) 40
Top run (m) 2105
Bottom (m) 1000
Max Drop 1105
Snow’n’Rail
Black (km) 5
Red (km) 20
Blue (km) 15
Lifts (#/hr) 7400
My Rating 4
Alpine 2
SnowPark 1
Nordic 1
Hiking 1
Family 3
Apres Ski 2
Free Ride Y
Snow making Y
Fun park Y
Snow park
Half pipes
Spa

In Brief

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Val D’Hérens

In this picturesque valley the two villages of Evolène and Arolla have broadly similar lengths and style of piste, and rather antiquated lifts. Arolla is a particularly lovely village, but rather remote, situated on the Haute Route ski tour between Chamonix and Zermatt. The skiing in the valley is perhaps somewhat overshadowed by the nearby and more accessible Quattre Vallées resorts, but these slopes are quiet even at weekends, the snow record is very good, the resorts are relatively inexpensive and, as a consequence, the valley has a loyal following of repeat visitors.

Ski Area Val D’Hérens
Resorts Arolla, Evolène, Nax, Mont-Noble
Ski Region Valais
Piste (km) 47
Top run (m) 3000
Bottom (m) 1700
Max Drop 1300
Snow’n’Rail
Black (km) 6
Red (km) 22
Blue (km) 24
Lifts (#/hr) 6000
My Rating 4
Alpine 3
SnowPark 1
Nordic 2
Hiking 1
Family 1
Apres Ski 2
Free Ride
Snow making Y
Fun park Y
Snow park
Half pipes
Spa

In Brief

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