Alpine Winter Sports – Page 57 – Everything you need to know about skiing and other Alpine winter sports

12/03/201212/03/2012

March Ski conditions in Gstaad

It is the middle of March and, after an unseasonably warm couple of weeks, many people are already predicting the end of the winter sports season. Not true! Many friends have told me about the excellent cross-country and ski touring, and my own experience on the pistes certainly suggests this season is far from over.

I visited Gstaad Mountain Rides this last weekend, and the conditions were fabulous on-piste. Off-piste was crusty, but these are slopes that are generally between 1000m and 2000m, so it is probably not reasonable to expect too much of them in mid-March. However, in general, there was good snow cover and some fabulous runs on the pistes. The only areas to show significant wear and tear were the steeper black runs, of which there are few in this area, and the valley runs to Gstaad and St Stephan. Remarkably, under-threat Rellerli still seems to be in good nick, and the runs down to Saanen off Eggli were near-perfect.

I have to declare a love affair with Gstaad and its pistes. There are nine unconnected areas in six sectors which make up the Mountain Rides lift pass area, and the public transport that joins everything up is infrequent. However the trains and buses are reliable so if you carry a timetable with you, you need never find yourself hanging around. In addition, there are really only three significant areas – although the others are worth a detour if you have the opportunity – and two of those are in the same designated sector. Added to that, all public transport is free if you have a lift pass.

The senery is stunning, and the area has a fairly high standard in mountain restaurant cuisine. There are no lift queues to speak of, even at busy times, and the lifts are generally modern or scheduled to be updated.

But what really makes this area so enjoyable for me is the mile after mile of wide, easy pistes. There are no flat spots to speak of, and largely avoidable surface lifts. This really is an intermediate paradise, particularly for boarders.

It is also easy to get to from Berne or Basel. Zweisimmen is the gateway to the region, and far more easy to get to by train than car. Most riders would be happy to spend a day on the large area accessible from the gondola station next to the station at Zweisimmen, but trains connect to Lenk and the Adelboden pistes, and the pistes across at Saanen and Rougemont so it is feasible to take in atl east a couple of areas in one day.

Iv’e posted pictures on the relevant resort pages at http://www.swisswintersports.co.uk and at my flickr site here. Check them out.

08/03/201209/03/2012

Ski Baselworld

Baselworld is the world’s largest and most prestigious watch fair. It’s almost 2000 exhibitors receives over 100,00 visitors on the nearly 2 million square feet of exhibition space. This year it follows sharply on the back of Basler Fasnacht, the largest of the Swiss carnivals, and as always it co-incides with the ski season. I’m a great fan of Swiss watches and love all the glamour and excitement of this fabulous celebration of the art of watchmaking. After a busy few days working the halls, however I’m sure many of the exhibitors and visitors feel they deserve some downtime, and where better to do it that than in the Swiss Alps?

For skiers and snowboarders the choice is wide, Klewenalp, Melchsee-Frutt and Engelberg are the nearest resorts to get to by public transport or car. Grindelwald, Wengen and Mürren are not much further away and give you iconic views of the Eiger – although Sörenberg, from the top of the Brienzer Stockhorn also gives you a fabulous view of the Jungfrau massif from across Lake Brienz. Of these Engelberg and Grindelwald have the liveliest nightlife, whilst the others make more suitable destinations for a day trip. If you are going to spend a couple of days in the mountains the resorts of the Valais must also surely beckon – Zermatt and Verbier in particular, both of which have a nightlife to match the skiing and snowboarding. We have had a very warm spell recently, but the conditions have improved and all these resorts have good snow reports.

If tobogganing, winter walks, snowshoe-ing or cross-country is your thing, there is plenty of choice, but Gstaad is probably the nearest best option.

You can drive, of course, but many of these locations are car-free and all are served by public transport. The excellent Snow’n’Rail scheme operated by Swiss Railways provides a significant discount for 1 or 2 day breaks on both the rail ticket and the lift pass. For more details of your transport options visit this page.

The good news for booking somewhere to stay that it is much easier to find a place in the mountains for the night than it is in Basel, at least during Baselworld. The strong Swiss Franc has led to many hoteliers having overnight, last-minute vacancies this season. I easily found somewhere in Verbier only last week.

And where do people who live in Basel go? Well, all of the above and a number of other smaller or less well-known resorts. We also have a small resort across the border in Germany at Feldberg, although it is quite low. I think I might try Gstaad this weekend – Zweisimmen is easy to get to and the gondola station for the largest terrain in the area is right next to the station.

02/02/201208/03/2012

Scuol

Scuol from Motta Naluns
Scuol, in the Lower Engadine, lies in a beautiful setting below the peaks of the Silvretta and Dolomites mountain ranges. Although Austria and Italy lie only a few miles away, the most likely route you will take to get here in winter is on a train of the Rhaetian Railways from Klosters through the 19km Vereina Tunnel. It’s a fairly easy journey by train from Basel or Zurich, with only one change required at Landquart; for drivers there is a car transporter shuttle running every 30 minutes from just outside Klosters.

Scuol is a spa town and developed as a winter sports destination after the first ski lift was installed in 1956. The railway arrived in 1913 and terminates at Scuol Tarasp station. Conveniently the station is right next to the gondola bottom station with the centre of Scuol and the main Bogn Engiadina spa about 10 minutes walk away or two stops on the bus. Most of the hotels are in the main part of the town, but Scuol Youth Hostel is right next to the station and the gondola, so it was a no-brainer to choose it to stay for a family break.

The hostel is modern and friendly, not quite as well appointed as the one in St Moritz but pretty good nonetheless. For apres ski there are a couple of bars near the bottom station, but they didn’t seem very lively and there was more activity up on the slopes at the Palma below Schlivera. There didn’t seem to be a lot of nightlife going on in Scuol either, but there are some pleasant restaurants, a couple of glitzy hotels with bars, and the spa, which is open late so ideal for a post-ski soak. This is a resort suited to quiet weekend breaks, family holidays or for groups who are happy to entertain themselves.

The beginners area is at the top of the gondola stop at Motta Naluns, although the Ski School offices are at the bottom station. Ski classes run from Monday to Friday so you need to book private lessons at weekends. The ski school staff seemed friendly and relaxed.

The run back down to Scuol from Motta Naluns is a pleasant and very varied red run below the tree line, although there were signs posted when we were there describing it as for experts only. Threading across the run are lots of bits of off-piste. Above Motta Naluns there are lots of lovely scenic runs for intermediates, and in the bowl below Mot da Ri a couple of black runs and varied off-piste. There are valley runs down to the villages of Sent and Ftan as well as Scuol, but there are no lifts back up from Sent so you need to take a bus back to Scuol, and the lifts back from Ftan requires you to take a surface lift part of the way (albeit not a difficult one). However they are both good runs, the one to Sent in particular.

There is a snow park just above Motta Naluns with a good range of boxes and kickers spread around four lines. All the lifts are modern and efficient and you can get around most of the resort without having to use surface lifts. The mountain restaurants all seemed fine without being exceptional. All in all, Scuol has a number of very pleasant, varied slopes for skiers and snowboarders of all standards – certainly enough for a day or two – and gets into my list of favourite medium-sized resorts.

http://www.swisswintersports.co.uk/scuol.php

02/01/201204/01/2012

St Moritz Youth Hostel

St Moritz has a glitzy reputation, but it also has some awesome skiing. The main resort area is Corviglia, which has 160km of piste between 1730 and 3057m, mostly cruisy reds with a respectable amount of off-piste, largely around Piz Nair, and the old Olympic downhill run from Corviglia itself. You can access the runs from Celerina, downtown St Moritz and the St Moritz Bad Signalbahn cable car. Across the Engadine valley is Corvatsch, with 130km of piste between 1797 and 3303m and the highest lift station in the Eastern Alps. Corvatsch is a short bus ride from St Moritz with access via the Surlej Corvatschbahn, or further up the valley at Sils, and for my money provides best runs in the valley. There are also a few runs up beyond Pontresina, on Lagalb and Diavolezza, which are definitetly worth a visit and take about 30 minutes or so to get to from St Moritz.

St Moritz is more than a ski and snowboard mecca, however. Cross-country skiing is at least as well catered for, with beautiful circuits all around the valley. Snowshoe walks, winter walks, toboggan runs, skating, curling and a range of other diversions ensure nobody is bored in st Moritz. Sadly there seems to be no public spa in the resort, although there clearly was one and it looks like one is planned, but the Kempinski has a spa open ot the public at a fee. Indeed many of the swanky hotels allow the hoi polloi to enjoy their facilities at rates that are not unduly extravagent.

Despite the stream of private jets flying into Samedan, the swanky hotels, the furs and the Michelin-starred restaurants, St Moritz caters well for those of more modest means. The railway line across the Albula pass is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and it is indeed spectacular. Once in the Engadine public transport is good, although you suspect run by those of the Italian-speaking community rather than the Schweizerdeutsch – Italian-speakers are indeed much in evidence, and the traditional Romansh tongue is limited to some place names and remote communities. Prices in bars and restaurants are generally-speaking the same as anywhere else in Switzerland, but you clearly have more top-end options – including what some consider the best mountain restaurant in the Alps, La Marmite at the Corviglia top station.

I’ve stayed before in St Moritz in low-end hotels and the prices, service and character have been good. However this Christmas we decided to stay as a family in the St Moritz Youth Hostel. it is located in St Moritz Bad, right on the edge of the town, but it is on the end of the #9 bus line, which also serves Signalbahn, St Moritz railway station and the stop for the Corviglia mountain railway, Schulhaus. As a result getting there from Basel was a doddle: direct train from Basel to Chur with a family carriage that includes an in-train playground; walk across the platform for the connecting train to St Moritz, and then pick up a bus from the same carriage to be dropped at the door of the Youth Hostel. Even with two kids and gear for four people, it really was very painless. Similarly getting to the slopes was also very easy, with Signalbahn being the most convenient stop five minutes away. In addition there were a couple of convivial bars near the stop for apres ski despite St Moritz Bad being a generally quieter community than St Moritz Dorf. It is also easy enough to get off at Signalbahn to switch to bus #1 or #6 for a 10 minute trip to Surlej Corvatschbahn.

The Youth Hostel itself is fabulous. A modern building, spotlessly clean with genuinely friendly staff and a range of sleeping options. We chose a four-person dorm for the four of us, and had a shared WC and shower opposite. The hostel boasts a games room, a children’s play room, a TV room, a boot room, a ski room and a good communal area with a roaring log fire. Drinks are available from reception or in the restaurant at a reasonable price. Both breakfast and dinner were simple but adequate fare, the lack of choice in the main dinner course compensated for by the excellent salad bar.

The kids were booked into the Ski School St Moritz at Salastrains. This purpose-built ski school facility is part of the oldest ski school in the world. It isn’t particularly convenient for non-skiers though. You can walk or ski down from the top of Signalbahn or walk up (or take a horse drawn carriage) from the mountain railway at Chantarella. The school is very good, however, and the kids loved it.

I would recommend St Moritz to anyone who hasn’t been there before, and I think the choices we made in terms of transport, accomodation and ski school were perfect. It really is a most beautiful spot with a unique microclimate, fabulous winter sports activities and spectacular scenery. And if you like people-watching, there is nowhere quite like it.

One last tip, the Swiss Railways Snow’n’Rail scheme, if you have a half-price card, effectively gives you six days of skiing with the rail travel thrown in for free.