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.
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.
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.
The views from the top of the Brienzer Rothorn cable car over the Jungfrau and the long black run back down to the car park (and bus stop) are the highlights of this resort. In a seperate area there are plenty of pleasant, mostly flattish blue runs down the valley, about an hour by train and bus, or car, south of Luzern.
The ski area in the village is pleasant enough, from 1166m to 1690m, with too many t-bars, but fortunately a gondola and pair of linked modern chairlifts can get you around most of the resort. The runs are all blue and red and below the tree line so the area makes for an enjoyable area for intermediates and beginners. The village itself follows the ski runs, so you are likely to find convenient eating, accommodation and public transport if you stick to the village.
The real treat of Sörenberg, however, is the Brienzer Rothorn. I didn’t find a direct bus service to the cable car, but the link to the bus from Schupfheim at Sörenberg Post is seamless. You can also use a trail (it only works one way) from the village ski area to ski and snowboard across – keep your speed up if you don’t want to walk too many sections. The cable car dumps you in a long, long tunnel but when you emerge at 2350m you have one of the best viewpoints in the Alps. Absolutely stunning, and it won’t go away – the view across the Jungfrau can be seen from many vantage points. The skiing off the Rothorn is strictly for experienced skiers – skinny reds and a long, sometimes steep, black valley run interspersed with some very pleasant skiing. Which is good, because there is only (in effect) one place for food and drink on the whole mountain and the valley station has no facilities at all. Aside from the cable car there is only one old chairlift and a t-bar, but it is still a must-visit ski and snowboard area. There are the views, the vertical drop (2350-1265m), a few great reds, some challenging mogul runs and limited but respectable off-piste.
Sörenberg is popular with locals for good reason. Not a perfect resort, but with plenty of positives.
