J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by ir12daveor

If you can get it the Chalet Alpage in Grimentz is beautiful, well furnished and right next to the lifts. The Chalet itself is not in the car free area of Grimentz, but the town centre is and it's only about 2-3mins walk away. I spent 5 days there in the new year and was very highly impressed. The Chalet can accommodate 8 very comfortably.
http://www.grimentzchalet.com/

Another area is Bettmeralp. Car free, stunning scenery and the Chalet we stayed in accommodates 6 easily in a quiet location. I'd have no problem recommending either. If interested I can get the name of the chalet in Bettmeralp, I can't remember it off the top of my head.

From Olten it's quickest to get somewhere like Engelberg (Better for freeride) or Klewenalp (Better for intermediates). For those locations you don't need to go through Zurich. Instead you go Luzern and will save quite a bit of time.

In terms of affordability you can stay somewhere like Celerina which does not have the same prestige as St. Moritz and is much more affordable and authentic. From Celerina you also have a direct lift via Marguns to the Corviglia area.

It's also possible to stay in Silvaplana and be right next to the Corvatsch cablecar. I agree with Tony's review but the resort is much more than just St. Moritz and by staying in one of the other towns in the valley you can head up and avoid having to pay Kampinsky rates.

As for lunch on the slopes there are some more affordable restaurants too. The ones right by the top of the funicular in Corviglia are super expensive but the restaurant by Marguns is considerably more affordable. There are some nice hut type restaurants which are reasonable in the Corvatsch area too.

Did you head up to Diovolezza or Lagalp at all?

I'm working at least for the morning on Friday.

But if you go to following website, join the facebook group and post on the wall saying that you are skiing in Lenzerheide on friday you might find someone to join. It is a group of people living in Switzerland who like to get out and play in the mountains.

www.swissalpineadventure.com

Kurhaus is right in the middle of Lenzerheide. It is next to the bus station where you can hop on the ski buses and be on the slopes in a matter of minutes.

It will take a few mins to get to the lifts in the morning, but if you are on the Rothorn side it is just about possible to ski back to the town pretty close to your hotel.

I haven't been up there for a few weeks but it would be great to hear what snow conditions are like up there if you have interweb while you are away.

I've stayed in Waldhaus in Valbella before and I quite liked it. It's fairly close to the Valbella lift and also not far from the Rothorn valley station. I think it has a ski bus stop in front of the hotel.
http://www.waldhausvalbella.ch/index.php?langId=1

I've also stayed in the Kurhaus in Lenzerheide and the Hotel Alpina in Parpan and the Youth hostel in Valbella. The Waldhaus in Valbella is so far my favourite in the region.

The weather forecast looks great for your stay.

St. Moritz valley is at about 1800m and Zermatt is about 1700m as far as I remember. There should not be too much problem skiing down to the valley at those altitudes. Lower resorts are having trouble at the moment. The valley run into Flims (Laax) has a thin ribbon of snow surrounded by grass.

The good news is it's looking like there is some snow on the way over the next few days. It might even tempt me to go skiing for the first time in 2011.

Are you talking about off-piste? If so then a guide might be worth it there are some good secret stashes up there.

If you have a fresh snowfall the Pischa area is known as the freeride mountain. They don't prepare many pistes and leave a large area unprepared. It's not steep so reasonably safe and if you stay in the areas the risk is very reduced. There is also a 1:25,000 freeride map of the area which is worth purchasing if you intend to go freeriding or touring.

Going to Klosters for a day is not exactly a challenge. The Parsenn ski area is accessed from Davos and Klosters so it is possible to ski on-piste from one town to another quite easily.