A grand week in Arosa/Lenzerheide

I hadn't been to Arosa since 2010 and I was very keen to see how the new lift-link had changed the dynamics of the resort and how the ski area had improved as a result. Here are a few random thoughts on my trip from March 14-19.

As is my custom when it comes to Swiss trips, I caught the bang on-time Swiss flight from Heathrow at 6am. It was then the train from the Zurich airport railway station to Arosa with changes at Zurich Main and Chur. A Swiss Supersaver ticket, bought online in advance, worked out at half the price of the normal fare and the Swiss Transfer Pass, which is usually advertised as the best option for UK-based travellers.

As usual, the trains were all on time but there was an unusual delay in Chur itself. For the first couple of miles, the Chur-Arosa line travels through the city's streets. We appeared to be making good progress until a screech, a bang and the train came to a sudden stop. Some old duffer had driven his Subaru hatchback into the front of the train. Luckily, no-one was hurt and we were on our way when six Chur policemen manhandled the offending car off the track. The hour's transit through the picturesque Schanfig valley was a delight - and as we worked higher and higher, it became apparent there was plenty of snow about.

Checked into my hotel, changed into ski togs and off to the lift pass office to buy a five-day pass, starting the following day. This pass entitled me to free skiing that afternoon, which was an extremely pleasant bonus, cruising the reds off the Weisshorn and Bruggerhorn lifts. There have been one or two small lift improvements in Arosa itself - the old Kulm chairlift has been replaced with a small gondola, but there are still a number of T-bars that are central to the ski area. The park was as impressive and imposing as I remembered it and the Helly-Hansen speed challenge was a lot of fun, especially on brand-new skis!

Cheap accommodation is not easy to find. There's plenty of five and four-star luxury to be had but since the Hotel Eden was demolished and turned into a swanky 'mountain resort', there's not much quality in the mid-price range. Indeed, you can end up in some pretty ordinary, over-priced offerings if you're not careful. I stayed in the Hotel Touring, a clean, comfortable and basic establishment with very friendly, helpful staff led by the soon-to-be-retired Ursula Blumer. Five nights' bed and breakfast, single room, came to just under £300. The hotel restaurant, very popular with locals, was extremely pleasant and a good two-course nosh with drinks came in at around £30-36 on the three occasions I ate there. Talking of prices, it's Switzerland so nothing is cheap. Beer in town cost around £4 for half a litre, up the hill a coffee was priced between £2.60 and £3.60, depending on the altitude of the premises.

So to the skiing. It has been transformed by the fantastic Urdenbahn linking the two resorts across the Urdenfurggli valley, an area absolutely bursting with opportunities for off-piste exploration for those properly equipped and guided. There's a real sense of travel around the circuit and my ideal day started with a warm-up on the Tomeli blue, then the blacks of Carmenna and a blast on the steep reds and blacks of Hornli before taking the Urdenbahn across, very quickly, to Lenzerheide. The new cable car is a wonder; no pylons and each of the 150-capacity cabins travels independently of the other. You don't have to wait for one to start coming across before yours can move. Just one note of caution if you are a timid skier or are in the company of the cautious: the red run that starts the descent to the Lenzerheide ski area is a pretty dark red that borders on the black. Not for the faint hearted and could ruin someone's day if not up to it. Things get a little easier further down and blue runs 20a and 28, which start across the top of the World Cup downhill, super-g and giant slalom courses are a lovely cruise, through trees on the lower section, to the two-way chairlift that links the east and west sectors of the ski area. There are four distinct villages in the valley - Lenzerheide itself at the top end, Valbella, Parpan and Churwalden. Each has its own access lifts and plentiful car parking. One of the delights was to ski down to the Ost-West verbindung lift and then work along the west side from Churwalden to the highest point at Piz Scalottas and back again in time to cross the valley and be on the Heimberg lift by 4pm in order to make the last Urdenbahn back to Arosa at 4.30pm. However, if you miss the last lift - or if the link is closed by high winds or bad weather - all is not lost, the ski pass (£211 for five days) is valid for the buses back to Chur (about 25 minutes) and the train back up to Arosa.

The west side is predominantly easy cruising, more suited to the more cautious skier, although skiing through the houses in Valbella is a little unusual and fun. East side runs are tougher and and longer. A modern cable car services the Rothorn, starting point for some serious off piste, and a long, initially flat red that after passing through a lengthy tunnel, drops into a glorious long, high-speed run down the the mid-station at Scharmoin. The black alternative is fun, too, and probably not as steep as the red that greets your arrival at Lenzerheide. The Mottahutte, at the top of the Motta chairlift, is a new and rather pleasant spot for morning refreshment, lunch or a late-afternoon livener.

During the week, there were no queues, apart from a couple of short waits on the Saturday morning. The weather was, in the main, glorious. Tuesday morning was largely overcast and at lunchtime it began to snow hard until early the following day. Brilliant fresh snow and sunny skies, although opportunities for off-piste were limited. Plenty of snow but it had turned crispy and crusty. Only the very hardiest were taking it on. All in all, my conviction that March is the best month to ski was yet again confirmed.

British visitors are few and far between and I was told the Germans have stopped coming in great numbers as the Euro struggles to match the pound, let alone the Swiss Franc. This meant the village was quiet despite it being the Arosa Electronica festival (some form of modern music, I'm told) and the spectacular Arosa balloon festival on the frozen lake.

Having skied in Lake Tahoe at the start of the year, I noticed one huge cultural difference between the yanks and the swiss. Americans are most reluctant to lower the restraining bar on chairlifts, the Swiss have the bar down almost before you've sat down and don't raise it until you're virtually getting off at the other end! I was always told to take your time, get settled and organised before slowly lowering the bar!

Return travel was as efficient as the outward journey. I skied in Arosa and Lenzerheide west side until about 2.15pm. Changed and showered free of charge at the hotel and caught the mid-afternoon train. Was back at Heathrow by 9.20pm local time. Six days' skiing for five nights' accommodation!

You may have detected I enjoyed this trip. The Lenzerheide link has added a new dimension - it's now the largest ski area in the Graubunden canton and this is now a serious destination for a week. Before I would have said this was a long weekend or four-day resort. The village burghers, on both sides, took their time but it was worth waiting for. -)

Some scenes here: https://www.facebook.com/andrew.wise.5855/media_set?set=a.10154184798729873.1073741833.610069872&type=3&pnref=story

Where do I sign?