Skiing in Arosa

The Arosa-Lenzerheide ski area is especially well suited for beginners, intermediates who like easy runs, and families seeking a traditional Swiss winter holiday. Stronger skiers will enjoy the 1400m descent from Rothorn to Parpan which includes the Silvano Beltrametti World Cup downhill run but advanced skiers should hire a guide and explore the off-piste.

Arosa-Lenzerheide Ski Area Overview

Arosa

There’s between 700-900m vertical from the highest peaks – Brűgerhorn Hőrnli and Weisshorn – to Arosa and about 60km of piste skiing of which 31 per cent is for beginners, 57 per cent for intermediates and 12 per cent for advanced skiers and boarders on wide-open mostly east and south-east facing slopes above the tree line. There’s also an abundance of easy off-piste skiing possibilities between the marked runs, and there is a special confined area where strong skiers can not only go as fast as they can but have their speed recorded.

The ski area is easily accessed from the centre of Arosa, either by 125-passenger cable car or the adjacent 3-man chairlift which whisk you up to the Tschuggen ski area (shaded pink on the map and the main beginner ski area), by drag lift to Tschuggen from Prätschli or better still you can hop on the free Hőrnliexpress-Weisshornbahn bus which runs between Arosa (cable car) and the Hőrnliexpress gondola above Inner-Arosa.

The Tschuggen (“little hill”) middle station ski area is flanked by beginner slopes running west and east on either side with a trio of supporting T-bar drag lifts. Intermediates can ride to higher ground either by taking the Weisshorn 2 cable car to Weisshorn (2,853m) or via the old 2-man chairlift to Brűggerhorn (2,453m), with a choice of three red run descents from Brűggerhorn back to the middle station. At Weisshorn, you have the choice between the red run (7) or an easy black run (10), but often the best snow conditions both on- and off-piste will be found over on Hőrnli on the left of the ski map. The top of the Hornli lift (2511m) is also where the Urden lift, which connects Arosa to Lenzerheide departs from

Queuing for ski lifts is not a problem thanks to the efficient lift system and the fact that Arosa’s ski area is rarely crowded except for the lower sections of the run from Tschuggen middle station to Arosa which can become crowded towards the end of the day in peak periods.

The ski runs are well posted and so are the many adjacent walking trails but in white-out conditions, it can be difficult to distinguish between markers on either side of the piste from those that mark the walking trails and you could easily find yourself on one or the other or in semi-off-piste conditions in between.

Experienced skiers can ski the Arosa ski area on piste within 2-3 days but there are plenty of off-piste possibilities for strong skiers.

There are over 25km of cross-country ski trails and a 60km network of on-mountain hiking trails, Winter walking in Arosa is a mainstream activity and if the weather is not suited for skiing, it’s something everyone should try.

All the mountain restaurants, including three summit restaurants, can be reached by walkers without once having to access the lift system. There is also a special pedestrian lift pass for full-time walkers. And if you want to combine walking with sliding down the mountain there are special slopes for sledging.

Lenzerheide 

Two-thirds of the skiing is in the Lenzerheide Valley where there is skiing on both the West and East sides of the valley, whereas in Arosa there are only slopes on the West side. But the lift connection between the two valleys – the Urdenbahn cable car from Hornli to Urdenfurggli – is a high-capacity one, capable of shifting 1700 people from one side to the other in an hour, so getting across and returning is very rarely a problem. (But if you’re a strong skier who likes a challenge, you should hire a guide and try some of the off-piste routes.) Within Lenzerheide, you can switch between the two sides of the valley most easily at Parpan where there is a connecting lift; otherwise, it’s a walk or a short bus ride.

This is a much bigger area because there is skiing on both sides of the valley. You can therefore follow the sun: in the morning you ski the East-facing Piz Scalottas and Statzerhorn mountains (or Arosa’s slopes, see above, as they mostly face East too) then in the afternoon you can tackle the mostly West-facing Rothorn and Weisshorn sectors.

The Rothorn and Weisshorn side is higher than the other side, so has slightly more open bowl skiing and fewer tree-lined runs. As well as the pistes, there is often a lot of off-piste here as well. Be aware, however, that big cliffs are blocking the direct path from Rothorn to Valbella, so a guide is recommended. They can also show you much longer itineraries which take you away from the piste network. 

The villages of Lenezerheide (sometimes still called Vaz and Obervaz), Valbella, and Parpan are all at very similar altitudes. The official height of all three villages ranges from 1475m to 1500m so the valley floor is very nearly flat here, which should not prove too great a surprise given that the Heidsee lake is in the middle of it. But Churwalden is noticeably lower at 1230m. It’s a great place to escape to in a blizzard.

The highlight for intermediates and above is the run from the highest part of the ski area (Rothorn 2865m) down to Parpan, with a vertical of about 1400m. This includes the Silvano Beltrametti World Cup downhill course. The top part is almost all north-facing so the snow is usually in excellent condition.

Beginner Skiing in Arosa

Arosa has six beginner runs served by three T-bar drag lifts that run right and left from the middle station (2,013m) on Tschuggen.

Beginners on Tschuggen can easily meet family and friends for lunch, either at Brűggerstuba restaurant (middle cable car station) or at Tschuggenhűtte. As they gain confidence, beginners can quickly progress to more demanding blue runs such as the blue run (15) from the halfway exit off the Carmenna chairlift, the longer blue run (1) from the top of Hőrnliexpress gondola, the blue run (4) from the top of the Hőrnli chairlift and the blue run (5) beneath the Plattenhorn chair.

The long “Home-Runway” blue run from the Hőrnliexpress gondola base station descends most of the way to resort level but stops short of Arosa village and is quite a distance to return to the village on foot.  To ski down to the village, there’s a  long blue run (9) around the eastern flanks of the Brűggerhorn (2,447m) down to Arosa or you can take a right at Prätschli and catch a couple of T-bars back up to Tschuggen.

There’s the Mickey Mouse Kids Club at the resort level next to the open-air ice rink in Arosa and another in Inner-Arosa – if these two are full a third is opened at Prätschli – and yet another one mid-mountain at Tschuggen Hűtte and the resort prides itself on catering for families with young children.

Part of the resort’s appeal to beginners of all ages is that they don’t have to spend their whole holiday learning to ski. They can take a break and spend a morning walking up to a mountain restaurant on a winter walking path or the afternoon skating on the lake. It is, after all, supposed to be a holiday.

Ski Schools & Ski Lessons in Arosa-Lenzerheide

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Intermediate Skiing in Arosa-Lenzerheide

The Arosa-Lenzerheide ski area is fine for intermediate skiers who don’t want particularly tough challenges or want to combine gentle piste skiing with trying off-piste skiing, or cross-country skiing, skating or just walking in the mountains for a day or two.

If it’s your first time skiing in Arosa, the following itinerary will get you well acquainted with the ski area. Start by taking the cable car to the middle station and then change cars and ride again to Weisshorn, exit right and warm up on red 7 then 8, then ride the Bruggerhorn chair and ski red 6 to Prätschli and take the Tomeli drag back up to Tschuggen – you’ll see the half-pipe on your left – and follow the markers down the other side to Carmenna chair.

The Carmenna chair takes you most of the way back up Weisshorn (or you can exit the chair quite legitimately at a supervised halfway point) then ski red 12 beneath the chair taking the right-hand piste over to Plattenhorn and cruise down red 5 to Carmennahűtte for your first pit-stop before riding the Plattenhorn again and ski the other side of the chair following blue 5 then working your way skiers right and ride the Hőrnli-Express gondola and enjoy the three short reds (2), ride the chair back up Hőrnli then ski down blue 1 and break for lunch either at Alpenblick or try the not so obvious restaurant at Hotel Gspan which you can see just right of the piste before Inner Arosa.

After lunch either go back up by gondola for more skiing on Hőrnli or ski down to Inner-Arosa (5-star hotel spotters note the Kulm Hotel bottom right at the far of the piste and the Tschuggen Grand rising high above the trees in the background) then catch the Inner Arosa-Tschuggen chair back up to Tschuggen and maybe try the black runs off Weisshorn or you can head back up the Brűggerhorn and ski the long blue 9 down to Prätschli then use the drag lift to gain height and if you’re done skiing for the day you can ski blue 16 home run down to Arosa or late season you can pop back up Tschuggen and ski down to Tschuggenhűtte for a spot of late afternoon après – that’s the Arosa ski area, or most of it, done in a day. It”s not huge but it’s good fun and typically Swiss.

And now it’s time to take the Urden lift over to Lenzerheide. Again most of the runs are crusiy red and blues, so when you ski them is likely to be determined by the time of day (the East-facing slopes on the far side from Arosa are best in the morning) and whether the weather encourages you to seek out the high open bowls (Rothorn, Weisshorn and Piz Danis have the best) or the tree-lined slopes lower down (all the mountains have some but the best are on Piz Scalottas and Statzerhorn).

Advanced & Expert Skiing in Arosa-Lenzerheide

Compared to other big-name resorts the Arosa ski area is small, 60kms of marked pistes including just a dozen reds and a few blacks, which is easily skied in a day by advanced skiers and aggressive intermediates but there are quite good off-piste opportunities.

The whole ski area is a bowl and advanced skiers and boarders will be quick to identify the wealth of accessible easy off-piste skiing between the marked runs. There are also challenging off-piste itineraries surrounding the Arosa ski area and after a good dump of snow, Arosa can be a good short-break destination for experienced powder hounds.

The off-piste skiing between the marked trails is also good for those still learning the art of deeper snow skiing and wanting to experience short excursions off-piste with an easy return to terra firma. As a smaller resort with fewer guests, the off-piste doesn’t get tracked quite so quickly which is another plus factor, but even when it’s been tracked, it provides a useful transition for early-stage off-piste skiers whose confidence and comfort zone may be boosted by the knowledge that others have gone before.

The best on- and off-piste skiing is usually found on Hőrnli on the left-hand side of the ski map which is accessed by the Hőrnli express gondola and the Hőrnli chairlift. Once at the top you can boot up a hundred metres to Hőrnlihut for a drink (are you really that thirsty?) or choose between three central red runs and two easy blues on either side of the reds. Continue down to Inner Arosa and back up the gondola or ride back up on the Hőrnli chairlift and test yourself with different variants on- or off-piste. Been there, seen it, done all the pistes? Then hire a guide at the Ski School and explore the off-piste.

There are good off-piste descents from the top of the Carmenna Pass (not marked on the map) which is below and to the right of the Plattenhorn peak and can easily be accessed by traversing skier’s right from black 11 on Weisshorn, then ski down to Carmenna Hűtte. Less easily reached are the off-piste pitches that descend the left and right side of the unnamed peak directly above the Plattenhorn chair. You have to hike across and up from Blue 4 on the Hőrnli side and in good snow conditions (meaning safe as well as fresh) you’ll see local skiers and boarders cutting impressive lines.

Very much easier to get to and just as rewarding is the area to the left of the rising Hőrnliexpress gondola and beneath the east-west rocky Tschierpa ridge which can be seen (but is not named) on the far left-hand side of the ski map. The higher reaches can be reached by booting up a ridge at the top of the gondola but it’s easier to take a lower line (skiers right off the Hőrnli blue 1) and then enjoy the rolling off-piste pitches down to Schwellisee where it’s flat and a slow ski slide or walk across the frozen lake but if in doubt about the ice better to ski or walk the left-hand side around the lake.

Back over on Weisshorn, experts can drop in under the cable car or traverse lower down and drop in from red 7 but if skiing this kind of terrain be sure to hire a local guide with a good understanding of snow conditions and which slopes are prone to slide. Some of the east-facing slopes can be risky and a good guide knows which slopes to avoid. The same is true of the northeast-facing slopes near Schwellisee Ski. The whole ski area including the area between the runs looks quite safe, but it’s worth remembering that the old Carmenna chairlift was twice taken out by avalanches inside the ski area so better safe than sorry, take a guide!

The run back down from Tschuggen to Arosa is scenic and not much more if you are a strong skier or boarder, but it is possible to ski down through the forest if you know the routes or more easily you can ski the break between the trees under the Tschuggen Ost chair back to Arosa.

If you’re a strong off-piste skier not averse to skinning up some long uphill stretches you can hire a guide and ski off-piste from Arosa via Maiafelder Furka to Davos and then ski back to Langweis where you can catch a train back to Arosa. Other day tours off-piste include ski descents off the back of Plattenhorn, Hőrnli or Carmenna Pass to lift-served skiing at Tschierchen then work your way back to the Hőrnli.

Boarding & Freestyle in Arosa-Lenzerheide

The centre stage for boarders and freestylers is Arosa’s massive half-pipe next to the Tomeli draglift on Tschuggen.

If you’re inexperienced at pipe riding and unable to ride the high side walls with confidence it is an intimidating sight, but for advanced terrain park riders, it looks a lot of fun, and challenging.

Experienced boarders will relish easy access to the off-piste pitches between marked runs and for the same reason, conditions permitting Arosa is a good place for intermediate riders to learn the art of riding deep snow, but at the other end of the spectrum its fair to say that Arosa is not an ideal place for novices to learn to board. There’s no shortage of tuition, but the drag lifts serving the beginner runs on the Tschuggen are less easily ridden by novice boarders.

Mountain Restaurants in Arosa

Arosa’s local ski area is well served by mountain restaurants with additional on-mountain dining possibilities in hotels at Prätschli and Inner Arosa. The Lenzerheide Valley has plenty of restaurants on the Piz Scalottas, Piz Danis and Statzerhorn sides, but fewer on the Rothorn and Weisshorn sides.

The two most popular places for lunch are Carmenna and Tschugghut, especially on warm sunny days when the sunloungers are out in force. Standards of food and service are good and eating on the mountain is generally a pleasant experience.

Skiers and snowboarders share the mountain with walkers enjoying 60km of winter walking paths adjacent to some pistes and one of Arosa’s big plus points as an alpine resort is the fact that each of Arosa’s mountain restaurants can be got to on foot without using the lift system and if you prefer not to ski and not to walk, some huts can be reached by a sleigh ride.

Restaurant Alpenblick

The Alpenblick mountain restaurant on Hörnli ski piste serves speciality cheese and meat fondues, tasty grilled chicken (don’t forget chips!) and has a reasonable selection of wines on offer. It’s open from 09:00 until 23:30. At night you get there by taking an affordable sleigh ride which departs hourly from Schlittenpost outside Restaurant Grischuna in Inner-Arosa at 18.00, 19.00 and 20.00 hours. Tel: +41 (0) 81 377 14 28
Web: www.alpenblick-arosa.ch

Bergrestaurant Brüggerstuba

Mountain restaurant Brüggerstuba forms part of the middle station at the top of the first cable car up from Arosa and serves quite reasonable pasta dishes. For drinks, there’s also the Sternerbar umbrella outside while by day it’s quite unremarkable every Wednesday night from late December through March it is the on-mountain venue for Europe’s biggest multimedia laser show. Tel: +41 (0)81 378 84 25
Web: www.arosabergbahnen.ch

Bergrestaurant Carmennahütte

Carmennahut is a traditional rustic Swiss mountain restaurant and long-time favourite in Arosa, deservedly popular and usually busy especially on blue sky days when it’s a happening place, with large comfy sunloungers and an outside bar. Traditional Swiss dishes and a good choice of wines from Italy, France and Germany. The Bratwurst with Rősti is recommended and washes down well with a bottle of Soleado Cabernet Sauvignon. Ski to the Carmenna by taking the red run from the top of the Plattenhorn chairlift or via black run 11 from Weisshorn. Tel. +41 (0)81 377 22 96
Web: www.carmennahuette.ch

Bergrestaurant Hörnlihütte

Hőrnlihut is a summit restaurant but you have to boot about 100 metres or more uphill from the top of the Hőrnliexpress gondola to reach it. You’ll ask yourself is it worth the walk up, we decided not, which means we can’t tell you, but at least that gives us an excuse to go back. Next time we’ll find out, promise. Tel. +41 (0)81 377 15 04
Web: www.skiclubarosa.ch

Bergrestaurant Sattelhütte

Sattelhut on Weisshorn is a cosy rustic traditional Swiss-style mountain hut with a new, well-sheltered sun terrace, great mountain views and an outside bar which is a popular meeting place. Tel. +41 (0)81 378 84 07
Web: www.arosabergbahnen.ch

Bergrestaurant Sit-Hütte

SiT Hut is unmistakenly boarder territory close to the top of Arosa’s Tomeli draft lift, which runs alongside the half-pipe. If you’re 40-plus and arrive on skis you might want to walk on by, but if you’re wearing baggies and a beanie it’s a cool and friendly place to hang out. Leave your board outside or take it in with you, no one will mind. Tel. +41 (0)79 407 89 38
Web: www.sit-huette.ch

Bergrestaurant Tschuggenhütte

Tschuggen Hűtte is a complex of four restaurants and an umbrella bar close to the bottom of the Tschuggen West drag lift, easy to get to and one of the most popular places to hang out for lunch. There are four restaurants Kuhbar, Saustall, Raclette Bar and Tschuggenstűbli – none of them exceptional – with outside tables and up to 300 sunloungers so well worth checking out on a blue sky day. It’s also a big party venue later in the season and worth splitting your skis with a friend to guard against theft or mistaken identity. Tel. +41 (0)81 378 84 45
Web: www.tschuggenhuette.ch

Weisshorngipfel

Weisshorngipfel restaurant and bar on Weisshorn – the top of Arosa – is the place to go for the highest sunlounging, and best panoramic views or for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Try the Swiss “Zmorga” sunrise breakfast every Thursday from late December until the end of March or fondue at sunset every Tuesday from late January until early March and watch the torch-lit ski descent by the Ski School SSSA returning to Arosa cable car between 9:30 and10:00pm. Booking is essential for breakfast or dinner and phone before 2 pm at least one day in advance. Tel. +41 (0)81 378 84 02
Web: www.arosabergbahnen.ch