Klosters Sneeuwverwachting

Interesting resort; you have to visit it once in your skiing career just because the prince goes there. But I personally struggle to see why he chose this one out of all the others. Klosters is the little sister of Davos. It is the not so famous but better looking sister. Its main advantage is that it has kept some of its former Alpine charm but this is its disadvantage as well. Several newer buildings stand out in a bad way. When in the village, make sure you stroll around the nicely prepared winter footpaths that link the several different parts of the village; this really transfers you to a foregone era, especially at night. Unfortunately, during daytime the roads are busy with cars and buses heading towards Davos. Don’t expect a vibrant nightlife at Klosters. A small number of bars and even fewer clubs have limited visitors. Restaurants on the other hand are usually full so pre-book your table; no really, you need to book a table a few days in advance. However, the fondue and raclette, and the other local specialties are worth a try. Overall, the village gets a 5/10, not because it is ugly but simply because there are much better alternatives in the Alps (and cheaper as well). The lift system is probably the single serious drawback of Klosters. The village is quite big (30 min walking from one side to the other) and it has only two lifts that take you to the slopes. The 6-man gondola from Klosters Dorf to Madrisa is effective though and queues are usually small. The large cable railway leading to Parsenn can be a disaster. During busy (and not so busy) periods waiting time can reach up to an hour. But it is good to know that most visitors to Klosters are not fanatic skiers/boarders but more relaxed holidaymakers, so queues are usually at a minimum before 9.30-10.00am. After that you will have to wait until after 11.30-12.00 until the crowds ease off a bit. However, as soon as you are in the mountains, you will hardly ever wait for more that a few minutes. Overall, a 6/10 due to long distances and queues on the main lift to Parsenn. Skiing/boarding is a different and very nice story. The ski area, or rather areas are huge, with plenty to choose from and everybody is well accommodated. Kloster’s own ski area, Madrisa, is brilliant for beginners/intermediates and families. A big learners area guarantees hustle free learning. Nice gentle blue runs and easy reds (blues with some steeper bits really) are brilliant for some practice as soon as someone is able to link some turns. The single black of this area is more like a red, so it is good for the adventurous beginner/intermediate wannabe. Some excitement for the advanced is to be found off the back of the highest ski lift of the area into unprepared slopes. It is by no means an experts’ paradise but is it a good run for the father who just dropped the family off to the restaurant. So, final verdict for beginners and intermediates is 9/10. It looses a point because there is no run back to the village. Advanced and expert skiers should really go to the huge area between Klosters and Davos: the Parsenn. This is probably one of the best areas I have ever visited for advanced skiers. It offers an endless amount of long red runs that literally let you explore the mountain; the odd easy black piste will challenge such skiers. Experts should stay off the slopes. The off-piste options in Parsenn are immense. Next to every single piste there are several different off-piste options. However, if you really want to enjoy the powder you can reach miles and miles of untracked snow within a few minutes of walking. For more details hire a local guide or simply follow the tracks (I know, it is not always safe to do so but if you are lucky it may lead you to some magnificent runs). Some nice red runs take you back to the resort. So, it gets a well deserved 10/10 for advanced skiers and 8/10 for experts due to the lack of challenging on-piste skiing. The others areas of the Davos/Klosters region are also worth visiting, especially that of Pischa. One of the very few areas in the world where pistes are signposted but left unprepared. Unfortunately, the connections in this area, even though efficient and always on time, take a long time, too long. Klosters is connected to Davos only via train. Davos Dorf is closer to Klosters (25min on the train) and it is the starting point for the bus to Pischa which takes another 15-20min to get there. So from the time you leave your accommodation to when you get there it is easily over 1 hour. Davos Platz, the central train station of Davos is a 30min ride from Klosters. It is directly opposite the base station of Jakobshorn, one more very interesting area to ski in. Highlights of this area are the long and wide redish slopes, a very well designed snow-park with jumps and other goodies, a couple of half-pipes but most of all, the brilliant off-piste routes to Teufi or Muhle. If you go for these allow plenty of time for your return as you need to catch a bus that does’t run too often. You could probably leave that for the end of the day and combine it with a nice meal at a mountain restaurant. If you want a fast way back from this area, a couple of long blue (or probably green) slopes take you down to Davos Platz. The final area of this region is that of Rinerhorn. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to visit it so I can’t comment on it, but it looks very nice; especially the very long black run from almost the top of this area all the way to the bottom of it. However, it is a long train trip (probably around 1 hour) from Klosters. Conclusions then: Overall Klosters is a very, very good skiing area. The village is not interesting but the scenery and the skiing option compensate for it. It deserves a 7/10. The lost points are due to the very long distances both within the village and between the areas, the long queues in the main lift to the main ski area and the not very attractive village. Would I go back? Mmm…if friends decide to go there I will definitely follow them and feel happy about it. If I find a very good offer again I will go without a second thought. But, if I’m the one picking the place (which is usually the case) and there are no offers, (well, it is a very posh destination so do not expect recession busting offers) I’d probably go for a different destination.