Davos Ski Chalets
Altitude (m) 1560
Highest ski lift (m) 2844
Total piste (km) 370
Longest descent (km) 12
Ski Lifts 62
Davos is a spa town that has a life beyond skiing. Each winter it receives worldwide exposure when global movers and shakers, along with a small army of protesters, gather for the World Economic Forum. While the world leaders are airing their predictions in the conference centre, skiers and riders are just as importantly engaged on the mighty mountain above.
The Parsenn is the largest and the most famous - but not the only - ski area. Jakobshorn, reached from Davos Platz, is the popular with snowboarders. It has two half-pipes, a snowcross course, and night-riding. The outlying areas of Pischa and Rinerhorn are both worth visiting when the Parsenn is crowded during peak weeks of the season.
However, the Parsenn is the main course. Take the recently-rebuilt first stage of the Parsennbahn funicular from Davos Dorf, followed by the six-person chair to the Weissfluhjoch for the start of the first run of the day. The alternative slow second stage of the train has yet to be refurbished and should be avoided. From Weissfluhjoch a short cable-car also takes you up a further 180m vertical to the 2844m Weissfluhgipfel, the highest point in the area. A network of lifts and mainly intermediate runs stretches across the mountainside to Klosters. All the different lift companies in the area are now amalgamated and one electronic pass serves the whole region.
In the right snow conditions off-piste opportunities abound and this is a great area for ski touring. Conan Doyle wrote vividly of crossing the Maienfeld Furka Pass to Arosa, and you can follow in his tracks if you are prepared for a four-hour climb and a three-hour train journey home again. Davos is also big on cross-country skiing with 75km of trails at Jakobshorn as well as in the Dischma and Sertig valleys. Shopping is a major après-ski activity with a wide range of shops as befits a rich town of this international calibre.
The Parsenn is the largest and the most famous - but not the only - ski area. Jakobshorn, reached from Davos Platz, is the popular with snowboarders. It has two half-pipes, a snowcross course, and night-riding. The outlying areas of Pischa and Rinerhorn are both worth visiting when the Parsenn is crowded during peak weeks of the season.
However, the Parsenn is the main course. Take the recently-rebuilt first stage of the Parsennbahn funicular from Davos Dorf, followed by the six-person chair to the Weissfluhjoch for the start of the first run of the day. The alternative slow second stage of the train has yet to be refurbished and should be avoided. From Weissfluhjoch a short cable-car also takes you up a further 180m vertical to the 2844m Weissfluhgipfel, the highest point in the area. A network of lifts and mainly intermediate runs stretches across the mountainside to Klosters. All the different lift companies in the area are now amalgamated and one electronic pass serves the whole region.
In the right snow conditions off-piste opportunities abound and this is a great area for ski touring. Conan Doyle wrote vividly of crossing the Maienfeld Furka Pass to Arosa, and you can follow in his tracks if you are prepared for a four-hour climb and a three-hour train journey home again. Davos is also big on cross-country skiing with 75km of trails at Jakobshorn as well as in the Dischma and Sertig valleys. Shopping is a major après-ski activity with a wide range of shops as befits a rich town of this international calibre.
Hubli's Landhaus, t +41 (0)81 417 1010 which has a Michelin star, the Magic Mountain, t +41 (0)81 415 3747 in the Waldhotel Bellevue, and the Stübli, t +41 (0)81 410 1717 in Hotel Flüela are the gourmet choices. Also try Zauberberg, t +41 (0)81 415 4201 in Hotel Europe. The Goldener Drachen, t +41 (0)81 414 9797 is a Chinese eatery in the Hotel Bahnhof Terminus, and Ahaan-Thai, t +41 (0)81 413 6044 is another Oriental offering in Hotel Stela at Davos Platz, the Pöstli, t +41 (0)81 415 4500, in the Morosani Posthotel, serves light Swiss cuisine and fish dishes.
Swiss Snowsportschool, t +41 (0)81 416 2454 is praised for its children's classes from three years on Bolgen and Bünda, with lunch and lifts included in the price, and a Bobo Wonderland playground, in both areas. New Trend, t +41 (0)81 413 2040 accepts children from four years. Kinderschatzalp, t +41 (0)81 415 5151 and Wallis Kidsclub, t +41 (0)81 417 9333 are both for kids from three years.
