Klosters

Klosters, the King of England’s favourite ski resort, still resembles a traditional Swiss mountain village, despite its smart chalets, luxury hotels and gourmet restaurants. It shares a large but fragmented ski area with Davos and appeals to skiers who prioritise charm over convenience.

The Davos Klosters ski area is one of the biggest in Switzerland with nearly 300 km of ski slopes, but it’s split into six separate areas: Parsenn, Jacobshorn, Rinerhorn, Madrisa, Pischa and Schatzalp-Strela. Parsenn, which is the largest area, and Madrisa can both be reached by ski lift from Klosters, but the lift stations are at opposite ends of the resort, about 2km apart. All the other ski areas are a train/bus/car ride away.

Klosters best suits confident skiers. All the runs back to the resort are reds or blacks, and its most famous slopes are ungroomed ski routes that complete huge descents from the highest lift at Weissfluhgipfel (2,844m) to Serneus (990m) and Küblis (810m). These ski routes aren’t steep, but their variable snow conditions make them unsuitable for novices and nervous intermediates. And whilst there are child-friendly nursery slopes on Madrisa, it takes time and money to get to and from these, and when beginners are ready to move onto ‘proper’ blue runs, they won’t find many within easy reach of the resort.

Klosters is also a good match for those wanting a different kind of ski holiday experience from that provided by mass market resorts. Some of the best ski runs end in isolated villages with no lift to return you to the main ski area, just a small railway station from where you can catch a train. If you think that sounds lovely and charming you’ll enjoy Klosters: but if all you want to do is ski piste after piste, you might find it a frustrating waste of time.

Similarly, in practical terms, Davos makes a better base for exploring the Davos Klosters ski area than Klosters, because it’s significantly higher and more central. But Klosters’ traditional wooden chalets are much more visually appealing.

And Klosters’ charm can also extend to how you get there. You can drive from Zurich airport to the resort in under two hours, but many prefer to come by train. The journey takes slightly longer (about 2 hours, 20 minutes) but the views, first across Lake Zurich, then into the mountains, are unforgettable.