Forum menu
Been having a bit of a 'mare trying to book a week with the usual suspects (PdS/Verbier/Spain, etc), so thinking a little left-field i.e. Graubunden. Been to Arosa and Lenzerheide but not very impressed so Flims-Laax popped up, so anybody been?
It's good, but not enough for a week directly in the area itself. Basing yourself in Chur and heading to Flims/Laax for a day or two, Braumbruesch for a day, Lenzerheide for a day, Davos for a day would give you a pretty f'ing good week.
I'm guessing when you say that Arosa and Lenzerheide were dissapointing you only rode the marked routes. There is a lot more riding there than what the tourism pushes forward. The main trail in Lenzerheide is pretty rubbish to be fair, there is some really great stuff hiding in plain sight there though.
Bit surprised you were disappointed with Lenzerheide, lots of riding around that valley. Arosa only has limited marked trails but there are lots of other rides inc down to Lenzerheide or over to Davos. All big epics you can link back via the mountain railway. If its PdS type marked trails and bike parks then Laax/Flims will be "better" versus the other two.
@ir12's suggestion is a good one. Also do some searching online, there is a forum in English plus a number of German language sites with routes on.
Arosa was a disappoinment in that the main lift (Hornlibahn)flatly refused my bike and bikes on the Weisshornbahn were only allowed to mid-station. All free but of limited use... Great camping, though. Lenzerheide's Rothornbahn was out-of-service all that summer so riding was pretty limited to the other side of the valley and didn't really inspire me. Guess i was expecting more testing singletrack than i found in the 3 days i found in each resort. Flims-Laax seems to be pushing itself more as a biking resort and biking's allowed on all the trails (?). Plus it's quick to get to from Zurich on the train. Any similar alternatives within a couple of hours from Zurich?
Biking is allowed on all the trail ins Lenzerheide and Arosa too. You were there in 2010 if the Rothorn cable car was closed. I remember only one trail in the area that year that had a no biking sign attached to it. As far as I remember everything else was fair game. (Top of Scalottas lift heading directly down past a small hut)
I am really suprised that they didn't let you take your bike on the Hornlibahn in Arosa. There must have been something else on as it is the main bike lift in Arosa. A day card on it only costs something like 13CHF and it's free if you stay in the town. It is also the lift where they have the "Freeride" trail in Arosa descending from. You either got unlucky with something else going on that day or there was a missunderstanding. I've been up that lift many times. It is true that you can only go to the mid station on Weisshorn, but that gives enough to access some of the trails towards Urdental.
Some of the better trails in Lenzerheide are on the Rothorn side, and it also allows you to do some nice connecting rides between Chur, Arosa and Lenzerheide.
Flims is pushing itself hard, but in my opinion there is a bit more unmarked back country stuff in Lenzerheide, Arosa and Davos. Alternatives close to Zurich! There are hundreds of options. Thankfully, it's not PdS though, it's mostly more natural single track and hiking paths. 🙂
Thankfully, it's not PdS though, it's mostly more natural single track and hiking paths.
-That's my kind of thing! I'm no DH speed-demon - i prefer slower,techy stuff (albeit with shin/elbow guards :roll:)
(Top of Scalottas lift heading directly down past a small hut)
-I remember that bit... short but sweet. Kept wondering if someone was going to come out of the hut and have a go at me 😳 , but never happened 😀
Hopefully the new freeride trail is open, now. I got 3/4 way down it until it simply stopped in a meadow and i spent a while getting back onto a path - turns out they hadn't quite finished it... 😆
Due to lack of affordable accom in the area i booked Champery (time to explore PdS from the Swiss-side :-))