Ski Arolla and Evolene with the Winter pass in Switzerland.
There are lesser known resorts in Switzerland that are well worth a visit and that retain their natural charm if you don’t mind a slightly less slick lift operating system or less piste grooming.
However, if you want to ‘mix and match’ your ski resorts it can get very expensive as generally it’s cheaper to buy a weekly pass at the resort you are staying at and just ski that area thoroughly.
So, what can you do?
We normally ski in Veysonnaz, a small and very authentic resort in the 4 Valleys with fantastic lift connections over to Thyon, Nendaz, Siviez and Verbier. However, this year we thought we would like to visit a couple of the other resorts nearby. To get around the expense of buying daily passes to different resorts we bought a Winter pass for CHF 39 per person through the internet, which offers discounts of up to 50% in 15 ski stations and 1 free ski in Evolene.
Please check each resort for which dates you can use these passes as they are not all valid for every week of the ski season so planning ahead is essential.
The Participating Resorts for 2018 are as follows:
- Arolla/Espace Dent-Blanche
- Bruson, Champex-Lac
- Espace Dole France-Suisse
- Evolene
- La Fouly
- Loeche-les Bains
- Massif des Brasses
- Nendaz-Veysonnaz-Thyon
- Praz de Lys Sommand
- Saas-Fee, Sainte-Croix/Les Rasses
- Thollon-Les-Memises
- La Tzoumaz/Savoleyres
- Vicheres/Liddes.
Ski Arolla.
We decided to make the short journey from our base in Veysonnaz to the Val d’Herens for consecutive days skiing in Arolla, about 50 minutes by car, followed by Evolene, about 40 minutes by car. We started with Arolla. In the 19th Century tourists who wanted to visit this remote spot at the foot of majestic mountain peaks would have had to rely on mules. The road up the valley was steep and not snow-ploughed, so today’s traveller needs the modern-day equivalent – a 4×4 with winter tyres. Our Subaru Forester was more than up to the task and handled the conditions with ease.
Arolla sits at 2,000m altitude so is snow-sure even in a bad snow year. This year has seen the heaviest snow falls for a long time and, despite it being half-term holiday week, the slopes were virtually empty. It was bitterly cold but the snow was perfect – no need for snow-machines.
The 47km of pistes were ungroomed and, because it had snowed quite heavily, we were skiing through powder, though on-piste rather than off-piste. There are only 12 ski runs and 6 lifts which are quite antiquated and very long, yet the runs down were completely empty, and it was like stepping into your own private ski domain. No lift queues, no one carving you up and snow-sure even in a bad snow year, along with the most incredible views.
A remote mountain hut provided a welcome refuge for lunch with a log burner belting out the heat in the corner. We all opted for the local speciality of Roesti, ham, cheese and a fried egg on top, the perfect antidote to the cold. You really know when you are off the beaten track when the WC is a little log cabin 50 yards from the hut and perching over a cliff edge with a long-drop!
Our ski day ended with a long drag lift up to 3,000m where another mountain restaurant sits in an amphitheatre of surrounding peaks. From here we started our 1,000m descent in brilliant sunshine and untouched snow, then drifting through ethereal cloud and flat light before descending through trees to the bottom.
This was a magical day, and only cost 66 Swiss Francs for a family of four, thanks to the Winter Pass. This resort would be an amazing place to learn to ski or snowboard due to the incredible powder skiing and uncrowded pistes and is often used by the locals for this reason. There is also a large amount of off-piste to enjoy. A ski bus services the resort.
Ski Evolene.
The next day we ventured halfway up the same valley to Evolene. We made better time for this trip as the road was clear of snow and it was a beautiful, clear and sunny day, though very cold at minus 12 degrees celsius. Though a larger village than Arolla, it is still a small ski area with only 4 ski lifts and 10 ski runs covering 40km. The best part was that it was free with the Winter Pass for one day only!
The pistes here are immaculately groomed and while the lift system is again somewhat antiquated the quality of on and off-piste skiing is incredible. We ate lunch in the only restaurant on the slopes which looked packed from the outside but was actually deceptively large inside.
There is a mixture of blue, red and black runs, all were relatively quiet which gave us plenty of time to take photos of the outstanding scenery.
At the end of the day there is a very long and enjoyable blue run which you can mix up with some off-piste variants. It meanders through trees and over bridges and is rather special. Another wonderful day was spent here beating the crowds and the queues.
Arolla, along with its neighbour Evolene, are hidden gems of high mountain skiing and endless off-piste possibilities. The lift systems are old-fashioned and in need of investment. You don’t see many cars without Swiss number plates and you get the sense that they are happy with things as they are. And with a natural environment of such beauty, who can blame them?