 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm contemplating a two day trip to Andermatt early January.
My question is: is there enough piste extent to keep a reasonably experienced boarder interested for 2 full days if conditions don't allow for much off-piste action?
As alternatives Klosters-Davos and Flims-Laax have crossed my mind, which I believe are both large ski areas.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Mon 31-10-16 13:04; edited 2 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It really wouldn't be my first choice. The pisted skiing on the Gemstock would be ok for a day and you could squeeze another day out of going to Sedrun but there is little good pisted skiing in the area. There are also a lot of drag lifts.
Andermatt is not good in bad weather. There is tree skiing in Disentis, which you can reach by train but, again, the pisted skiing there is extremely limited.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Cheers @gorilla, that kind of confirms my gut feeling that Andermatt on-piste would be limited. I'm now thinking Klosters-Davos could be the one as it has a large ski area with decent altitude and is easily accessible by train from Zurich. I've visited Engelberg and the Jungfrau resorts before so they're not contenders for this trip.
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@skidm, I'm also a little bit suspicious about the merits of Andermatt as a destination for snowboarders full stop. There is really good terrain straight off the lift but things like the Guspis require a short skin and the Giraffe requires a pretty serious traverse. The exits are also a nightmare on a snowboard. I think you can say something similar about Disentis as well. Of course if you have a splitboard, are fast on your change overs and have good poling technique on the flat then much of that goes away.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@skidm, I'm a skier so not great at assessing things from a snowboarder's perspective. However, I noticed there were a lot of boarders at Flims-Laax, so it must be reasonably suitable. It's quite a big area, more than enough piste for a weekend and a lot bigger than Andermatt.
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Thanks again @gorilla, really good info. Andermatt now off the list, which leaves me with Klosters or Flims, unless there's an overlooked gem out there in the same neck of the woods?
You appear to be right @Gämsbock, Flims does seem popular with boarders, will dig deeper, cheers. Did you visit early season and if so how did you find the conditions?
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St Moritz.
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Each to their own...I had a great weekend in Andermatt a couple of years ago. Gemstock is steep so very little walking/poling and lots of easily accessible off-piste. They are putting in a lot of new lifts so probably even better now. Only downer was massive Sunday queues for the cable car, but maybe that's because everywhere else nearby was hurting that weekend, plus new lifts might help now.
www.snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=2624987
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Flims - Laax is a great area, with the exception of the glacier, i dont remember a single drag lift or t-bar. Some fantastic runs, great views, and extensive terrain, as well as some of the most up to date chairs and gondola's going. Huge freestyle park if you wear your pants baggy as well. Hearty recommendation.
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Just to be clear, I've skied in Andermatt every year for the last three years including a week with a snowboarder. I'll be back there in January. Some of the lines, mainly the Felsental and the lines down the main bowl are easily accessible to snowboarders. That's the big green line in the map linked below and the obvious bowl between the main summit and the cable car mid-station. That's quite a lot of terrain.
That said, the dark red line (the Guspis) requires a short skin and has a long flat exit. The dotted yellow lines (the Giraffe and Hans im Gluck) require a long traverse and a flat exit and the blue line is so flat to get out that I have never bothered with it. Other things not marked require a willingness to skin or traverse and/or a similar tolerance for poling on the way out.
http://www.skiforum.it/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=44723&stc=1
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