 Poster: A snowHead
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Anyone been? I know it's good for boarders but myself and a mate (he a boarder, me a skier) are looking at it for early next Feb and maybe staying in the funky Rider's Palace. What's it like folks? I know it's regarded as an undiscovered gem but surely someone on this site ghas been?! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Usually go for day trips. We quite like it, nice atmosphere. Personally I wouldn't stay in the Rider's Palace though - Mr Eng had a work do down there last season and said it's not really all it's cracked up to be. And there are a couple of nice looking hotels even closer to the Laax base station - but then it might depend on your age too!
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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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Perhaps I might find the Rider's Palace a bit young for me. I may be young at heart but I'm 48 so perhaps it might not suit!!!! Is the ski area good?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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michaelhall58, I have stayed twice at the Riders Palace, lots of arty bare concrete and glass together with wall to wall playstations, but I actually quite liked it. It does have one exceptionnal selling point though, 24 HOUR BAR, hurrah. If you are on the lower floors it can be a bit noisy and it can sometimes be a bug to park if really busy 
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Yes, but The Riders does have some nice double rooms with loads of techy gear in......I too like a bit of luxury but just thought it would be good to try! I like the idea of very few Brits being there! Do you have other recommendations in Switzerland to suit a boarder and skier............I've been to Verbier (not impressed) and Crans Montana (too much snow, not enought pistes open). I like tree skiing as well as wide open above tree line pistes. Any suggestions welcome. 
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I'd ensure I was in an upper floor room.
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michaelhall58, welcome to snowHeads
I skied at Flims several years ago and really enjoyed it. It has a great reputation as a boarding resort, so I'm sure it would be good for you and your mate.
If you're looking for other Swiss resorts, how about Davos?
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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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michaelhall58, It's EXPENSIVE!!!
Riders Palace is nice, and i also liked the industrial look. It's quite cheap too stay there but drinks are expensive and there's no where to eat. Also if you end up staying near to where the bar area is you'll not sleep too much with the BOOM BOOM of the music system each evening/night/morning. We stayed in one of the multimedia rooms and it was excellent, small but we were 3 guys, 2 should be fine. You have to go up to LAXX "centre" which is a 10 minutes walk as there is no food in the hotel eat and even then there are only 2 places i think, which were v good. For short duration stays you may be limited by what is available.
(From memory) I also found the sliding area very disjointed, and disapointed that there wasn't a long red all the way back down, or really any long runs in the resort. The runs seemed to peter out far too quickly, then jump on another lift. On the way down you'd have to go on to very easy (crowded) blues which go flat in places so if the snow is "sticky" you'll walk a lot. That said you could always take the gondoal. Don't bother with the unpisted runs unless it has recently snowed as they get well scrapped very very quickly and obviously take care when doing so. We did find some lovely powder fields under one of the lifts that you had to be careful on as the light was very flat but it hadn't been touched, and although not steep it was great fun carving S's through the snow and then coming back down making it into an 8. If you are into parks i think from what i've seen, that it is the best laid out, cared for, supervised, constructed park i've ever seen. The lift system is excellent.
have a search, i did exactly what you are suggesting last year and would not go back to stay in LAXX, i'd stay in FLIMS - much more to do and cheaper although i thinks it's slightly lower and to get to the main areas takes a bit longer on the lifts (or use the bus to LAXX). I enjoyed the area and loved the Swiss public transport system - fly to Zurich, train to I can't remember where, then bus right to the resort outside the hotel - all very clean, there on time and exactly where we were told they would be. Just remember it is expensive (food wans't too bad but drinks were horrendous) and you are stuck with the swiss franc once you leave, unlike the ease of the euro.
any other questions i'll try to answer. 
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Dan, the run down to Plaun from the top of the Laax side is quite a nice long red
I agree I would prefer to stay in Flims over Laax btw
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks Everyone! The staying in Flims info is particularly useful.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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awesome
11 out of 10
its where i'd buy a ski flat.
its not expensive its just you cant buy crap, beer is seriously cheaper than france, 3V, LP etc.
if you have a specific question i'll reply
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Suggestions on where to stay for two blokes that isn't too family-oriented and confirmation that you take train from Zurich to Chur (good connections?) and then the bus or is it all too much trouble and it's better to hire a car.
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You know it makes sense.
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Train to Chur. Upstairs, above the station is a bus terminus were you can hop on a bus that will take you to Flims. No hassle at all.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Cheers.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hotels in Flims folks? I've looked on the web site already but recommendations are always welcome. I like the sound of plane, train and bus. Zurich £64 return at the mo from Heathrow Feb 4-11. May book flights soon and then leave accommodation until closer to the date. Off to check out snow record!
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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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its ok, but i've ridden much better places. And i dont agree that its perfect for boarders, there are loads of flat bits which are not so perfect for boarders!
I did have a great time there it was at the aim series 2 years ago and the boy was there last year too.
if you dont like noise dont stay at the riders palace.
the resort is ok
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as snowangel., says i remember quite a few flat bits where you really need to be hammering. But also, they have not "flattened" out the pistes so they have real character to them and there are some really nice natural (not sure what to call them) "rollers" that you can fly off nicely to get some air.
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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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I remember an instructor in Flims telling me that skiing in the trees wasn't allowed as you would distress wild life (serious!). But otherwise there is resonable amount of off-piste for a week.
With regard to choice of place to stay it depends on how you like your apres-ski... Flims is EXTREMELY quiet in the evenings (i was there in early Jan).
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Enjoyed staying there. There are some traverses (we were all skiers), but all runs with flat bits were marked both on the piste map & the slopes themselves. It did seem to want to be a boarder place more by the park than what's available on teh slopes, but that's just the impression I got from a skier's persepective. It has a glacier so there should be skiing pretty much most of the year. There is a hostel to stay in up the mountain if you don't want to return to the resort regularly. We stayed in rented accommodation in Laax which was good value, and booked via the tourist office - I would recommend always contacting them, especially in Switzerland, they've always been very useful.
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Hello everybody there, I'm new in this forum but sure I'll learn very much from all you! Many thanks in advance
I'm gonna be at Flims within next 2nd until 9th of December 2006 and my worries are about the snow depth and conditions, during this season period. I think the ski-pass is called somehow "Glacier area" in those dates. What does it mean? Which area will be open? Just the Vorab Glacier? How many slopes would be OK? I know it depends on the weather but I'd like to have an aproximate idea about what we could find out there (we're a group of 13).
Thanks!
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floquet de neu, welcome to Snowheads!.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| hibernia wrote: |
| floquet de neu, welcome to Snowheads!. |
Many thanks!
btw...do you know something about skiing in Laax within that period?
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| floquet de neu wrote: |
| hibernia wrote: |
| floquet de neu, welcome to Snowheads!. |
Many thanks!
btw...do you know something about skiing in Laax within that period?
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Sorry, can't help from direct experience, but hopefully someone wil be along soon who can - a quick search of the Snowheads database produces the following links
here
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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floquet de neu, they will open up some other pistes from Crap Sogn Gion as soon as they have enough artificial/real snow in mid November.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I've skied twice in Flims over New Year; once snow cover was good, the other time, bad! Flims Dorf is quite low 1400 I think and it would appear to me that later in the season would be more reliable.
We stayed in Flims Waldhaus at the Waldeck which is a lovely family-run hotel but wouldn't be good if you are looking for nightlife, in fact none of the hotels in Waldhaus, IMO, would be good for that, although I think there is one nightclub there.
Flims Dorf or Laax would have a younger crowd I think but sorry never stayed there.
We did the train and bus route twice which is hassle free and if you time it right, allows you an extra half day on the slopes on the last day as the flight to Heathrow from Zurich is at about 7.00pm. You can also buy the return train/bus ticket in the UK on line which saves time, and you just validate it (ie stick it in a machine) at the airport station.
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There are quite a few flights from Zurich to London throughout the day, including around 10pm so you could get a whole day in, the last day. One thing with the change from rail to bus is to go up the escalators from the platforms to the bus station - not out into the street and back in like we did. We nearly missed the bus because of that (though there was a helpful bloke who was checking for people coming that way), and had to stand part of the way because it was full when we did get on.
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You know it makes sense.
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As the originator of this topic, I am most pleased with the response and living in Bristol as I do, I'm even more thrilled that BA from my home town to Zurich is now a reality and I shall be booking my flight soon and then deciding on accommodation much later. Perhaps I'm a touch too old for the Riders Palace but it soumds and looks fun!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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shanky, we did miss the bus the first time we went there, by doing exactly what you did! There is not much transfer time allowed, about 5 minutes if I remember correctly!
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Poster: A snowHead
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For two people, is it still more worthwhile/cheaper to do the train/bus thing than hire a car?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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skanky, I did the same thing when I went....the bus stop at street level is confusing 
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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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Yeah, there doesn't seem to be much signage. Escalators do go up from the platform though. Probably the best bit advice to be given, so I've reiterated it. 
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Many thanks to all of you, folks!
We're a group of 8 adults (4 couples) with 5 babies (all below 5 years) and already have flight e-tickets to Zurich from Barcelona.
Has been told to us, the best transfer from the Zurich airport would be train+bus. But we would have to be 100% sure about this, because from the beginning we thought to rent a minibus would had to be necessary at all (travel with babies=as soon and safe as possible).
We're trying to find proper accomodation. We believe a Chalet on the slopes (ski in / ski out) would be the best choice, because one copule at least, could take care of the babies several turns during the whole skiing day. Would be possible to rent Chalets "inside" the resort? at Nagens? Crap Sogn Gion?
But the more important thing we'd like to know is the available skiing area if the weather is OK (praying...praying...praying). I mean, we know the ski-pass is called somehow "Glacier season" at Vorab (mid Dec starts normal "winter season" with, in theory, ~100% open). If there's an amazing snow everywhere, would the rest of slopes and lifts be open? Just Vorab area? not la Siala i.e.?
But that...
| nessy wrote: |
| floquet de neu, they will open up some other pistes from Crap Sogn Gion as soon as they have enough artificial/real snow in mid November. |
...seems to be the answer to my prays! is that true? mi "Glacier season" ski-pass would let us enjoy other available areas?
Many thanks!
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Fri 15-09-06 23:42; edited 2 times in total
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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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| tessaventer wrote: |
I've skied twice in Flims over New Year; once snow cover was good, the other time, bad! Flims Dorf is quite low 1400 I think and it would appear to me that later in the season would be more reliable.
We stayed in Flims Waldhaus at the Waldeck which is a lovely family-run hotel but wouldn't be good if you are looking for nightlife, in fact none of the hotels in Waldhaus, IMO, would be good for that, although I think there is one nightclub there.
Flims Dorf or Laax would have a younger crowd I think but sorry never stayed there.
We did the train and bus route twice which is hassle free and if you time it right, allows you an extra half day on the slopes on the last day as the flight to Heathrow from Zurich is at about 7.00pm. You can also buy the return train/bus ticket in the UK on line which saves time, and you just validate it (ie stick it in a machine) at the airport station. |
Very useful information tessaventer , many thanks. You've posted skills for a familiar trip as we do.
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I'd have thought Flims/laax was your best best anyway precisely because it does have a glacier and is high. If Davos is open, more of Flims/Laax will be too. Can't help you with chalets etc but suspect most accommodation is in the villages
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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floquet de neu, I know you are a relatively large party but could you wait until the last minute? Resorts serving Zurich like Flumserberg will have most of their terrain open if the snow is good enough. At that time of year I have experienced reasonably extensive weekend skiing at Kloster/Davos and Meiringen Hasliberg as well.
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thanks nessy, I'll also look around Flumserberg, Davos... I believe to find accomodation everywhere (Zurich area) would be "easy" as well as it's still low season, right? As we already have the flight tickets to Zurich that week, we could wait a little bit, but not until last minute, you know, we're travelling with kids.
Any new or experience about that sentence?
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I guess if there's snow in La Siala, we'll be able to ski there (running lifts), even if the official winter season will not be inaugurated yet. |
...sorry to insist, thanks again!
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