 Poster: A snowHead
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Going to Davos for Christmas and New Year - anything special I should know plus best off piste areas.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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skilegs,
Good place, loads of off piste on Parsenn and marked Itinaires off Jackobshorn and Rinerhorn. Much of the Pischa area is now unpisted I think. The trip over to Gargellen and back from the Madrisa is very pleasant though I have only doen it later in the season.
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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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skilegs, muted festivities will be the order of the day in this most civilised of Swiss resorts 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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skilegs, Keep your eyes skinned for the politicans having their annual races, although I imagine they will be keeping a low profile this year.
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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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skilegs,
we may see you out there, we are arriving 26th and staying at the Arthaus, it'll be our 1st trip there
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Spengler Cup Ice Hockey
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skilegs, Take local train and bus timetables with you. Lots of places in the area where you can ski down to the valley floor, pick up a train/bus and then get back into the lift system. Helps if you can time it to avoid a long wait. One favourite is Wolfgang at the end of a nice black where you can get the bus back to Davos for the funi train back up to Parsenn. Hotel Kulm in Wolfgang is a great lunch stop.
Pischa is mostly a freeride area now, I think. So, good after fresh snow. Visits to Rinerhorn and to a lesser extent Jakobshorn need to be planned in advance due to them being at the further end of the area. If you're going there best to spend at least a half day there otherwise too much time is taken up travelling. Some good off-piste runs over the ridge and down the far side of many of the main mountains, then bus back. I've only done this with guides and would recommend taking one. If snow cover is low enough there are lovely runs down from Parsenn to Serneus and beyond which end up in some picturesque spots and then require bus/train back - so good for the end of the day. I'm pretty sure the lift pass covers most buses and trains, but some buses are extra.
One final thought - there's probably more places where you need to schuss than in most other resorts I've been to. Particularly down from Weissflujoch to Klosters. Not a problem if you know the route as you can do it ok if you start the schuss at the right point, but if you ski on without paying too much attention to the terrain in the middle distance you'll end up doing some walking.
Great place for a week.
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| DCG wrote: |
| skilegs, Visits to Rinerhorn and to a lesser extent Jakobshorn need to be planned in advance due to them being at the further end of the area. |
Jakobshorn is surely smack in the middle of town by Platz station and served by all the buses? 
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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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red 27, True, but I tend to think of Dorf as being the centre since you get the Parsenn funi from there and most of the skiing is on Parsenn. The transit from there to Jakobshorn would be a nuisance mid-morning. It's not quite as separate as, say, St Moritz's 3 areas but sufficiently apart to be thought about.
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Great thing is that the buses and trains run to schedule even if it is dumping snow, unlike Britain where they just stop!! If only Gordon Brown had noticed when he was there, he would have felt embarrassed when the UK ground to a halt last year, but then again he didn't seem bothered by the massive debt he ran up. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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My tiip for Davos is its 5 areas are not linked but possibly best served by public transport in the Alps because both train and bus running along the entire route. The 5 areas spread on both side of the valley.
Many destinations are uni-directional. This means you ski to the far end and take a bus or a train back, very civilised. The longest is possibly from top of Parsenn at Weissflughgifel at 2844m to Kublis 810m, some 17 km in length and a 2km vertical drop! It is a ski route (not groomed) so a haven for off piste.
Didn't ski it myself because it only has one cable car and 3 drag lifts but the local told me skiers go to Picha for off piste fun.
Parsenn is same standard as a big Austria, French and Italian resort (chairlifts dominate) but others are served mainly by the drag lifts.
Don't worry if you miss the last chiarlift. Just ski down to any of the bus or train station. Brilliant!
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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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saikee, Agree with all you say, the run to Kublis might not be open by Xmas unless there is a big snow fall, depending on the standard of skiers I usually plan on ending up in the station Bistro and having a late lunch then train back jump off at Klosters and get the Cable car up but making sure I am back at Parsenn before 16:00 when they close the "T" bars and chairlift, last cable car is 16:15, beware as the run to Wolfgang can be a bit of a challenge at the end of the day. Some really excellent Itinaires off Jacobshorn and Picha. Ski school run a group that does off piste and I have seldom seen in the last 12 years that I have been there more than 5 in the group, not mountain guides, but top notch instructors leading. For Mountain guides the Saas ski school seems to have a monoply, I have always found them very good and they will quite happily travel and meet you in Davos.
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If you or any in your group needs new boots - then visit Heierling....
http://www.heierling.ch/
Wish I'd been there years before..... other 'custom' fitted boots never came close - Heierling fixed an issue with foot pains I had due to my balance/natural foot stance etc (also affects me on golf course) thanks to their foot pressure plates and a true footbed made to fix the problem not just conform to my feet's shape.......
not cheap, but very good.
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You know it makes sense.
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Another thing to consider is whether to bother with Madrisa. Interested in hearing what others think, but I'd not advise it for someone staying in Davos - except for the possibility of an off-piste trip over the ridge to St Antonien or, in plentiful snow conditions, an off piste run down to Saas. The pisted area itself is mainly for beginners & lower intermediates. Worth it if you're staying in Klosters but probably not if you're based in Davos.
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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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DCG, Can't help but feel I know you, almost agree re Madrisa but last year I had a couple of superb days there when there was almost nobody on or off the pistes followed by the usual good lunch at Erica's Cafe made it all worthwhile, but I must admit to usually avoiding it, as I do with Jacobshorn (too many boarders) unless I am doing the run down to Teufi (14) or Muhle (13).
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Poster: A snowHead
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Dypcdiver, Maybe we've met there! Most of my trips have been with Freshtracks, following the guides, so I'm not sure of all the runs I've done. I agree that 14 down to Teufi is excellent with good food at the end. I know it's not patrolled or prepared, but unsure as to whether it's protected. Do you know?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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DCG, It is marked and only opened when considered reasonably safe, frankly the only part that is a risky area is the very first pitch, best not to stop and look over the edge as some times the knees start to shake, avoid skiing the bits at the side tempting though it might look as it is frequently untracked (for good reason) as if there was a slide that is where it would start. You can get a good view from the track before you commit. I have done quite a bit with Freshtracks too.
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