 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hi,
Anyone have any info on Andermatt?. It's apparantly just a 1.5 hour train ride from my current contract base in Zug and the local mountains were white this morning  ...just thinking, Nearest big mountain looks like Andermatt which opens on 10th November, has anyone any early season experience or tips for local hotels or places to stay (Hotel Sonne looks all right on paper). Thinking of weekend trip on 23rd November. Any views gratefully received.
Thanks
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Hi dlight42,
My daughter and granddaughter live in Zug ... so we visited for Christmas.
We went to a great little resort called Stoos for Christmas day, it was more than we could manage in a day and its definitely one you should go to while your there.
I asked the locals where they suggested to ski ... they recommended Engelberg its the Titlis glacier so its ski sure for most of the year.
I spent a day there at the tail end of March, it was very hot, but a god day's skiing.
Friends in Luzern tell me there are some great small areas over that way which are more interesting.
I didn't go to Andermatt, but no doubt I will.
The choice is yours ... Enjoy!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Andermatt and Engelberg are quite famous resorts, though not as big as some. Andermatt is basically one series of lifts going to a distribution point at the top - plus a couple of subsidiary ones. Both are famous for tougher skiing (the central bowl at Andermatt is steep) and particularly for off piste. Off-piste routes go in many directions from the top of the main lift at Andermatt - particularly off the back. More is available at Andermatt if you are prepared to skin. However there are not many steep couloirs such as you find at La Grave (which is also based on one lift in different sections). In fact I can only think of 2 - the most famous being the splendid Giraffe (but someone would have to show you where that is - it involves a bit of a slog along a river to get back to the village). However I have only been once so perhaps there are a few others.
Engelberg has a steep glacier at the centre of the resort and several other fine off-piste runs. It also has a much more limited, gentler, south facing slope on the other side of the village. Andermatt also has a (much larger) gentler, south facing side, though it is much more of a slog to get to and I never did ski it.
The Sonne is a lovely old Hotel (with good food) by the small 16th century town hall and opposite the museum: in fact the whole village is delightful and full of lovely old buildings (the Baroque church is particularly fine and worth a visit). Engelberg has an even bigger Baroque monastery - also worth a visit.
I have to say, though, that I am not sure how much of this is skiable very early in the season. How early is early? I'm guessing you would be OK but perhaps someone else knows? La Grave needs quite a lot of snow to accumulate to make it skiable (but it usually opens in January, not November).
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
dlight42,
Long time since I went (Nearly 20 years) but Hotel zum Sternen got good reviews and was friendly clean and cheap with decent food on my trip.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Many thanks for these helpful replies. I'll be checking out Engleberg on Nov23rd just to be sure of getting some snow up on the Titlis glacier - I'll post an update when we get back. Thanks again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
I have been to Andermatt twice in recent years, it is a fantastic big mountain, lots of steep decents with a massive back country. The village is quite small but offers enough dining and bars, my favoirite is the old apocathary which you can also stay in although it isn't cheep. If you feel you need to visist engleberg the trans alpine train is a brilliant, the range over there offers more skiing for beginners and intermediate but there are also some big unpisted faces that are squeeze between the pistes.
The swiss army train in Andermatt
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| mike1999 wrote: |
The swiss army train in Andermatt |
Do they still? I thought they had stopped.
A number of off-piste runs at Engelberg go far from the pistes, not just in between them (and of course the main glacier is off piste). Don't miss the Laub - one of the best off-piste areas you can find for yourself, and there is a good run off the back to one side (down to the road further up the valley - I forget its name) which you will need a guide for.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Sat 20-10-12 12:06; edited 3 times in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
dlight42, You could also look at Disentis and Sedrun.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Good Engelberg map HERE (click to enlarge). Laub is marked (look just right of village and up) but the run off the back is out of sight to the left from the top. The right hand lifts on the main face: you can go off piste to the left off the top (or right). Also, of course, there is the the wonderful main Titlis glacier just to the left of that, accessed off the main cable car.
The lifts to the left of the village, on the picture, are south-facing and the slopes are very gentle and soon get sun affected, but there are one or two good, little skied off-piste runs heading off to the left from the top - right down to the road down the valley.
HERE is an Andermatt map (click to enlarge). The main skiing is off the Gemsstock.
The easiest access off-piste is (as you look at the picture) heading off to the right till the sharp turn in the piste and just heading on into the off-piste. This is the Felsental -you can go to Hospental at the bottom but mostly you will want to head to the skiers' right near the bottom (along the edge of the green no-ski area) to arrive back at the cable car (this is all downhill, not skating). If you go off the back of Gemsstock heading hard right you arrive at a ridge ahead blocking the way which has to be walked up. Over this you will ski Guspis - arriving on a snowy road down to Hospental (most people take the regular taxis back- we had a guide who arranged that). Alternatively going left off the back you arrive at Unteralp which involves a long slog back along a path by the river. The best in this direction is going left along the ridge and over the top down the Giraffe couloir - a great route but you need a guide.
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Sat 20-10-12 16:59; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The army was there in 2010 maybe not anymore. It is no big deal but the first time I visited Andermatt we got there quite late on a Saturday night and walked into a bar full of fully uniformed army, it was quite unexpected.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
mike1999, oh right. Perhaps they are carrying on on a smaller scale. They used to have big barracks there and when they abandoned them long ago I thought they had given up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
