Arosa and Lenzerheide – the new dream ski couple

Clear the way! The opening of the Urdenbahn – the heart of the planned Lenzerheide-Arosa ski area connection – was eagerly awaited. The Urdenbahn connects the Rothorn side from Urdenfürggli (Lenzerheide West) with Arosa via a deep mountain cut. The merger of the ski areas of Lenzerheide Ost, West and Arosa results in a total of over 200 kilometres of slopes on three sides of the valley. Arosa-Lenzerheide thus becomes the largest ski area in Graubünden and is now one of the ten largest ski resorts in Switzerland.

When we planned our stay in Lenzerheide in November, we didn’t know if the cable car would be open yet. The opening date was only vaguely communicated. After the opening failed at the beginning of the season, there was always talk of an opening in mid-January. One day before our trip to Lenzerheide – on Friday 17 January – the good news: Opening of the cable car on Saturday 18 January.

Since we only travelled to Lenzerheide on Saturday, we only followed the opening ceremony via radio. Symbolically, Gigi from Arosa married Heidi from Lenzerheide. A large metal heart with a keyhole is lit at the cable car station and the key has been thrown into the depths of the valley. From now on, Lenzerheide and Arosa will be united forever and ever. Switzerland has a new pair of skiers!

However, the cable car itself was not in continuous operation on Saturday. Due to storm warnings, operations were suspended for safety reasons. The use of public transport between the two destinations is included in the ticket for such cases. However, the journey by public transport from Arosa to Lenzerheide takes almost two hours. It’s better to keep an eye on the weather conditions.

On Sunday morning it’s time for us to hit the slopes. We buy the day tickets directly at the Hotel Schweizerhof, where we spend the night. Guests of the Schweizerhof benefit from a 20% discount on ski tickets. Instead of 69 CHF (normal price day ticket), we pay a fabulously cheap 55 CHF. In view of the extensive piste map, I find this an attractive price-performance ratio.

The ski bus, which stops right in front of the hotel, takes us to the valley station of the Rothornbahn. According to the timetable, the ski bus runs every 15 minutes. For some inexplicable reason, however, we wait 30 minutes for our bus…

Arriving at the top of the Rothorn, I first have to marvel at the great view. From up here you can see the opposite side of the valley (Lenzerheide Ost) and as far as the Julier Pass. There is only one slope to choose from from the Rothorn. The route leads through a longer gallery. The passage is quite adventurous and very flat. No problem for skiers – but snowboarders probably hate the track. In any case, my friend’s mood is at zero after a few meters. After this section has been mastered, we take the Urdenfürggli chairlift up to the summit at 2,550 m above sea level.

It is now up here – the new Urdenbahn, which connects the Urdenfürggli with the Hörnli in Arosa on the opposite side. The ride on the gondola, which is glazed with panoramic windows, is truly spectacular. The train does not require any intermediate supports and travels rapidly over the deep abyss. So fast, in fact, that it’s only enough to take a snapshot with my mobile phone (and I’m only inserting the picture here because it has actually received over 3,500 likes on Facebook (!)).

Safely arrived in Arosa, we explore this ski area for a few hours. It’s great to see the new possibilities created by this connection. It is striking that there are few people on the slopes for a Sunday. Most of them were probably put off by the rather bad weather forecasts or the lack of snow in the lowlands spoiled people’s desire to ski…

In the early afternoon we make our way back towards Lenzerheide. We enjoy a well-deserved lunch on the sun terrace of the Motta hut. For barley soup, cheese slices, punch and apple juice we pay 43 CHF.

Despite too much artificial snow (due to the lack of “real” snow) and warm temperatures, a successful day of skiing!

Note: My stay in Lenzerheide was supported by the Schweizerhof Lenzerheide – thank you very much for this. As always, my readers can be sure that I always represent my views and enthusiasm here.