Tucked away in the heart of the beautiful Prattigau Valley, Klosters is a hidden gem which has maintained its authentic charm. Chalets built in the traditional style blend happily with local farmhouses while the absence of large tour operators and its safe and cosy atmosphere make Klosters a perfect choice for family holidays. It is the genuine article; an Alpine mountain village, with all the atmosphere and beauty that that suggests. Glamorous and up market, but at the same time cosy and low key, it combines all this with the comfort and convenience of a modern ski resort.
The Skiing in Klosters is fantastic and combined with Davos is one of the largest ski areas in Switzerland. The pistes are kept in immaculate condition and there are plenty of lovely wooden restaurants for coffee stops or sunny lunches on terraces. In addition, the off piste skiing is something very special and indeed it is one of the things that makes Klosters so iconic as a ski area. Away from the slopes, Klosters offers sledge runs and an ice rink, as well as walking routes and cross country ski trails which take you through some of the prettiest Alpine valleys in the area.
There are plenty of places to relax in the evening. The piano bar at the Chesa Grischuna, or Bär’s Bar offer cosy elegance in surroundings with charm and character. For dinner Klosters offers everything from the simple to the elaborate. The Vereina’s gourmet restaurant is a must for any enthusiastic diner while the charming Sonne offers something very local and exceptionally good. For those who want a truly Alpine experience, there is the Hoehwald with its open fire and bird’s eye view down the valley which many of our guests choose to visit by horse and sleigh. In addition there are numerous options within the village for rustic fondues or beautifully prepared pizzas. For the night owls the Casa Antica is the place to go to dance the night away.
Klosters skiing is truly wonderful and tends to come as a surprise to first time visitors. Combined with Davos, there are 5 ski areas with 56 lifts serving 253 kms of well-prepared pistes to suit skiers of every level. The area also has a healthy record for snow, with good skiing usual from mid-December to mid-April. The plethora of snow canons guarantee that even in a bad year it is normally possible to ski back down to Klosters during the entire season.
The pistes in Klosters are maintained to an extremely high standard and there are plenty of wonderful cruising runs where you can get the wind in your hair. Many of the runs are really long so you can ski for miles without having to take off your skis or get on to a lift. Of course one of the best ways to experience this is with one of our PT Ski piste hosts. For beginners there are gentle slopes to learn on while for the more advanced skier the area boasts some of the best off piste skiing anywhere.
When it comes time for a break there are plenty of lovely wooden restaurants you can stop at for coffee or lunch. The Alte Schwendi on the Kublis run is particularly charming with a lovely sun terrace and their Strand Salad is one of Sos P-T’s favourites. Erica’s by the lake on the way down the Madrisa, Erizaas with its now famous rotisserie chicken at the bottom of Schifer, Chalet Guggel on the Jakobshorn and many others are all worth trying when you come to ski in Klosters.
In terms of the different ski areas, the Gotschna Parsenn is the biggest area and is served by both Klosters and Davos. One of its unique attractions is its long runs down to other villages in the valley, and the 12 km run from the Weissfluh Gipfel down to Kublis is one of the longest runs in the world and a classic milestone for any skier. Elsewhere in Klosters, the Madrisa is a much gentler mountain and the sunny south-facing slopes are a favourite with adults as well as children who are putting on skis for the very first time. This mountain is also host to the recently developed Madrisa Land which has helped Klosters become one of the resorts bearing the “Families Welcome” quality mark.
In Davos the more trendy Jakobshorn attracts the youthful skier or snowboarder with its fun park and half pipe. The Pischa is designated as a free ride mountain and is a perfect starting point for some of the classic off piste descents in the area. Lastly, the Rinerhorn has some good tree skiing for bad weather days.
Klosters benefits enormously from having five separate ski areas which between them give access to a vast amount of off piste. Most of Klosters’ best off-piste skiing is hidden from the lifts ensuring the possibility of fresh tracks several days after a snowfall. This is enhanced by the fact that so much of the skiing is north facing so the powder keeps much longer than on other aspects.
Many of the off-piste descents combine a variety of terrain, ranging from big open slopes to long wooded glades opening onto gently undulating meadows dotted with cow houses and farmers’ sheds. There are also many ski-touring possibilities for those who are happy to do some walking, such as the back of the Madrisa down to Gargellen in Austria or the picturesque village of St. Antonien, and the Weissfluh Gipfel down to Arosa.
PT Ski can help you get to ski this fabulous terrain. We can book IFMGA mountain guides and local guides on your behalf for some or all of the days of your holiday. We also run special off piste weekends as well as a ski touring safari around the fabulous Silvretta region in April. Equipment is extremely important when venturing off piste and the ski shop we use has an extensive range of off piste skis and touring skis for you to choose from, while you can also rent skins, avalanche transceivers and ABS backpacks.
To get a better sense of the extent of the Klosters off piste, why not read the article that James P-T wrote for one of our newsletters in our blog Inside Tracks: One lift for the rest of my life
Klosters has some fabulous places to eat both on and off the piste. Up the mountain there are charming rustic restaurants on the side of the piste which are excellent for lunch or a coffee break. The Alte Schwendi is one of our favorites with its friendly hospitality and sunny terrace. Erizaas which is renowned for its rotisserie chicken is also well worth stopping off at, while if you feel like a cheese fondue for lunch then the Ski Hutte would be delighted to oblige. For those who like pizza the P-T children swear that Hohnweg do the best in the resort. When it comes to restaurants with a view, the Weissfluh Gipfel is a must, while Ericas by the lake on the way down Madrisa is a particularly charming spot.
In the village there are award winning restaurants you can go to for dinner. The Sonne and Miraina are excellent while the Chesa Grischuna with its traditional wooden dining room is perfect for a romantic night out. The intimate and rustic Wynegg is an ideal place to go for a fondue. A few km away is the pretty village of Monbiel where it is lovely to take a horse and sleigh and have dinner at Hohwald, while the Alpenroesli above Klosters affords excellent views of the village (and the more adventurous choose to sledge back down after dinner).
In terms of Apres Ski, Gaudi’s at the bottom of ski run is always humming at the end of the day and is a perfect pit stop before heading back to your hotel or chalet. Kaffee Klatsch or Bär’s Bar are also nice places to go at the end of a good day’s skiing, or indeed later on in the evening. After dinner the piano bar at the Chesa is a classic and the Casa Antica nightclub is where everyone goes if they want to party on in to the small hours.
There are plenty of things to do away from the slopes. The Klosters village is lovely to wander around and there are plenty of little boutiques that are well worth poking your nose into, while there are also charming wooden restaurants in Klosters and the neighboring villages to go for a quiet cup of coffee.
Outside of the village, the stunning scenery can be fully appreciated along some 120 kms (78 miles) of well-prepared winter-walking paths around Klosters and Davos. There are also opportunities for Nordic walking or snowshoe trekking, definitely a different way to experience the mountain scenery. Cross-country skiing is served by 105 kms (69 miles) of tracks that access some of the prettiest valleys in the Klosters/Davos region. There is ice skating and curling and leisurely sleigh rides up the valley, which are always a hit with children and adults alike.
For those determined on less comfortable activities, there is tobogganing on the Gotschna and Madrisa, providing plenty of snow thrills and spills! There is also a great sledge run on the Rinerhorn with floodlit sledging on 2 nights of the week. Not for the faint hearted, para-gliding can also be arranged and this is guaranteed to afford the best views of the mountains!
Highest ski lift: 2844m (Weissfluhgipfel)
Number of skilifts: 56
Number of pistes: 110
Total length of pistes: 307km
Percent of skiing over 2000m: 80%
Snow cannons: Yes
Language: Swiss German
Nearest airport: Zurich
Distance from Zurich airport: 140km
Transfer time from Zurich airport: 2 hours (approx)
Google street view from the top of Gruoebenalp
Ski Passes
As a guide to the cost of a Region Ski Pass, the cost for a 4 day and 6 day ski pass is outlined below:
Adults | Teens (13-17) | Children (6-12) | 5 and under | |
6 days | CHF 380 | CHF 266 | CHF 152 | Free |
4 days | CHF 279 | CHF 195 | CHF 112 | Free |
Note, there is an additional non-refundable CHF 5 charge for the purchase of the key card.