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A Winter Weekend in Arosa


In mid-January, winter is usually already halfway over. High time to spend some quality time in the mountain area of Switzerland. The Swiss alps are high enough to guarantee enough snow for winter sports even in relatively dry winters. We didn't expect much snow when I planned to spend a weekend with some friends in the grison village of Arosa.

Little did we know that this weekend would be one of the snowiest of the winter so far. Good thing we brought along snow chains for the ride up to Arosa. At the latest from Chur onwards, there was simply no way to advance without them. Snow was falling non stop and streets, houses and cars were quickly covered in thick layers of snow.

Yet, even with the snow it took us only two hours to drive from Zurich to Arosa. Hurray for small countries!

Arosa - manwalk  / pixelio.de

Arosa - perfect for skiing in the Swiss Alps

Arosa is a beautiful village in the Swiss alps featuring about 2000 inhabitants and at least as many tourists on a sunny weekend. We were lucky and enjoyed a less crowded place because of the snowy weather.
In winter, Arosa is great for skiing, snowboarding, sledding, hiking, ice skating and pretty much any other winter sport you can think of. Bus rides are free inside the village and to the valley station of the cable cars and ski lifts that take you up the mountain. If you're in want of great height the cable car will take you up to the top of the Weisshorn at an altitude of 2653 meters. A great view will be your reward!

Before you head out to ski, get ready for the slopes in Switzerland with the Swiss German Skiing Dictionary!

Don't forget the Après-Ski

After skiing and snowboarding the so called 'après-ski' (lit. "after skiing") begins. It's basically means going for a drink after a day of skiing. There are plenty of restaurants and bars to enjoy a fresh swiss beer or hot punch. People usually go there right after skiing with their ski clothes still on.

I recommend a bar called "Brüggli" (lit. "little bridge") that combines modern design with traditional swiss items such as milking stools or clothes baskets. Good music rounds it off.

For those who want something more substantial, like a good Swiss cheese fondue, they should visit a restaurant called Vetter. Make sure you consult their creative wine list before you sit down. The menu is made from actual bottles of wine. Every guest who ordered wine can grade the wine he had with a rubber band: red for excellent wine, yellow for good wine, white for decent wine and blue for not so good wine.





© 2012 IRENE WYRSCH "A HUMOROUS GUIDE TO SWITZERLAND" ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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