Aaahh Arosa. Such a lovely snow play area. We know Arosa is an excellent Swiss ski resort because it has its requisite oversize Toblerone ski lift top station. Phew! Took a while to notice it - we were getting worried.

Travelling up early in crisp (-1O^oC) clear conditions on the light rail from Chur the sense of anticipation is palpable. Quirky little train stations & grazing deer line the way on the 45min journey through tunnels and across spectacular bridges and viaducts. The Rhaetian railway does run some of the best train lines in the world.

Arriving at Arosa, it is difficult to get a sense of the town or the ski resort. Walk across the road, get your lift pass and head up the Weisshorn 1 cable car (if cramming on a cable car first thing in the morning doesn't appeal, then take the Tschuggen Ost chairlift instead - a few metres lookers left of the cable car station). Exiting the shadows & entering the sunlight illustrates one of Arosa's redeeming features - perfectly situated to gather the early morning sun rays in mid winter (on the ski slopes that is - the main town is buried in shadow for most of the day).

Exiting the cable car, almost the entire ski resort is in view. An expansive alpine bowl topped by several peaks and covered in deep snow. The ski area is effectively four different sections - small Tschuggen for terrain parks & beginner lifts, Hörnli for long super fun rolling piste trails; Weisshorn for views, breakfast with classical music, some off piste steeps & top to bottom trails; & Brüggerhorn for freeride routes in wide open alpine terrain. All are well connected & interspersed with numerous sensational mountain huts, restaurants & bars.

But what is Arosa & what is it not!  Arosa is a glorious mountain hut laden pleasure palace of sun soaked easy going piste trails, efficient lifts and fun rolling off piste (with some notable exceptions). Arosa is not a challenging advanced/ expert skiers hill (with some notable exceptions) and the resort village is ok, but not extraordinary.

One thing Arosa is not - it is not huge. The ski area is quite compact and all trails can be skied in a day. Even had time to head across the Urdenbahn to briefly check out Lenzerheide (looked good by the way).

Going with the notion that the rule is, there is always an exception to the rule, Arosa has a couple of such. One is the Weisshorn. Whilst generally lacking expert terrain, the Weisshorn is the exception with its interesting front side off-piste descents. They are the closest thing Arosa has to the superb extreme terrain on its interlinked neighbour Lenzerheide's Rothorn. The other exception is the Brueggerhorn area which is all off piste and the 'go to' for Powderhounds. A new chair for season 2018/19 could well ruin it, but time will tell.

Arosa is perfect for intermediate skiers & snowboarders. Aside from a couple of flat traverses above Innerarosa, the resort is also snowboard friendly. Most advanced trails are easy enough for intermediates & most blue trails are fun enough for them as well. Top to bottom from the Weisshorn is a ripping ride, but the black trail (#8) is steep and the most challenging on the hill, so care should be taken if heading that way.

We were impressed with the quality & widespread winter walking trails across the resort. One can walk to the summits of Weisshorn or Hornli & everywhere in between. Perfect for non skiers looking for some soft adventure & a delicious alpine lunch with views. 

Mountain huts at Arosa are fantastic. Prices won't bring tears to yours eyes either. And while the sun is out, the huts all have glorious locations to make the most of the UV, even on the coldest day. We breakfasted at the top of the resort in the modern shining metal construct on the Weisshorngifel. A classical music ensemble providing the perfect background sound. Had morning coffee in the modern cafe called SIT-Hütte on Tschuggen. Lunched at the Hörnli-Hütte & relaxed with a brew on the adjacent loungers, snacked on grilled brats at Carmennahütte and then finished with raucous après back on Tschuggen at the huge Tschuggenhütte.

The ski down into the cold & shade of town was a shock to our systems, but what a great way to spend a day on the mountain. If not staying the night in town, count how many deer are grazing along the railway line on the train back to Chur.

Arosa deserves its place in the sun.
See our video here