If there’s one person who we trust to give advice on the very best of Lenzerheide’s slopes for those daring skiers looking for a serious adrenaline rush, it’s our friend and partner Luke Fitzpatrick of Epic Ski. He knows the area like the back of his hands and always makes sure our clients have an experience on the slopes that’s nothing short of spectacular.

When people think of Lenzerheide they think of gentle, perfectly-groomed easy to intermediate slopes, cruising around following the sun that works its way around the valley during the day. They think of sitting on one of the patios at one of the many great mountain restaurants, eating fine food and sipping on a fine wine. What visitors to the area don’t always know is that Lenzerheide has another side and it has been entertaining advanced skiers and borders for years. With a little bit of inside knowledge, you can be standing at the top of the “Silvano Beltrametti” World Cup Slope with a maximum incline of 66 percent or at the top of our 4.5km long leg burner with a vertical drop of 1372 meters.

LONGEST GROOMED RUNS

Rothorn to Parpan

4.5km and 1372 vertical meters

Arriving at the top of the Rothorn Peak is enough to take your breath away. Take a minute to take in the views from 2,865 meters above sea level before starting this epic run. Warm the legs up on the first nice and gentle section through the gallery before turning right at the top of the Weisshorn Speed chairlift where the real fun begins. Nicknamed the ‘Wall of Death’, this is one of the steepest and most intimidating groomers that Lenzerheide has to offer. Once you’ve survived this, you directly reach the start of the ‘Silvano Beltrametti’ World Cup slope, which ends up in Parpan at 1493 meters above sea level. By adding the East-West connection and skiing all the way to Churwalden you can add another 264 vertical meters to this leg burner.

Stätzerhorn to Churwalden

3.9km and 1192 vertical meters

This is one of my favorite on-piste loops to do. The almost 4 kilometers of prepared piste offers a lot of variety and you can mix up the first half to include either Lenzerheide’s longest black run or one of our steepest red runs. The second half is a little easier but steep and long enough to get the blood pumping.

SPEED

One lift - 2.2km and 741 vertical meters

The name says it all! Try carving this monster top to bottom without stopping and you’ll know all about it. Speed is a local favorite as it has everything. Being on the east side of the valley means it stays in the shade until late morning so the run remains in perfect condition all season long. A few laps on Speed is all you need.

‘Old Fis’

A 796 vertical meter wakeup call

You have to be up early on the mountain to experience the Old Fis the way it should be: fast and empty. Starting at the top of Scatlottas at 2,323 meters above sea level, take a few deep breaths before pushing off and following piste 42. A few nice long turns will get the blood pumping before heading right down 42a and this is where the excitement begins. Heading towards the bottom of the Pedra Grossa lift at 1,527 meters, stick to the right when given options and you will not be disappointed. Old Fis is a route that was previously used for World Cup ski racing back in the day and has remained a favorite with locals and visitors to Lenzerheide ever since.

OFF-PISTE LENZERHEIDE

Lenzerheide isn’t very well-known outside of Switzerland and that has some huge advantages for off-piste skiers. In busier, more well-known resorts the fresh snow gets skied as fast as it falls. Here you can ski fresh tracks days after the storm has passed through. Just don’t tell anyone! Lenzerheide has some of the best lift access to off-piste skiing I have seen, with a massive variety of steeps, chutes and open powder fields. If you want to put on some touring gear, you will be in no-man’s-land within a couple of minutes.

LIFT ACCESS

Number 53 off Pedra Grossa Chair Lift

Turn right when you arrive at the top of Pedra Grossa and head down into the trees. This great warm-up off-piste area is a fun place to get a few laps in before heading up to do some of the bigger ones. It’s low angle and in the trees, so it can be skied in relative safety all season long. Linking different lines together through the trees will keep everyone entertained.

Alp Stätz Area

They say ‘the early bird gets the worm’ and here we say ‘the early bird gets the goods’. The Alp Stätz area is amazing for off-piste but you have to get there early, as it is a favorite with locals and visitors alike. An insider tip is to the book the “Early Bird” breakfast (from February onwards), which allows you to be up on the hill by 06:30 am. After a buffet breakfast, you will be first in line for some epic runs.

Alp Sanaspans

It’s a 1390 vertical meter off-piste descent from the top of Rothorn (2865m altitude) all the way down to Lenzerheide (1475m altitude). Sanaspans is a big off-piste back-country bowl that, when the conditions are right, you can ski all day long in fresh powder. One of my favourite things to do is to take the last lift up at the end of the day and ski down as the sun is setting over Lenzerheide.

Ski Safari

Now with the Lenzerheide-Arosa connection, our off-piste options have doubled and make our Safaris even more accessible. Take a simple Lenzerheide-Arosa tour for example: for years, when we turned our backs on Lenzerheide and headed towards Arosa, we were committed to the full tour linking up Lenzerheide, Arosa, and Tschiertschen. Nowadays we can head over to A ro sa and be back for lunch. The best way to experience advanced skiing in Lenzerheide is with a local guide. They know the area like the back of their hand and know exactly where the best snow is to be found on any given day. When venturing off-piste or away from the safety of the resort, it is important to always have someone guide you that knows the area and the snow and avalanche conditions. Of course, the proper safety gear is a must-have on any off-piste activity.

For more information on skiing in the incredible resort of Lenzerheide, call 020 8246 5300 or click here.