Davos Klosters Ready For The Season With New Developments
Most frequently in the headlines for hosting world leaders and British Royalty, Davos Klosters’ true winter vocation is as Switzerland’s snowsport capital, a must-ski destination for every devotee. The neighbours and partners, linked by lift and piste, offer the complete Swiss Alpine winter holiday. This season sees the opening of a new cable car to the Jakobshorn and the renovation of its summit station. The resort is also pleased to welcome the return of the famous Parsenn Derby races after a three-year hiatus.
Jakobshorn’s mountaintop hostel and panoramic restaurant (2590m) has been completely revamped, while retaining the distinctive circular structure of the original. The upgrade has improved access for disabled visitors and added to the restaurant’s appeal to hungry skiers and non-skiers alike. The new cable car introduces greater comfort and more efficient use of clean energy.
Renowned for abundant snowfall and a long ski season, Davos Klosters offers around 300km of combed pistes served by 57 lifts across six distinct areas, with limitless off-piste and ski-touring opportunities and beautiful cross-country and winter walking trails in secluded locations.
At the heart of it all, Gotschna-Parsenn connects the two resorts and offers the classic ski experience, with big skiing on open slopes at high altitude and long runs through forest and snowy pastures, including the famous 12km top-to-bottom marathon from the Weissfluh (2844m) to Küblis (800m). Jakobshorn is the boarder and freestyler’s choice, with a great snowpark and a vibrant après scene on and off the slopes. Pischa is a dedicated freeride mountain, while families have fun in the sun on the Madrisa and on the uncrowded slopes of the Rinerhorn. Schatzalp (separate lift pass) is Davos Klosters’ slow mountain, a chance to enjoy nature and rediscover the unhurried mood of skiing in times gone by. A special thrill for experienced skiers is the Funi Line, a 50km day tour on unprepared slopes skiable from mid-December to mid-April subject to snow conditions.
Davos Klosters’ ties to Britain date back to the 19th century, when winter sports developed from Davos’s popularity as a health resort in the TB age as documented in Thomas Mann’s epic novel, The Magic Mountain. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was an adventurous early skier, and it was an après-ski conversation among members of the Davos English Ski Club - ‘how long would it take to ski the Küblis run non-stop?’ that led to the inauguration of the Parsenn Derby. Open to amateurs, the original long-distance downhill ski race returns this season (2-4 March 2023), 99 years after its first edition. The annual Anglo-Swiss parliamentary ski race is a tradition dating back to the 1950s.
Davos is a cosmopolitan ski town, with buzzy nightlife, interesting museums and the full range of shopping, accommodation and restaurants. Klosters is a stylish place with a more villagey charm. British families bring their children back to join in the club racing on the slopes where they learned their skills, and their parents and grandparents before them.
The region is easily accessible by train: 2 hours from Zurich to Klosters, 2½-hours to Davos.
Event highlights winter 2022/23
- 2 –18 December: Songbird Festival: Switzerland’s biggest singer-songwriter Festival
- 16–18 December: Christmas Concerts in Klosters
- 17–18 December: FIS Cross Country World Cup – Davos Nordic
- 26–31 December: 94th Spengler Cup 2022: Oldest club ice hockey tournament in the world
- 1 January: Traditional Hotschrennen (Pig Racing) on New Year’s Day in Klosters
- 1–8 January: British-Swiss Parliamentary Ski Week 2023
- 11-12 February: Art on Ice 2023: The most impressive figure skating show in the world
- 2–4 March: 88th Parsenn Derby: The most traditional People's Ski Race in Switzerland
- 30 March–2 April: Coverfestival Davos 2023: Music and fun on the mountain and in the valley
