I carved down an immaculate, wide-open piste towards a saw-toothed ridge of peaks, with a tree-free, 360-degree vista of interconnecting pistes all around.
Sun splashed on to the snow to the sound of edges biting into high-speed turns as I realised that I couldn’t see another skier for miles.
For some reason, I hardly ever hear British skiers talk about Arosa Lenzerheide, the vast 225km interconnected ski area in Switzerland that was named the world’s best by Omio last season (based on 11 factors including lift pass prices, visitor ratings and ski runs).
Perhaps the pull of the Valais is just too great, or resorts in the eastern Swiss Alps, like Davos and St Moritz, are just more famous.
But the fact that this destination boasts two Swiss alpine villages linked by a colossal, cross-valley gondola, numerous summits topped by Arosa’s Weisshorn (2,653m) and Lenzerheide’s Parpaner Rothorn (2,865m), and a snowbound bowl of undulating, swooping pistes, means those skiers may be missing out.
On the slopes
The scale of the Arosa Lenzerheide ski area, the largest in the canton of Graubünden, certainly lives up to its billing. Our first morning started at the Hörnli Express lift, which necessitated a long traverse along an easy blue that took us directly through the upper terraces of the alpine village.
From the Hörnli (2,511m), we take the Urdenbahn gondola to Lenzerheide’s Urdenfürrgli (2,546m) lift.
This giant, zipline-like engineering marvel took nine months and 50 million Swiss Francs to connect two steep-sided peaks without using any support pillars.
Arosa Lenzerheide was named the world’s best ski area by Omio last season – Matt Ray
In what seems like no time at all, we’re on the Lenzerheide side. There’s a choice of one colour up here, so we drop down a sweeping red piste well above the treeline, then into a blue that takes us to the first of a series of chairlifts that we’ll use to tack across the south east-facing slope of the Parpaner Rothorn.
Dropping even lower into the trees, the piste narrows and the terrain gets more technical with fast, off-camber sections.
The vertical drop in Lenzerheide felt a bit steeper and more challenging than the slopes over in Arosa, as we went all the way back down to 1,500m, with many more kilometres of tree-lined pistes besides.
To loop around the entire mountain, we took the ear-popping Rothorn 1 and 2 gondolas to the well-named Panorama Restaurant Rothorngipfel at the top of the Rothorn (2,865m).
The views from its large windows and sun terrace were astounding, perched on the very edge of a precipice that tumbles down on all sides, and encompassing 1,001 snowy peaks.
b’
‘
The gloriously exposed and fast-flowing Red 21 was our way back to the chairlift to the Urdenbahn. By the time we were back in Arosa, the sun had been lightly softening the bowl of red, black and blue pistes, setting them up perfectly for an afternoon of high-speed carving fun.
In fact, I returned time and again to the slopes below the Hörnli lift, whose fall lines provide some exhilarating airtime once you’re up to speed.
That said, the standout for me was further across the resort. From the 2,653m Weisshorn lift, the Red 10 piste drops from Arosa’s highpoint to the blue runs that take you past the Aperol spritz-soaked KuhBar, featuring a giant wooden bull’s head that lights up and emits clouds of dry ice as the music crescendoes.
Arosa Lenzerheide boasts red, black and blue pistes – Matt Ray
In the resort
In the village itself, dining options are upmarket yet laid-back, designed to complement a holiday where the focus is on skiing and good food, rather than partying and late nights.
Our dinner was by way of Hotel Altein, a beautifully historic building with sweeping marble staircases, modern rooms and a top-floor restaurant that boasts a commanding view of the village.
The menu features modern takes on Italian-Swiss classics, including homemade ravioli and gnocchi with seafood.
The resort is designed to complement a holiday where the focus is on skiing and good food – Matt Ray
Other options include Muntanella, where chef Florian Mainzger turns out traditional and modern high-alpine cuisine, while Asian flavours are available in the alpine-hut-turned-wok-joint, Alpenwok.
The verdict
I visited Arosa late in the season, but the snow had held up well amid its cordon of high-altitude peaks, and I was impressed not just by the breadth of the ski area but by the quality of the skiing and snowboarding, which offers a variety of terrain and challenges.
In a day we looped the Rothorn mountain. As the pistes sped by underneath my feet, I always had an appetite for more, and because the slopes were gloriously free of traffic, I was able to carve my name all over them.
With so much enticingly skiable terrain – and the whole other side of the Lenzerheide valley to explore – it’s not surprising that Arosa is viewed by Swiss visitors as an uncrowded alternative to its neighbours so, if you do come to this underrated ski area and alpine village, please keep it to yourself.
Essentials
Refitted in 2023 by the Faern Hotel group, the four-star Hotel Altein is just a 10-minute walk from the Weisshorn cable car and offers doubles from £176 per night.
Fly from London City or Heathrow from £240 return with Swiss to Zurich and transfer by train via Chur from £63 return with SBB.
Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.