What Does A Ski Resort Do Without Snow? A Switzerland Town Has Answers

When you think of a ski resort, you think of snow. You think of white mountains, frozen air, and chairlifts climbing into clouds. So, arriving in Laax, one of Switzerland's most famous Alpine destinations, on a rainy late-August day felt strangely disorienting.

The slopes were green. The air was warm. And the question that followed me into the town was simple: what does a ski resort become when winter is gone?

Laax had answers.

Buses to Laax are available from the Chur railway station. Photo: Author

The municipality is a premier year-round ski resort in the Graubunden canton of Switzerland. Its location really takes the cake: Laax is situated on a southeast-facing terrace in the eastern Swiss Alps, which means there's plenty of sun all day. Laax is a two-hour drive from Zurich. Switzerland's fantastic public transport stops right at the resort town. A combination of trains and a Laax PostBus took me to the town after an extraordinarily scenic drive though the Swiss countryside. 

A Many-Millennia-Old Gorge

The road to Laax crosses the Rhine, and you are rewarded with mind-bending views of the spectacular Rhine Gorge, Switzerland's own 'Grand Canyon'. The Rhine Gorge stretches about 14 kilometres between Reichenau and Ilanz. The Ruinas, or the steep walls of the Rhine Gorge are juxtaposed against an untamed river; a snapshot of wild wild Switzerland best enjoyed snaking through, through the panoramic windows of the world-famous Glacier Express. Several other trains that pass between Reichenau and Ilanz also offer stunning views of the gorge.

The Rhine Gorge on a rainy August day. Photo: Author

Before we get to Laax, a little about the 10,000-year-old history of the Rhine Gorge. Long before Switzerland was Switzerland; 9,450 years ago; a massive landslide changed the geography of this area. Over 7 cubic kilometres of rock broke loose above the area that is now Flims, between Flimserstein and Piz Grisch, in the Flims-Laax-Falera region.

The River That Shapes The Map Of Europe

The 1,000-metre landslide buried an area of about 50 square kilometres. The scree was many hundreds of metres thick. As a result, the course of Vorderrhein, towards Lake Constance, was interrupted. The natural dam resulted in a lake. Lake Ilanz, as the lake came to be called, was probably around for a millennium before the river created its own course, cutting through the landslide masses, and draining the lake. The result of this was the Ruinaulta. The Rhine Gorge.

Fairytale towns dot the banks of the Rhine. Photo: Author

Postcard villages dot the banks of the Rhine, from Valendas to Safiental. The river is one of the largest and most important in Europe. So much of Europe is intertwined with this river that it is built into the very identity of the continent.

The Rhine Gorge was formed 9,450 years ago. Photo: Getty Images

The car and the bicycle were both invented on the banks of this river. It was by this river that Mary Shelley found her inspiration for Frankenstein, following rumours of a local man who would cut up dead bodies for experiments. The river kept invaders out of the Roman Empire by acting as a natural barrier to the north. The Rhine originates in this corner of Switzerland before shaping the map of western Europe and draining into the North Sea near The Netherlands.

Summer In A Ski Resort

In summer, the Rhine, which cuts across the Flims-Laax-Falera region, transforms into a paradise for hikers, bicyclers, and the general outdoorsy crowd. Then there are the lakes. The bright-blue glacial lakes of Switzerland find a rugged background to blend into. Flocks of summer revellers take to the lakes; swimming, paddle-boarding, diving, drinking out of them, simply breathing.

Caumasee. Photo: Author

To my Delhi-assaulted lungs, the fresh air at Caumasee or Lake Cauma felt like an assault all on its own, albeit the welcome kind. I could breathe without wheezing. I could talk without punctuating it with apology-laden bouts of coughing. Everything else almost seemed over and beyond. 

Apart from Caumasee, two lakes are on the must-visit circuit: Crestasee, and Lake Laax, which shares its name with the town.

Ski In, Ski Out In Winter

My home in Laax was the aptly-named Rocksresort, whose sustainable facade looks like it is carved out of rock. The grey apartments of Rocksresort look almost painted on to the scene, with the Swiss Alps rising behind it.

The aptly-named Rocksresort. Photo: Author

With 248 apartments, 6 bars, 9 restaurants and 9 stores including departmental stores, the resort complex is a world unto its own. The ski rooms here are unique in the way they are designed: ski in, ski out. The Laax gondola is at the door in these rooms, from where skiiers can simply hop on and hop off at the other end.

For an overtly luxurious stay in Laax, the resort also has Casa Mulania: a 300-year-old chalet divided into four modern apartments with the swankiest of elements within. Take this: the dishwasher inside one of the apartments opens to your knock and not a button. The insides of the apartments are done up in warm wood, complete with sheepskin rugs and a seating area by the massive glass-paned windows where you can curl up with a book or just watch the world go by.

The more sober of the rooms at Rocksresort offer access to its huge activity arena, and the Freestyle Academy with a kids' zone; all of which form just the perfect way to spend a bad-weather day at the resort.

What Else

The treetop walkway. Photo: Author

For good-weather summer days, there is the Senda dil Dragun, the longest treetop walkway in the world. The 1.5-kilometre walkway connects the two districts of Laax Murschetg and Laax Dorf through the Laax forest, with trees at your eye level. The entrance to the treetop walkway has the Rocks Park Tower, with a marble run, games, five platforms to sit and take in the regional flora and fauna from; a nature experience for all age groups.

Adjacent to Rocksresort is the Riders Hotel, whose restaurant specialises in a no-waste vegetarian menu crafted out of the best of local fare. So, expect several kitchen experiments on your plate, from a tomato and melon salad with smoked tofu miso cream, to a planted steak with polenta, a traditional dish from Ticino, Switzerland's Italian-speaking region.

(L-R) The tomato and melon salad, the Ticino polenta, and the tonka bean ice cream. Photos: Author

The sit-down menu comes in three- or five-course options, in vegetarian or vegan, with a choice of wine or non-alcoholic drinks. Do try the tonka bean ice cream to round off your meal with.

By the end of my two days in Laax, onboard the train out through the Rhine Gorge, the rain seemed a distant memory. The snow wasn't missed. And the Swiss Alps, in all their green glory, was a reminder that there's always more to a place than meets the eye.

Also Read: More From NDTV Luxury