The main problem is that the three, medium-small skiing areas (Parsenn, Jakobshorn and Reinhorn) are not interconnected and the mobility between them is annoying and time consuming. Parking by the lifts is problematic and the best way to get around is by shuttles and buses which I found annoying.

However, if you happen to be there for skiing, best to stay as near as possible to the Parsenn cable car, as Parsenn is the largest ski site of the three. Unfortunately only advanced/expert skiers can ski all the way down back to town because of the extremely steep black runs esp. the besen binder.

At Jakobshorn also beginners and intermediate skiers can ski down but it's a much smaller site.
Even though the sun was great (not guaranteed) and there are great off piste areas, I wouldn't recommend this ski resort. It's not comparable to Kitzbuhel, SkiWelt in Austria or Les Trois Vallees in France in convenience and variety of pistes.
See our video here

We skied Davos Klosters ski resort in January 2018 and loved it. But we have a confession to make. We never really saw it!

Our visit coincided with one of the fiercest winter storms Europe has seen in many years. So, whilst we caught fleeting glimpses of blue sky and filtered sun, our general view of Davos Klosters was through yellow lens goggles in seething blizzards, white outs, blistering cold & incredible winds. What better time to judge a ski resorts worth! Despite the harsh conditions, the snow was brilliant (even if a tad avalanche prone in the off piste) and the resort coped remarkably well, running lifts every day. The beauty was that the lifts and slopes were generally deserted (even lonely).

Getting to Davos or Klosters is a cinch. Both towns have two train stations, which, together with several other stations and an excellent bus service allow easy access to accommodation and ski lifts. Klosters is still a smallish traditional town at a lower altitude than Davos, which has turned into a bloated monstrosity, defying all of one’s mental pictures prior to visiting.

A total of six different ski areas are collectively under the Davos Klosters banner and all provide multiple valley descents to different points, making every day a voyage of discovery. Three areas are directly accessible from Davos – Parsenn, Jakobshorn and Schatzalp. The 2 stage funicular on Parsenn from the centre of Davos is, like most funiculars, truly awful. Crowded even on a quiet day, once out of it everything is peachy, but many riders will need to make a return journey on it, as the only return trail directly back to Davos is a snaky black run that requires a bit of a walk back to town. This is the Davos Klosters big negative when it comes to the skiing. Everything else is in the plus side of the ledger.

Even in horrendous blizzard conditions (horrendous being all a matter of perspective – was a lot of fun!) we still achieved face shot after face shot in deep powder on the runs down from the top of Parsenn (Weissfluhgipfel 2844m)………………. until they finally closed the lift as the winds became cyclonic. Fair enough. Off to the new Furka Zipper 6 seater to ski fast intermediate piste and then eventually the 12km run to Klosters. It is possible to do over 2000m vertical valley descents on Parsenn all the way down the valley to Kueblis (Küblis).

After a brilliant lunch of traditional Grisons (Graubünden) Capuns (chard wrapped speck dumplings drowning in a divine cheese sauce) and strudel, the descent to Klosters is made all the better if one time’s it with the local train. The ski trail crosses under the rail line for the last 300m descent into Klosters. As the train approaches for the descent, the race is on. We won comfortably, skating across the bridge to the cable car as the train pulled into the Klosters Platz station. The cable car back up toward Parsenn is in two stages. The first stage serves a rollicking 600m vertical sled run. At the top of the second stage, Gotschnagrat some excellent off-piste runs are available to the adventurous back down to the mid station, or some intermediate piste on the opposite side. Piste trials (& off piste) down to the old slow Schwarzseealp chair are the pick of it for intermediates. Heading back towards Parsenn the weather grew worse and all lifts shut down. Exiting stage left we ended up in a small town called Wolfgang. A bus was waiting. With Kloster’s Madrisa ski area closed for the day due to the direction of the storm, we ventured direct to Rinerhorn on the excellent (and free with a ski pass/skis) local bus via Davos.

Rinerhorn has a different aspect and ski lift type to both Parsenn & Madrisa, so was still able to run in the storm. Surface lifts at the top of a gondola allow operation in most conditions, serving mostly easy intermediate piste. A variety of valley trails and freeride routes adds the spice to the hill. The gondola services an excellent sled run as well, which is very popular with the non-ski set. Rinerhorn also has a train station across the road (of course!).

Despite Davos not living up to the mind’s eye version, covered in snow it looks pretty enough at night. The centre of town has a fun collection of bars and restaurants and even a casino. Anyone economising on the food front can eat at the superb Migros supermarket restaurant on the cheap. All the high-end hotels have fine dining options with appropriately Swiss price tags. Davos also lives up to its reputation on the shopping front with a requisite number of watch, jewelry & clothing boutiques on the Promenade.

The next day's weather forecast was getting serious. Strong winds, driving snow and bitter cold all day, worsening in the afternoon. Four ski areas were closed leaving Jakobshorn the pick, which was good because that was our plan all along. Straight out of the train station at Davos Platz, under the rail line and into the cable, 50cm of fresh snow was piled on everything. Ascending to the summit, the crowd dwindled from about 20 people to just 6 hardy souls as the morning went on. Fresh tracks were the order of the morning. Jakobshorn has the most traditional and easy to understand terrain and lifts of the entire Davos Klosters ski area. An excellent beginner’s area and half pipe at the base near town, piste trails for all levels above the tree line, and good freeride terrain including tree skiing for advanced and experts in between. The blizzard eventually drove us into the restaurant at Bolgen Plaza for a tasty (but calorific) rösti, as the resort finally succumbed to snowmageddon. With the forecast looking grim it was time to move on.

We never sampled Pischa or Schatzalp due to time and weather constraints. Pischa looks to be very similar to the excellent Diavolezza-Lagalb on the Bernina Pass near St Moritz, but with all the skiing off piste.

Will definitely return to Davos Klosters to ski Pischa, Madrisa, the backcountry and to actually see what the place looks like when the sun shine. We do love a good blizzard though! 



See our video here