On the Alpine glaciers in search of the last snow that gives excitement
Switzerland. Laax, freestyle capital between snowpark and 'rope taxi'
About a three-hour drive from Milan, Laax is one of the most recognisable Alpine destinations for those who associate the mountains with high-altitude skiing, snowboarding and freestyle, innovation and contemporary lifestyle. We are in the Canton of Grisons and one of the pearls of this resort is the Vorab glacier, which allows skiing on groomed pistes until late spring with favourable snow conditions. Approximately 220 kilometres of pistes with a difference in altitude of about two thousand metres are served by more than 30 lifts, including chairlifts, cable cars, gondolas (including the new Vorab Gondola with 10 seats, which improves access to the slopes at altitude) and the 'gem' of an old double anchor lift that leads to the highest point of the entire ski area, at 3,028 metres. The heart of the ski area beats at the 2450 metres of Crap Sogn Gion, where the Galaaxy is located, a futuristic hotel-restaurant in the shape of a spaceship (somewhat reminiscent of the Millennium Falcon in Stars War) with a trendy bar for sunset aperitifs. But it is above all the infrastructure dedicated to freestyle that makes Laax a unique, or almost unique, destination on the Alpine circuit: five snowparks, areas for all levels and one of the world's largest halfpipes, the scene of international competitions. This is where professional athletes and enthusiasts of all ages (young people in particular) train, and to whom the Freestyle Academy is also dedicated, an indoor space created in one of the 'cubes' of the Rockresort (village-residence at the foot of the ski area and meeting place for aprés ski and music evenings) that invites you to approach jumps and tricks in safety with a skateboard. Not to be missed, even after the end of the ski season (scheduled for 12 April with the freestyle show), is an excursion on snowshoes or ski mountaineering skis to the Welterbe Sardona, one of Switzerland's four UNESCO World Heritage sites and an imposing example of the tectonic emergence that took place millions of years ago (the geological history of the place is told in a small exhibition space, the Besucherpavillion, at the beginning of the site). To get there, one descends to the Segnes interchange station, one of the six connected by the world's first "rope taxi" system, the FlemXpress, which departs from Flims: a cableway on demand that allows one to choose the arrival station at will, optimising the flow of tourists heading towards the Unesco area and the slopes of the Laax ski resort and reducing energy consumption.
