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  4 of 5, "Great Kickers, Slow System, Kids up their own Ar$e!" 02/04/2010 @ 14:22 |
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| Revision #1 (Last edited: 02/04/2010 @ 14:22) |
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| Booked Trip Through |
| Independent |
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| Times Visited |
| Just Once |
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| Review Detail |
The parks here are fantastic, maintained daily (it seemed) and sponsored by Swatch. The take off and landings were never rutted and the parks catered for all levels. Far too much fun can be had here and due to lack of snow, followed by lack of visibility we spent most of our time here. Rails for all levels and a fantastic half pipe. Most European/North American resort I'd put myself in the top 30% for boarding skill level, here I'd put myself in the bottom 30!! Very few beginners. Competitions and things happening around the mountain all the time. Kids building massive kickers off the piste everywhere. Fun galore!!
The lift system is old and slow and could really do with being updated, however there were no real queues when I was there so can't complain too much. There is a massive flat bit if you come down the glacier and take a right through the mountain, beware!
The 3 towns (Laxx, Flims and the other one) are now called the Rocks Resort and market themselves as one. We stayed in Laxx which has recently renovated the resort around the main gondola with shops, bars and restaurants. There are only 4 bars in Laxx, Crap Bar, the other small one, the long one and the one in the Riders Palace where the club is(I'm rubbish with names). The Apres Ski was usually mediocre. I think the kids thought they were too cool here to listen to guff music and dance like fools. There was a DJ outside at the bottom of the home run which was good one night, but overall Laxx didn't have that 5-7pm crazy partyness that you get in the other Swiss resort I've been to like Verbier or Zermatt, never mind places like Austria!
Average age is 16-25 I think. |
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| Strengths |
Well maintained snow parks for all levels
High skill level so lots of tricks to copy and plenty opportunity to go "Ooooh!" |
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| Hot Spots |
| Riders Palace on Ping Pong night! |
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| Weaknesses |
Very expensive both on and off the mountain (£38 for a horse steak!!)
Very young crowd that takes itself too seriously.
Slow lift system |
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 5 of 5, "Overall this place severly rocks. There is simply loads of terrain for all levels." 11/12/2003 @ 16:45 |
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| 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: |
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| Revision #8 (Last edited: 24/10/2008 @ 01:37) |
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| Times Visited |
| 15 Times + |
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| Review Detail |
Resources
Laax website in English
Uplift and Trails
There are three linked areas here in the "Alpenarena": Flims, Laax and Falera. They are all linked by lifts and by buses so you can basically treat it as one big resort but it's best to remember which area your accomodation is in. There are lots of 4 man chairs about
Vorab Glacier - right at the top of the Laax area in the middle and is the area to go pre or post season. There are some wide but shallow motorway runs just down from the glacier.
Flims - has loads of easy and intermediate pistes. Good for piste action and spagetti runs.
Laax - Loads of pow in between main pistes and some tree posibilities. Parks and pipes. Some good blacks when not icy.
Falera - The lowest and sunniest so later in the season it gets wet and soft. Some great runs all the way down from the craps in Laax.
Accommodation
Swiss hotels are usually expensive but there are a few budget options about. Most notable here is the riders palace which is a great big high tech budget hotel with a big club and a few bars right in the basement.
Lower Runs
Lower runs here are not at all bad and getting right down to the towns is not much hassle :) These are among the best lower runs in Switzerland as other places are really narrow and icy most of the time. There are so many exits here that you may be confused so try to remember where you live. Not too bad though, the buses are easy and good and there are stops at all the exit/uplift stations.
Off-piste
All the off piste has it's risks so be careful. Laax and Falera are your best bets here and good ones they are too. Look out for the orange shaded areas on the piste map they are given black diamond ratings are are good fun, there are also orange trails, these are unpisted and rad. I spent a lot of time off piste here and there's plenty of places to go. A great long run for you when there is plenty of snow is to head all the way to the top of Vorab and go right then take the small entrance off to the extreme right to get right down the back. You are now face with a great long black with loads of offpiste on both sides to get to the bottom. You will end up at a small hutte with a massive barbie for a couple of quick wursts before heading up the T-bar to Crap Masegn. Then you go stright out from the station towards the peaks at the Falera side along a narrow track (there is even a small hiking trail further along). Choose you point along here and drop in to follow two routes down towards Falera, there some pistes marked on the extreme left of the piste map that are not always there but there is plenty room around them. As you can see one is a dead end and requires a hike out and the other ends in Falera. There are loads of ways to get down here and there are loads of freeride hits in the middle. Love it. I do.
Parks and Pipes
Perhaps not as good as Davos here for pipe but world class. Laax is always on the Swatch tours. Plenty to do here and some massive hits and pipes. Everything is in the Laax area and there are two places to head
Vorab - On the glacier there is usually a great hit park and pipe if you go to the right at the top of the double t-bar up the glacier. Hits are big.
Crap Sogn Gion - Just down from the middle station there is a HUGE pipe and a smaller park. You can see the pipe from the restaurant and there is a DJ and riders bar right at the top of the pipe itself. You can spend the day here and then ride off-piste down to the left at the bottom of the pipe heading towards the trees for some powder (gets tracked quick though) and just on the other side of the trees is a nice track to take you back to uplift.
Social
Falera - Very local and low key swiss stuff, can be great fun for obstler, schnaps and fondue nights with mates.
Laax - There is a pretty cool and very chilled bar at the Laax Murschetg station which is the closest to the riders palace called of all things the "Crap Bar". It's not actually that crap at all. They have a DJ behind the bar, some comfy seats about, relatively cheap food and drink (including pizza and burgers et al) and there is a games room out the back. There is also of course the club and bars in the riders palace itself which gets some big names in sometimes but costs to get in.
Flims - The biggest town with a few options including the Greenhouse Bar at the lift station which is a big glass dome and is busy just after the lifts close (ask for "heisse schoggi mit rum") and then the Angel Club for dancing and drinking later on.
Summary
Overall this place severly rocks. One of the best if not the best in Switzerland and when the snow is right you won't find better without a chopper. There is simply loads of terrain for all levels (I haven't mentioned beginners here but if you don't know already - go for the blue ones). There is a load of bordercross terrain here too and there are a few tours during the season so get your armour on ;) The people here are more friendly than in a lot of other places too. I'd have to rate it more highly than Davos personally. |
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| Strengths |
Great Terrain and Off-piste
World Class Pipes and Parks
Nice Folk
Good Party and Clubs
Choice of Three Towns |
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| Weaknesses |
| Snow Sometimes Lacking |
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| Similar Resorts Visited |
switzerland, austria, italy, scotland, tahoe....
 | &gogglehead
Any resemblance to a real person, living or dead, is purely accidental. |
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