Learning to Ski in the Swiss Alps:Arosa Kulm

Learning to Ski in the Swiss Alps:Arosa Kulm

When I first visited Switzerland last year at the close of summer, I was amazed by the sea of colours that lay before me. The Alps seemed a world away in the distance, whilst the rolling hills in front of me were bursting with colour and summer freshness. The sky was a rich shade of blue, the air was clean, and I felt as if I was living in the Sound of Music film. Hah! No really. The last time I stayed at the Arosa Kulm Hotel in Switzerland looked like this:

Then, an entire year and a season later, I finally returned to Switzerland to experience the winter wonderland that is Arosa. It is little wonder Arosa is a favourite ski destination for families around Switzerland and visitors from abroad. It doesn’t have the snobbiness of some other (unnamed) ski resort towns, and isn’t so laid back that you can’t enjoy a friendly race down the slopes. All in all, Arosa is pretty close to skiing perfection for those that enjoy a low-key holiday with the five-star comforts of beautiful hotels like the Arosa Kulm to return home to at the end of the day.

Given that I had never skied before (in my entire life – shock horror at 23 years of age), I came to Arosa with one task in mind: learn to ski. Here’s how it went.As previously mentioned, this wasn’t my first stay at the Arosa Kulm, located at the foothills of the ski slopes. I had stayed here once before a year prior and had such a memorable stay that I was eager to get back in winter, and so I did.

For my three nights at the hotel I enjoyed a big buffet breakfast every morning, used all the hours of daylight to hit the slopes or adventure around the many hiking trails, and spent the evenings ordering quality in-room dining, floating around the indoor pool or melting away inside one of the sauna/steam rooms.