Hi All, Work is forcing me to travel to Europe in January, so on the tail end of that trip I am flying with a buddy to Zurich and we are going to spend two days skiing in the Andermatt area. Has anyone skied there before and do you have any pointers or recommendations? Currently we are thinking of staying at the Catrina Experience in Disentis which has direct cable car access to Sedrun. Has anyone stayed here before? Is there a better place/location we should consider? Any and all advice is appreciated.
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International (Europe/Japan/Southern Hemisphere) Going to Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis (Switzerland) in January
- Thread starter dovski
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Thread Starter
TS
Bumping this up as I have to assume someone in the Skitalk community has skied here before
Thread Starter
TS
I think we will probably ski mostly Gemstock as it sounds like that is where the great terrain is. Luckily you can now ski there from Disentis or take the train
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If you want to ski on the Gemsstock, it would make life much easier if you stayed in Andermatt rather than Disentis. The train journey takes over an hour, plus you will have to get from your accommodation in Disentis to the railway station and from Andermatt station to the Gemsstock cable car station.
The first section of the Andermatt - Gemsstock cable car has limited capacity; the cabins can only carry 60 skiers, as a result the capacity is only 650 skiers per hour, so there are often long queues.
The first section of the Andermatt - Gemsstock cable car has limited capacity; the cabins can only carry 60 skiers, as a result the capacity is only 650 skiers per hour, so there are often long queues.
Thread Starter
TS
My understanding was that we could ski at least part of the way there is that not the case? Is there anything worth skiing aside from Gemsstock? we are currently paying 40 CFH a night in Diesntis for what appears to be decent accommodation, that said always open to recommendations.
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You can ski most of the way, first you ski over to Sedrun and take a train/bus/taxi to Dieni. From there you can ski to Andermatt, you should be able to figure out the route from the interactive piste map https://winter.intermaps.com/andermatt_sedrun_disentis
There is quite a lot of off piste skiing in the Disentis / Sedrun sector https://www.disentis-sedrun.ch/en/freeriding-ski-tours if you can join a group a guide will only cost you CHF 165- https://www.muntognas.ch/en/erlebnis/freeriding/
You don’t get much in Switzerland for CHF 40- so you will almost certainly be in a 4 bedded room in the hostel https://www.gruppenhaus.ch/en/house/hostel/catrina/1001 tourist tax will cost another CHF 4- and if you want breakfast it will be CHF 17.50.
There is quite a lot of off piste skiing in the Disentis / Sedrun sector https://www.disentis-sedrun.ch/en/freeriding-ski-tours if you can join a group a guide will only cost you CHF 165- https://www.muntognas.ch/en/erlebnis/freeriding/
You don’t get much in Switzerland for CHF 40- so you will almost certainly be in a 4 bedded room in the hostel https://www.gruppenhaus.ch/en/house/hostel/catrina/1001 tourist tax will cost another CHF 4- and if you want breakfast it will be CHF 17.50.
I stayed in Rueras and skied for a week out of https://www.mt-lodge.com/ before doing the Urner Haute route. It's 1/2 way between Disentis and Andermatt. It is my top ski vacation spot of all time. The lodge itself is small and cozy -- with very good food. The hosts/owners are just awesome folks (and ripping skiers). It's about a 10min walk to the train which runs frequently. We skied a couple days in Andermatt (45min), a day in Disentis (30min -- with the new tram though you can get off in Sedrun and take the tram straight up), and a few days from Dieni working up to Overalpass.
There is TONS worth skiing besides the Gemstock. Especially if you're skiing mostly piste (e.g. you aren't prepared for backcountry travel with avalanche gear), there's no reason to limit yourself to the Gemstock.
My buddy on our first run in Disentis:
This is one of the "small" lifts on the map I hadn't really though about, but made for a fun few hours.
There is TONS worth skiing besides the Gemstock. Especially if you're skiing mostly piste (e.g. you aren't prepared for backcountry travel with avalanche gear), there's no reason to limit yourself to the Gemstock.
My buddy on our first run in Disentis:
This is one of the "small" lifts on the map I hadn't really though about, but made for a fun few hours.
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Thread Starter
TS
This looks awesome. Sounds like we should pack our avalanche gear as we prefer off-piste skiing. That said we are happy to hike a little but not planning to bring skins our skis with a touring set-up. It looks like there is a lot available that you can ski to vs. needing to hike, is that correct?
Right now we are in the process of trying to find a hotel in Andermatt or Sedrun as opposed to what we have booked in Disentis - per @Swiss Toni recommendation. I did find a place in Hospental but it only has a double bed and we are not a couple lol. Last time I skied in Switzerland it was also a last minute trip and I had the same challenge finding hotels. Hoping to solve that issue this week.
Really appreciate the insights and recommendations. Definitely like the looks of all the Freeride terrain!
Keep in mind many “doubles” are two beds pushed together. Worth asking if you're willing to share a room.
Sedrun / Rueras / Dieni are nice to stay in because of central location. But they have a lot less "après" / food opportunities than Andermatt or Disentis.
Yes, pack avalanche gear if you intend to ski off piste, even w/o touring gear there is a lot of accessible freeride terrain. Guides there are far less expensive than in the states -- worth it for a day to get your bearings especially in a spot like the Gemmstock.
Sedrun / Rueras / Dieni are nice to stay in because of central location. But they have a lot less "après" / food opportunities than Andermatt or Disentis.
Yes, pack avalanche gear if you intend to ski off piste, even w/o touring gear there is a lot of accessible freeride terrain. Guides there are far less expensive than in the states -- worth it for a day to get your bearings especially in a spot like the Gemmstock.
Thread Starter
TS
yeah so far pretty much every double room is two singles pushed together and no one is willing to separate them, which does present a challenge lol
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Usually all the available accommodation is listed on the tourist office websites https://www.andermatt.swiss/en/holiday-plan-book/book-your-stay/hotels-and-guesthouses and
https://www.disentis-sedrun.ch/en/buchen/accommodation Andermatt and Sedrun are both pretty small so there isn’t that much available. Many of the places are from a bygone age.
The lift companies only protect the groomed runs from avalanches, if you ski off piste you need avalanche gear. Avalanche bulletins are issued daily by the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research in Davos https://whiterisk.ch/en/conditions click/press on the zoomable avalanche bulletin map for details. You can get local forecasts in English from MeteoSwiss https://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/local-forecasts/andermatt/6490.html#forecast-tab=detail-view
If you download the SwissTopo app https://www.swisstopo.admin.ch/en/maps-data-online/maps-geodata-online/swisstopo-app.html you can download the relevant section of the Snow Sports Map for offline use for free.
Take care, 3 skiers have already been killed by avalanches in the alps this season!
https://www.disentis-sedrun.ch/en/buchen/accommodation Andermatt and Sedrun are both pretty small so there isn’t that much available. Many of the places are from a bygone age.
The lift companies only protect the groomed runs from avalanches, if you ski off piste you need avalanche gear. Avalanche bulletins are issued daily by the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research in Davos https://whiterisk.ch/en/conditions click/press on the zoomable avalanche bulletin map for details. You can get local forecasts in English from MeteoSwiss https://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/local-forecasts/andermatt/6490.html#forecast-tab=detail-view
If you download the SwissTopo app https://www.swisstopo.admin.ch/en/maps-data-online/maps-geodata-online/swisstopo-app.html you can download the relevant section of the Snow Sports Map for offline use for free.
Take care, 3 skiers have already been killed by avalanches in the alps this season!
In addition to @Swiss Toni helpful beta -- I'd add you should consider rescue insurance for skiing off piste in Switzerland. Get a REGA membership: https://www.rega.ch/en/
If youre really there just to ski and enjoy, seriously call Michele at Mt-Lodge Sedrun. It's an awesome spot.
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Rega patronage is not a substitute for insurance, it covers costs that a patron’s insurance won’t cover.
“In grateful acknowledgement of patrons’ support, Rega can, at its own discretion and within the bounds of its resources, waive or reduce the costs of any emergency services listed below that it has provided or organised on their behalf, in the event that insurance companies or any other third party are not liable to pay and thus not required to reimburse the costs of the rescue mission, whether wholly or in part.”
You need ski / travel insurance that covers off piste skiing. Some lift companies sell insurance with lift tickets, unfortunately in usually doesn’t cover off piste skiing.
“In grateful acknowledgement of patrons’ support, Rega can, at its own discretion and within the bounds of its resources, waive or reduce the costs of any emergency services listed below that it has provided or organised on their behalf, in the event that insurance companies or any other third party are not liable to pay and thus not required to reimburse the costs of the rescue mission, whether wholly or in part.”
You need ski / travel insurance that covers off piste skiing. Some lift companies sell insurance with lift tickets, unfortunately in usually doesn’t cover off piste skiing.
Thread Starter
TS
Yes when I skied Verbier I bought insurance through the same place I bought my ski pass. With Andermatt they do not offer a combined package so curious where to buy this for my upcoming trip.
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The Snow Assist insurance sold by Verbier is provided by Europ Assistance https://online-services.europ-assistance.ch/fr/product/2386-2105FRMJASSI if you look at the T&Cs, which are only available in French and German they state that off piste skiing is excluded.
Because of the risks involved insurance for off piste skiing is difficult to obtain, you generally have to obtain it from a specialist insurer or via a mountaineering association. The Austrian Alpine Club includes insurance with their membership fee of 69 euros p.a. https://www.alpenverein.at/portal/s...ip-english-version/0100_insured-worldwide.php
Because of the risks involved insurance for off piste skiing is difficult to obtain, you generally have to obtain it from a specialist insurer or via a mountaineering association. The Austrian Alpine Club includes insurance with their membership fee of 69 euros p.a. https://www.alpenverein.at/portal/s...ip-english-version/0100_insured-worldwide.php
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Yes. The location is really nice too. You are in between Disentis and Sedrun ski areas. The ski over to Andermatt is actually really easy and pretty darn quick or you can use the train. The train has a bar car for apre if you stay late over in Andermatt.
Michele's food at the lodge is top notch and he's always there to help with just about anything. They are fantastic people.
