jamesdeluxe
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2020
By Sunday, my sixth and final ski day of this inaugural 2023-24 trip, various early-season aches and pains in my legs and hips had become more pronounced, so I took my time getting out of the hotel and didn't arrive at my destination, Toggenburg, until 10:30 am. Of course, CNYers know Toggenburg as the beloved family ski hill south of Syracuse that closed a few years ago. I never skied there; however, I drove or rode my bike past it many times and it's shocking to see how big the original one in the old country is!
Located about an hour directly east of Zurich near the Liechtenstein border, I had a fantastic December powder day at Toggenburg six years earlier. Despite the low visibility, it was clear that there was some stunning topography that I would need to experience on a sunny day, so I chose Togg over a number of other worthy mountains whose surfaces I'd scratched in earlier visits, including Arosa-Lenzerheide, Pizol, Tschiertschen, and Flumserberg. I bought a four-hour day pass for 59 Swiss francs, approx. $63, the most expensive ticket on this trip but still a value compared to what that amount of money buys you in the U.S. Unexpectedly, when I drove up to the base area in Unterwasser two hours after lift opening, instead of directing me to some far-flung parking lot, the attendant waved me through to a spot only 20 yards from the ticket window. Swiss hospitality!
Toggenburg has three distinct terrain sectors named after the villages at their base: from left to right Wildhaus, Unterwasser, and Alt Saint Johann. Wildhaus is not lift-connected to the two sectors on the right so that'll have to wait for a future visit. You're looking at 4,400 vertical feet top to bottom; however, most of the skiing is done on the upper 3,000 feet unless it's a storm day and you want to stay in the trees.
After taking the funicular train up from the valley, you switch over to a tram to go to the peak, Chäserrugg (pronounced KAYZER OOHG), through this incredible rock formation:
Reverse shot looking downhill:
At the top are incredible 360-degree views and lounge chairs for proper Euro relaxation:
Peeking 6,000 verts over the edge onto the green Rhein Valley below with the east/west autobahn to Zurich:
Hundreds of non-skiers come to Chäserrugg with dogs, small kids, ice cleats, and what not to enjoy the groomed ridgeline trail (completely separate from the ski terrain), which takes 90 minutes to complete:
Along the peak is a wide mile-long run serviced by a t-bar. It's gentle so the main fun there is to scan the gorgeous landscape while carving big wide turns. While Toggenburg had maybe half as much natural cover as St. Moritz to the south, there was more than enough and the groomed snow was absolutely perfect.
Alongside the t-bar:
Connecting further down to the lower mountain:
A beautiful trail into the crotch of Chäserrugg:
Everything down here is shaded due to being north-facing and the low sun in December:
Moving over to a beautiful offpiste run:
The atmospheric Stöfeli mountain house:
Drinks at a mid-mountain hut in Alt St. Johann:
Watching a helicopter doing a practice rescue:
Sharing the lower trails with sledders:
By 3:30, I skied back to my car. While it wasn't the soup-to-nuts Togg experience I was hoping for (a lot of terrain was left on the table), it was a fun, relaxing day. Another great Alps trip in the can!
Located about an hour directly east of Zurich near the Liechtenstein border, I had a fantastic December powder day at Toggenburg six years earlier. Despite the low visibility, it was clear that there was some stunning topography that I would need to experience on a sunny day, so I chose Togg over a number of other worthy mountains whose surfaces I'd scratched in earlier visits, including Arosa-Lenzerheide, Pizol, Tschiertschen, and Flumserberg. I bought a four-hour day pass for 59 Swiss francs, approx. $63, the most expensive ticket on this trip but still a value compared to what that amount of money buys you in the U.S. Unexpectedly, when I drove up to the base area in Unterwasser two hours after lift opening, instead of directing me to some far-flung parking lot, the attendant waved me through to a spot only 20 yards from the ticket window. Swiss hospitality!
Toggenburg has three distinct terrain sectors named after the villages at their base: from left to right Wildhaus, Unterwasser, and Alt Saint Johann. Wildhaus is not lift-connected to the two sectors on the right so that'll have to wait for a future visit. You're looking at 4,400 vertical feet top to bottom; however, most of the skiing is done on the upper 3,000 feet unless it's a storm day and you want to stay in the trees.
After taking the funicular train up from the valley, you switch over to a tram to go to the peak, Chäserrugg (pronounced KAYZER OOHG), through this incredible rock formation:
Reverse shot looking downhill:
At the top are incredible 360-degree views and lounge chairs for proper Euro relaxation:
Peeking 6,000 verts over the edge onto the green Rhein Valley below with the east/west autobahn to Zurich:
Hundreds of non-skiers come to Chäserrugg with dogs, small kids, ice cleats, and what not to enjoy the groomed ridgeline trail (completely separate from the ski terrain), which takes 90 minutes to complete:
Along the peak is a wide mile-long run serviced by a t-bar. It's gentle so the main fun there is to scan the gorgeous landscape while carving big wide turns. While Toggenburg had maybe half as much natural cover as St. Moritz to the south, there was more than enough and the groomed snow was absolutely perfect.
Alongside the t-bar:
Connecting further down to the lower mountain:
A beautiful trail into the crotch of Chäserrugg:
Everything down here is shaded due to being north-facing and the low sun in December:
Moving over to a beautiful offpiste run:
The atmospheric Stöfeli mountain house:
Drinks at a mid-mountain hut in Alt St. Johann:
Watching a helicopter doing a practice rescue:
Sharing the lower trails with sledders:
By 3:30, I skied back to my car. While it wasn't the soup-to-nuts Togg experience I was hoping for (a lot of terrain was left on the table), it was a fun, relaxing day. Another great Alps trip in the can!
