Swiss skiing in UnterwasserWinter Sports in Unterwasser

Ski and snowboard 60 km of piste in Unterwasser between 900-2262m


B

etween the Säntis mountain and the peaks of the Churfirsten lies the picturesque Toggenburg valley, with the family-friendly villages of Wildhaus, Unterwasser and Alt St Johann sharing a reasonably-sized ski area in the upper section of the valley, Obertoggenburg. The three villages are each valley stations for the main ski area, with Unterwasser having the best infrastructure – a funicular railway and a cable car to take you right up to the peak of Chäserugg at 2262m. It really feels more like three resorts than one, with the areas above the three villages only being loosely connected to each other by pistes that are often more like trails. It works, though, and the villages at the bottom are served by a post bus route and ski buses which are free to use if you have a lift pass. The valley is largely North-facing and, although it is the most Northerly of the main ski resorts in Switzerland the snow record is good. Although you can get around most of the resort without resorting to T-bars, this area, however requires you to take a long T-bar up to the summit of Gamserrugg (2076m). It is worth it, though, both for the good runs but also the spectacular views across Buchs, Vaduz in Liechenstein, the Rhine Valley and the Alps stretching away in every direction except North.

Ski and Snowboard Unterwasser

Best of the Slopes

The runs off the spectacular viewpoints at Gamserrugg and Chäserugg can take you all the way down to Unterwasser - a vertical drop of over 1000m with lots of variations to choose from.

Nic Oatridge's ski blog

Getting There

By Public Transport

The best destination to access the downhill slopes by public transport in this ski area is Unterwasser Post. Bus stop 10 minutes from funicular railway.

  • From Zurich the least travel time is 1 hr 55 mins with as few as 1 changes going via Buchs.
  • From Basel the least travel time is 3 hrs 20 mins with as few as 2 changes going via Zurich / Buchs.

By Road

Please refer to a map and check local conditions for accurate routing information.

  • The road distance from Zurich is around 80 km and the journey time is roughly 1 hr 18 mins.
  • The road distance from Basel is around 181 km and the journey time is roughly 2 hrs 8 mins.

Get road directions at Google Maps

Nearby Resorts

Other resorts in the ski area include Alt St. Johann and Wildhaus.

Weather Outlook

Latest Resort Report

MySwitzerland report for Alt St Johann

Piste Map for Unterwasser

Ski and Snowboard on the pistes at Unterwasser


Useful Links


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