A splendid, spacious area that deserves to be better known.

Flims Laax Falera has an impressive 220 km of mainly intermediate slopes. The resort is very popular with weekenders and has invested in some large-capacity lifts, including a 3-stage gondola from Flims, a jumbo gondola from Laax and several high-speed chair lifts. It can be very quiet during the week, and it is virtually unknown to tourists outside of Switzerland and Germany. Perhaps this little local secret hasn’t taken off yet because of the nomenclature… don't be put off by the unfortunate (for English-speakers) local name for “peak” which is “crap.” All the mountain tops are called crap, a top après-ski venue is the Crap Bar and the tourist office has even used the slogan “Flims is crap” in promotions.

There are very long runs from the tops of three different interconnected mountains, amid stunning scenery—all ideal for adventurous intermediates. And there’s plenty to play around on in all areas. The two main drawbacks are its sunny orientation, which can soon spoil the snow on the lower part of the mountain, and the lack of any sense of real Alpine in the villages. Now there’s a third: their new trail map uses a unique classification system unlike any other we have seen. Formerly black and red runs have become green (to signify “Allround Slope”), red now means “Freestyle Slope,” off-trail areas are shaded yellow, and black diamonds have appeared. Confused? We are.

However, there’s exceptional skiing off the top lifts for beginners, intermediates, and experts. Hearty food dominates, and, of course, there are high ratios of beers per run. This is guaranteed to be the best “Crappy” weekend you’ll have!