Davos is a large Alpine town in the Graubünden canton that provides access to one of the most varied and extensive ski regions in Switzerland. Although it operates as a fully functioning city year-round, its identity remains deeply tied to winter sports and high-altitude health tourism. Skiers come here to explore six distinct mountain sectors, including the expansive Parsenn and the steep faces of Jakobshorn, rather than for a traditional chocolate-box village experience. The terrain favours confident intermediates and off-piste skiers who value long descents over seamless, lift-linked convenience.
## Mountain culture & milestones
The local history of skiing in the Landwasser valley goes back further than almost anywhere else in the Alps. The first skis arrived in Davos in 1883, brought by visitors seeking the high-altitude air for health reasons. By 1894, foreign visitors like Arthur Conan Doyle were heading up into the mountains with local guides, helping to popularise the sport across Britain.
The competitive racing scene also has deep roots here. The Parsenn Derby, which first ran in 1924, remains one of the oldest downhill ski races in the world. By the early 1930s, the mountain infrastructure began to modernise rapidly. The Parsenn funicular opened in 1931, replacing long skins up the mountain and permanently changing how skiers tackled the long runs down to the lower villages. Three years later, in 1934, the world’s first T-bar ski lift was installed on the Jakobshorn at the Bolgen practice slope. These early investments established Davos as a serious destination for downhill skiing long before the post-war ski boom, building upon the literary fame brought by Thomas Mann’s novel *The Magic Mountain*.
## Valley bases: where to stay
Unlike purpose-built French resorts, Davos is a sprawling urban centre spread along the valley floor. It is primarily divided into two main hubs: Davos Dorf and Davos Platz.
Davos Dorf sits at the north end of the valley, near Lake Davos, and provides the quickest access to the Parsenn funicular. The architecture here retains a few more historic alpine touches, and it feels slightly quieter and more residential. Davos Platz is the commercial centre, packed with shops, grand hotels, the enormous conference centre, and the main railway station. From here, you have direct access to the Jakobshorn cable car. The two halves are linked by the Promenade, a long, busy street lined with boutiques and restaurants.
Choosing between them usually depends on which mountain you plan to ski most often, though the local bus and train network connects them efficiently. Staying further out in areas like Frauenkirch, Glaris, or Wiesen offers a much quieter environment, but you will rely entirely on the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) or local buses to reach the main lift stations each morning.
## Ski sectors at a glance
The skiable terrain totals roughly 300 km, but you need to take buses or trains to travel between the different mountains. The areas are not physically linked by ski lifts, which is a crucial detail when planning your day. You pick a mountain, head up, and generally stay there until the afternoon.
## The mountain & skiing
The skiing here is defined by long, sweeping descents and a fragmented lift network. Parsenn is the largest and most famous sector. Its high point at Weissfluhgipfel reaches 2,844 m, from which you can ski all the way down to Küblis at 810 m – a continuous vertical drop of over 2,000 m. This 12 km Nostalgia Run is a classic Alpine descent, though the lower sections rely heavily on good snow cover. The red runs across Parsenn are wide, well-groomed, and ideal for confident intermediates who want to eat up mileage. The terrain sweeps across broad bowls and open ridges, eventually dropping into the forested slopes above Klosters.
Jakobshorn, rising directly above Davos Platz, caters to a completely different crowd. The slopes here face north-west, holding cold snow well into the afternoon. It has a steeper, punchier feel, with a renowned snowpark (JatzPark) and excellent off-piste potential immediately beside the marked runs. It is heavily favoured by snowboarders and freestyle skiers.
For those seeking quiet slopes, Rinerhorn is often overlooked. It sits further down the valley near Glaris and features challenging, undulating red runs that remain remarkably empty even on peak weekends. It also hosts night skiing and a floodlit toboggan run. Pischa takes quiet skiing a step further; the lift company stopped grooming the pistes here entirely, repurposing the mountain as a dedicated freeride and ski-touring zone. Madrisa, accessible from Klosters, is the designated family mountain with extensive beginner facilities and gentle, sunny slopes. Schatzalp, known as the “Slow Mountain”, offers a very relaxed pace on south-facing runs, accessed via a funicular dating back to 1899.
Beginners have a challenging time in Davos. While the Bolgen area at the base of Jakobshorn offers decent nursery slopes, progression to the main mountains is steep. Many of the runs back to the valley are narrow, busy, and classify as tricky reds or blacks. Novices often end up downloading via the gondolas at the end of the day to avoid the icy, crowded valley descents.
## The village & après-ski
Davos is a functioning city of over 10,000 residents, which means the atmosphere is very different from a purpose-built ski station. You walk past banks, hospitals, and major conference centres on your way to the lifts. The architecture is dense and urban, featuring a mix of modern glass structures, imposing sanatorium-turned-hotels, and bulky 1960s apartment blocks, rather than timber chalets.
This urban scale brings immense benefits for non-skiers. The infrastructure is robust, and the off-slope options are extensive. The town features the Kirchner Museum, dedicated to the German expressionist painter Ernst Ludwig Kirchner who lived here, as well as a large ice hockey stadium (the Vaillant Arena), home to the famous Spengler Cup. The dining scene ranges from casual pizzerias to Michelin-starred restaurants hidden inside luxury hotels.
Après-ski is lively but geographically dispersed. Up on the mountain, the Jatzhütte on Jakobshorn is legendary, complete with palm trees, outdoor whirlpools, and loud music. Down in the valley, Bolgen Plaza at the foot of Jakobshorn is the traditional starting point as the lifts close. Later in the evening, the crowd shifts to the bars and clubs along the main promenade in Davos Platz, such as the Ex Bar or Casa Antica in Klosters. Because the town is so spread out, nightlife rarely concentrates in one spot, meaning you will often need to hop on a local bus or walk significant distances between venues.
## Snow & season
Snow reliability is generally excellent. The high base elevation of 1,540 m ensures the valley floor usually remains white throughout the core winter months, while the upper slopes on Parsenn and Jakobshorn sit well above 2,000 m. The season typically kicks off in late November, with weekend openings, and runs continuously until mid-April.
The north-west facing slopes of Jakobshorn tend to preserve cold, chalky snow the longest. The lower runs down to Klosters and Küblis, which drop below 1,000 m, are more vulnerable to spring thaws and often close weeks before the high-altitude lifts shut down. The lift company maintains a large fleet of snow cannons, particularly on the busy home runs down to Davos Dorf and Platz, to ensure they remain passable late into the season.
## Summer & year-round
When the snow melts, Davos shifts focus entirely. It does not shut down like many smaller resorts; instead, it transitions into a major hub for mountain biking, trail running, and alpine hiking. The lift network continues to operate, granting access to 700 km of marked trails across the Graubünden mountains.
Mountain bikers flock to the Alps Epic Trail, one of the longest single-track descents in Switzerland. Lake Davos becomes a centre for sailing, windsurfing, and wakeboarding, thanks to reliable thermal winds that pick up in the afternoon. For a slower pace, the Schatzalp Alpine Botanical Garden (Alpinum) showcases over 5,000 plant species from mountain ranges around the world. The resort also hosts major international events outside of winter, most notably the World Economic Forum, which dominates the town’s logistics every January but underscores its year-round operational capacity.
## Safety & mountain etiquette
The fragmented nature of the ski area requires careful planning. If you miss the last lift connection on Parsenn, you may end up skiing down to a village several train stops away from your accommodation. The sheer size of the unpatrolled terrain, particularly in the Pischa sector, demands respect. Skiers heading into these freeride zones must carry avalanche transceivers, shovels, and probes, and should ideally hire a local guide.
For those looking to practice, the resort maintains an Avalanche Training Center on Jakobshorn, where skiers can simulate transceiver searches for free. Glacial terrain is minimal, but the rocky, high-alpine environment means that leaving the marked pistes carries typical mountain risks. The local avalanche bulletin is updated daily and posted at all major lift stations. You are expected to read it before heading off-piste.
## Who it suits best
Davos works exceptionally well for groups of strong intermediates and advanced skiers who want long, challenging descents and do not mind using buses to explore different mountains. It is a brilliant destination if you value off-piste itineraries, efficient public transport, and the amenities of a large town.
It is less suited to complete beginners, who may find the progression slopes limited and the valley descents intimidating. Similarly, skiers looking for a quaint, pedestrianised alpine village with ski-in/ski-out convenience will find the urban layout and busy roads of Davos jarring.
## Getting there
Nearest airports: Zurich (~158 km), Friedrichshafen (~150 km).
Nearest rail hub: Davos Platz.
## See also
– [/wiki/resorts/klosters/](/wiki/resorts/klosters/)
– [/wiki/regions/graubunden/](/wiki/regions/graubunden/)
## External links
– [Official Davos Klosters Tourism](https://www.davos.ch/en/)
– [Davos Klosters Mountains](https://www.davos.ch/en/winter/mountains/davos-klosters-mountains)
– [WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF](https://www.slf.ch/en/avalanche-bulletin-and-snow-situation/)
– [Ski Map for Davos Klosters](https://www.davos.ch/en/winter/activities/ski-snowboard/piste-map)
Deadline: February 13th
Winner Announcement: February 14th
