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. Growing up in Central New York, Toggenburg was the beloved 760-vert family molehill south of Syracuse that closed a few years ago under dodgy circumstances (details at the bottom of this article on Harv's site), so it's a bit shocking to see how big the original one is!
Located about an hour directly east of Zurich near the Liechtenstein border, Toggenburg is quite popular amongst regional audiences; however, it's on very few international skiers' hit lists. You may recall that I had a nice December powder day there six years earlier. Despite the low visibility, it was clear that there was some stunning topography I'd need to see on a sunny day, so I chose Togg over a number of other worthy nearby mountains whose surfaces I'd scratched in earlier visits, including Arosa-Lenzerheide, Pizol, Tschiertschen, and Flumserberg. I bought a four-hour pass for 59 CHF, approx. $65, the most expensive ticket on this trip but still a good value compared to what that amount of money buys you at U.S. ski resorts. 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 and several other cars 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 isn't 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:
Similar to the previous visit, I started by taking the Iltiosbahn, constructed in 1934/I suspect that the train cars are from the late-1960s -- the exact same model as what I rode in Stoos in March 2016. That one was since replaced with a stunningly modern funicular, billed as the steepest in the world (take a look at how it keeps passengers upright!).
... then switched over to the tram to go to the summit, Chäserrugg (pronounced KAY ZER OOHG), through this impressive rock formation:
Reverse shot looking downhill:
At the top are incredible 360-degree views and lounge chairs for proper Euro relaxation:
Peeking over the edge at the green Rhein Valley 6,000 verts below with the east/west autobahn to Zurich. On the left is a groomed hiking trail (completely separate from the ski terrain), which attracts hundreds of non-skiers to Chäserrugg with dogs, small kids, ice cleats, and what not. It 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 turns. Toggenburg had maybe half of the natural cover compared to St. Moritz to the south; however, it was more than enough (never touched bottom anywhere) 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:
A quick run through the trees to the Alt. St. Johann sector. Everything is in the shade due to being direct north-facing and the low sun in December:
A beautiful offpiste run:
The atmospheric Stöfeli mountain house:
Drinks at a mid-mountain hut in Alt St. Johann:
Watching a helicopter practicing a rescue landing:
Sharing the lower trails with sledders. A beautiful rural region with no hotels or unsightly buildings:
By 3:30, I skied back to my car. With only four hours at my disposal, it wasn't the soup-to-nuts Togg experience I was hoping for (a lot of terrain was left on the table). Still, I had a fun, relaxing day. Another great Alps trip in the can and I'm reasonably sure that this was my first Euro visit with zero new-to-me ski areas!
Located about an hour directly east of Zurich near the Liechtenstein border, Toggenburg is quite popular amongst regional audiences; however, it's on very few international skiers' hit lists. You may recall that I had a nice December powder day there six years earlier. Despite the low visibility, it was clear that there was some stunning topography I'd need to see on a sunny day, so I chose Togg over a number of other worthy nearby mountains whose surfaces I'd scratched in earlier visits, including Arosa-Lenzerheide, Pizol, Tschiertschen, and Flumserberg. I bought a four-hour pass for 59 CHF, approx. $65, the most expensive ticket on this trip but still a good value compared to what that amount of money buys you at U.S. ski resorts. 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 and several other cars 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 isn't 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:
Similar to the previous visit, I started by taking the Iltiosbahn, constructed in 1934/I suspect that the train cars are from the late-1960s -- the exact same model as what I rode in Stoos in March 2016. That one was since replaced with a stunningly modern funicular, billed as the steepest in the world (take a look at how it keeps passengers upright!).
... then switched over to the tram to go to the summit, Chäserrugg (pronounced KAY ZER OOHG), through this impressive rock formation:
Reverse shot looking downhill:
At the top are incredible 360-degree views and lounge chairs for proper Euro relaxation:
Peeking over the edge at the green Rhein Valley 6,000 verts below with the east/west autobahn to Zurich. On the left is a groomed hiking trail (completely separate from the ski terrain), which attracts hundreds of non-skiers to Chäserrugg with dogs, small kids, ice cleats, and what not. It 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 turns. Toggenburg had maybe half of the natural cover compared to St. Moritz to the south; however, it was more than enough (never touched bottom anywhere) 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:
A quick run through the trees to the Alt. St. Johann sector. Everything is in the shade due to being direct north-facing and the low sun in December:
A beautiful offpiste run:
The atmospheric Stöfeli mountain house:
Drinks at a mid-mountain hut in Alt St. Johann:
Watching a helicopter practicing a rescue landing:
Sharing the lower trails with sledders. A beautiful rural region with no hotels or unsightly buildings:
By 3:30, I skied back to my car. With only four hours at my disposal, it wasn't the soup-to-nuts Togg experience I was hoping for (a lot of terrain was left on the table). Still, I had a fun, relaxing day. Another great Alps trip in the can and I'm reasonably sure that this was my first Euro visit with zero new-to-me ski areas!
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