Fresh approach
REBECCA SHERDLEY BREATHES IN BEAUTY OF THE SWISS ALPS
THERE’S no better way to explore one of the most striking landscapes in Switzerland than to jump on an e-bike and hit “turbo”.
The steep, rugged slopes of Laax forests instantly become a breeze, leaving you to leisurely take in the aqua-blue waters of Lake Cauma in the canyon below.
Here, in the lush Surselva Region, barely hours off the flight into Zurich, we effortlessly whizzed along winding trails. It was a thrill to dip and dive along the breathtaking Rhine Gorge, known as the Swiss Grand Canyon.
Mid-way through, we took a pit stop at one of the many viewing platforms. Built in the shape of a swift with its wings outstretched, Il Spir in Conn offers the perfect view of the imposing, 1,312ft deep gorge, and the Chrummwag, the famous horseshoe-shaped loop in the Rhine.
After a day exploring such wonderful scenery, we headed back to Rocksresort, a collection of sleek rooms and furnished apartments, set in slate-clad cubist-design boxes, at the foot of Laax valley cable car.
This ski-in, ski-out resort hotel caters for those who come for snow fun in winter as well as the summer visitors like us who fly in for the mountain trails and lakes.
Set around a central square, there are shops selling sports gear, food, fine wine and gifts, and the resort shares the spa and wellness facilities of its nearby sister hotel, the Signina.
You don’t have to go far for exciting food options, with bars and restaurants
on-site including pan-asian eatery Nooba and Italian, Mediterranean and Swiss cuisine. We dined at Rocksresort’s Grandis Ustria da vin, which offers 1,000 wines (an entire hallway of them) plus meaty grills and authentic Valais raclette cooked over an open fire.
Our first full day in Laax began with a bus ride along a winding mountain road up to Alp Nagens for lunch at Stalla.
Irresistibly cute, this place serves Swiss delicacies in a converted cowshed 6,500ft above sea level.
Our geoguide, Martin Tschirky, gave a modern perspective on the formation of the Alps – a huge crumple zone, formed by the collision of Europe and Africa. We are walking on the bones of dinosaurs, he told us, as we trekked over paths gouged out by boulders that thundered down the mountainside
about 10,000 years ago (the biggest known mountain slide incident in the Alps).
A hike followed to the lower Segnesboden, in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tectonic Arena Sardona, to the oldest mountain hut in the region, the Segneshutte.
Here, we drank fruit teas and tucked into a hearty meal before spending the night wrapped in cosy sleeping bags inside a warm mountainside pavilion.
Its enormous windows commanded magnificent views of the skies and the yellow lights of the valley below. Rise early to sit on the terrace to watch soft white clouds gently float above the mountainside as sunrise comes.
Breathe in the fresh air and feel the stillness beneath the majestic backdrop of the dark rugged peaks of the Tschingelhorner, the Martinsloch and the lower Segnesboden.
After descending alongside crystal clear streams we reached the chairlift ride from Foppa to Flims, then took a bus
ride back to Laax.
Even with our aching limbs, we managed a trip to the world’s longest treetop path, the Senda dil Dragun, which translates to the “way of the dragon”. Stretching for almost a mile, it has five adventure platforms and amazing views.
A 240ft slide awaits at the entrance tower in Murschetg, which adults and children can helter-skelter down. Refuel afterwards at the effortlessly cool Riders within the Riders Hotel in Laax, known for vegetarian cuisine.
After three days exploring, we wound down with activities with Sandra Schmidt, manager of the Schweizerhof Flims, Romantik Hotel and wellness coach.
A barefoot walk in freezing streams and along mossy woodland paths was followed by yoga with teacher Tara Meie on the shores of Lake Cauma, which translates as “lake siesta”.
Swimming in warm, turquoisehued waters sourced from springs proved the perfect finale to my summer days in the Swiss mountains.
We stood over a 1,312ft gorge and the famous horseshoe Rhine loop