Latest edition : 06 March 2019
If in Valais one knows especially the "heavyweights" like Zermatt or Saas-Fee, other ski resorts can seduce. If Grächen and Bellwald also offer tracks and activities for the great sportsmen, the two villages are especially specialized in welcoming families.
Doing everything to make families feel "at home" is a great way to stand out from Zermatt ("frequented by the rich", considers one holidaymaker) and Saas-Fe (a meeting place for young people and enthusiasts freestyle). Athletes can rest assured: while their little ones are learning to ski, they can have fun on the slopes with a view of the Matterhorn mountain, even if the area only offers 20 kilometers of slopes. Steep and technical slopes or softer for beginners, a snowpark and a freeride area, there is something for all levels. The toboggan run also promises thrills throughout the 6-kilometer descent !!
For us, it was a first to go skiing with our grandchildren. For them too! The adventure began at the sports store. To begin with, you had to put on funny shoes.
And what pride to hold on to your first skis!
Wearing helmets, Lorina, 5, and Mathis, 2.5, were ready to hit the slopes!
But the reality was obviously quite different! The skis went off on their own! Then, you had to try to understand the broken French of the instructors who did everything to explain the snowplow ("cut a slice of pizza" !!!).
Seeing them ski backwards and folded in half so that the little ones can grab hold of, I wouldn't want to be an instructor!
While Lorina makes her first descents, Mathis plays the explorers in the surroundings and takes a well-deserved rest.
He impatiently awaits his turn: not necessarily to ski but to have a ride on the magic carpet!
For the first time, they have lunch at the foot of the slopes, admiring the panorama with visible pleasure.
Bellwald is also the perfect destination for people with disabilities. Thanks to specialized instructors and the right equipment, everyone can experience the exhilarating feeling of descending on the slopes.
Non-skiers can also find what they are looking for: 30 km of hiking trails, 13 km of snowshoe trails or the Loipe Goms cross-country ski trail (90 km) which connects 12 picturesque villages.
After skiing, do not miss a stroll in the historic heart of the village. Dozens of typical old granaries tell stories of the life of the peasants of yesteryear. Attics were used as a safe place to store clothing and other valuables.
Attics and barns are built on wooden stilts covered with flat stones with rounded edges, possibly to prevent mice from accessing them.
Bellwald, like Grächen and other mountain villages in Valais, could only be reached by mule tracks. This did not prevent the construction of chalets and the arrival of the first tourists.
Since 1956, a cable car has linked the village to the train station in the valley, and only since 1971 has a road been used to reach Bellwald from the valley by car!
In winter, coming from Basel-Bern by car, you have to embark on the Furka car train to reach Bellwald (33 CHF one way).
