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Davos,SW
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Reservations #:
+41 (0)81 415 21 21
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| MOUNTAIN STATS
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| Top Elev: |
9331 ft/2844 m |
| Base Elev: |
5118 ft/1560 m |
| Vertical Drop: |
4213 ft/1284 m |
| Lift Capacity: |
0 |
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| TRAILS
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| Beginner: |
64 |
| Intermediate: |
137 |
| Advanced: |
64 |
| Expert: |
54 |
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Davos is not a small quaint Alpine resort. This is a ski city-the largest ski resort in Switzerland and the highest city in Europe. The year-round population is 13,000 and the town can fill up with an additional 23,000 tourists. Davos was one of the first ski resorts to be created and is still one of the world's best.In the south-east corner of Switzerland, Davos sits dwarfed by moun-tains on both sides of the valley (Davos means 'behind' or 'beyond' in the Romansh language). Five separate ski areas have been developed, any one of which would be enough for a U.S. resort, ensuring diversity and skiing for every skier.The main town, or should I say city, is split into two sections: Davos Dorf, where the Parsennbahn starts, and Davos Platz, beneath the Schatzalpbahn. These, with several other villages-Frauenkirch, Glaris and Monstein -make up greater Davos. Instead of wooden chalets, for the most part, square concrete hotels line the streets. But Davos still maintains a sense of comfort. Traffic moves easily along the upper and lower main arteries without buildup. The hotels have a long and distinguished tradition for excellence and prac-tically every type of recreational activity is available. If you want to buy the latest in Gucci acces-sories, or the finest Atomic racing ski, you'll find them without any problem. The town was founded in 1860 by Dr. Spengler, a German physician who recognized the benefits of the dry, healthy climate in treating tuberculosis, a scourge of the times. Huge balconies seen on older houses were for patients to lie out in the sunshine. This type of treatment continued until about 1930. Thomas Mann's wife was treated at Davos, from which came his novel The Magic Mountain. Development of Davos as a sports region began in 1955. Davos and Klosters (see our Klosters chapter) combined offer 320 km. of runs, a variety of lodging, cablecars and even some yodeling accordion players. This resort was one of the first to turn skiing into a business with the construction of the Parsenn railway and the creation of the first drag lift.At night the mix of people has unusual variety, from teenagers in town for the good skiing to elderly couples en-joying a walk in the crisp, clear mountain air and the restorative powers of an Alpine vacation. Nightlife is ade-quate, if restrained. Everything except the skiing seems to be done in moderation.
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resort info
