Every country in the Alps has its own tourist office. The advantage of Scherer Tours is that we are your tourist office for the entire alpine region. So, we are not limited to a specific region or nation. Ths flexibility gives our customers a trememdous advantage.
Our goal is to take your wishes and make them happen. We consider many factors for your ski trips to the Alps, but above all your desires. Combined with our local knowledge of the resorts-which include snow depths, mountain elevations, even exchange rates, you receive a tailor-made offer based on your specs. With Scherer Tours, there are no surprises and no stress. We are skiers who have tested every resort we offer.
We also provide extra services, including test skis, video analysis, ski guides, and DVD films that you can see online. We send over 3000 skiers each year to the Alps, but have not forgotten that each one is important. The fact that 90 % of our customers are repeat business proves the value of our service.
Companies such as Porsche, the Deutsche Bank, Ernst & Young, Ski Clubs such as Tannenbaum, Bavaria, Frankfurt und Hessen, Schools like the Frankfurt International School and the International School of Stuttgart have been with us for decades. They are more than customers; they are friends.
We invite you to join us as your partner for your European skiing vacation.
As the early season snowfalls reach near record levels, most of us are getting psyched for the heart of the ski season.
Many resorts have added new lifts, connected with nearby ski areas, enabling “Mega Resort” Skiing. Scherer Tours has skied them all. Here is our take on the construction boom in several resorts. We rate the connections from one to five stars, with five being the best.
The oldest, most scenic, and probably most famous Mega Resort is the Sella Ronda Masse which connects the 4 corners of Canazei, Arabba, Corvara, and Wolkenstein. Adding to the allure is the fact that 2 of these resorts are in German speaking Italy (Südtirol) and the others are in Italian speaking Italy (Trentino and Belluno). The circuit can be skied both clockwise and counterclockwise. The terrain difficulty is moderate and there are a few “Stau” lifts. Unfortuneately, most of the best runs in each area do not lie along the route. Still, it is a ticket worth punching, at least once. ***3 stars
Another both-way circuit is the Obertauern Runde. This is an Austrian made for beginners jaunt that is only an adventure if you try to ski it with a blindfold. This circuit is good for families with small kids. The slopes are easy, the verticals are short, and you probably could do it 3 times in one day if the liftlines are short. **2 stars
The new Mega Resort is the Arlberg, with St. Anton, St. Christoph and Stuben in Tirol and Zürs, Lech, Warth and Schrocken in Vorarlberg. This can only be skied in one direction. Several new lifts have been built to complete the connection. One of the them, the Galzig cable car in St. Anton even starts by going backwards. Anyway, in the “old days”-like 2 years ago, you could easily do the circuit by taking the free shuttle bus for a 12 minute connection from the Valfegahr Base station to Zürs. The two new lifts that now connect the Valfegehr to Zürs take 25 minutes in each direction, so you are actually losing time with the new lifts. There is a further “transit” cable car between Lech and Warth that take 16 minutes per directions. Warth and Schrocken are resorts that will not send your pulse jumping, anyway. If you attempt the “Run of Fame” as it is called, you will be riding transfer lifts for about one hour. Not a great way to get a lot of vertical meters.
There are some flagship runs on the circuit, including the Rendl to Anton 1400 vertical meter cruise, the Valluga run, the Albona route, the Madloch descentand the Züger Hochlicht slope. But, all in all, the new lifts are an expensive adventure in ego tripping. The previous system was not broken, so it really didn’t need to be fixed. ***3 stars
There are some new “forever connections” as well. Such as Fieberbrunn to Saalbach-Hinterglemm. By car, it is over 44 kms. between the two resorts, but only about ten “air” kilometers. On skis certainly possible to complete in one day. It involves many traverses and short runs and and several lifts with traffic jams. Further, the elevations are low so you many run into a few cow pastures along the way. The highest lift takes you up to only 2020 m. *1 Star
Venturing further west, you find the Arosa-Lenzerheide Swiss connection – completed three years ago. This turns two good areas in one Very Good one. Arosa is the better resorts to ski, and the hotels in Lenzerheide are more reasonably priced. You will need to ride a bus between Valbella and Lenzerheide to complete the circuit. With higher elevations than most of the Austrian circuits, you will find longer runs and better snow here. ***2 Stars
The Portes Du Soleil circuit doesn’t only connect 13 alpine villages with one ski pass; it also unites two countries. And, you can ski both Switzerland and France as well as descend into 7 of them on this circular adventure. Among the highlights: the “Wall of Death” leading from the Chavanette down towards the Panacheaux above Champery. Here, the chairlift creeps along at half speed taking skiers down as well since the steep top section can destroy more than just your confidence. One of the most interesting alpine runs we know leads from the Point des Mossettes on the French side. It starts off in a huge bowl and, 4 kms. later, leads into a gladed forest that ends up in a sleepy Swiss village called Morgins. You can make this a true safari and ski the whole day without taking the same lift-or skiing the same run, twice. We would rate the circuit even higher if the top elevations reached around 3,000 m. ****4 stars
Nearby, you find the 4 Valleys, better known as Verbier and the forgotten sisters (Siviez and Thyon 2000). This connection is about as long as the entire canton of Wallis (well, not really), but when you ski it, you will feel like you are traversing the length of 3 or 4 autobahn exits. It only makes sense if you are staying in Thyon or Siviez as Verbier itself is the best ski resort in Switzerland. Verbier has more ski bums from around the world than anywhere else, except, maybe Chamonix, all searching for the perfect lines from Mont Gele ( Frozen Mountain) and the back side of Mont Fort. Others go no further than the Tortin descent. It drops from 2740m to 2050m and offers an almost perfect fall line. We once tried to ski it all day. We took 7 runs down it and never got bored.***3 stars
France also has a transit-cablecar that connects two Mega Resorts: Les Arcs and La Plagne. Since no one can tell the difference between these two resorts anyway, the connection is a bit superfluous. But, it does make it twice as easy to get lost as before. ***2 stars
Val d’Isere and Tignes are also Mega-Resorts that have a very good seemless connection between them. Both are also mega high, with several lifts above 2700m. and long descents. This union rates as one of the better ones in the Alps. You can make this a true safari and ski the whole day without taking the same lift-or skiing the same run, twice.There are also two glaciers, with runs up to 3400m: the Pissauillas above VdI and the Grand Motte above Tignes.*****5 stars
Last, but certainly not least in our selected list, is the circuit that connects three Mega-Resorts. It includes the highest skiing resort in Europe, the most lifts (double the new Arlberg in size), and the toughest and steepest marked runs-actually cliffs-known as the Saulire couloirs.
The French 3 Valleys (Courchevel, Meribel, Val Thorens) offer tremendous variety, everlasting long runs (over 20 of them that are 7 kms. or longer), and extremely high elevations. Best of all, they are multi-directional with several ridges between each of the areas-meaning multiple route options that practically eliminate any traffic jams. Here as well, you can make this a true safari and ski the whole day without taking the same lift-or skiing the same run, twice. *****5 stars
Some of the top resorts in Europe are NOT included on this, since they do not offer true circuitous skiing. Resorts such as Zermatt, Laax-Flims, Chamonix, Hintertux, Ischgl-Samnaun, Sölden (which now with 3 day ski passes or longer includes Obergurgl), Schladming, and even Kitzbühel come to mind. They too offer a tremendous amount of terrain, and may even be better places to ski in some respects.
Wherever your skis take you, please be prepared, be in good shape, ski with proper equipment when going off-piste, and never ski alone.