Laax, Flims

The neighbouring villages of Flims and Laax have been jointly marketed as the Alpenarena over recent years, the name of the ski area that joins them. Flims is the better known ski Located on a wide and normally sunny mountain terrace, Flims is made up of two centres, the larger being Flims Waldhaus which dates back to 745 AD. The lifts, however, are at Flims Dorf, and Europe's first chair lift was built here in 1945 (entirely out of wood, with steel being in short supply after World War II), linking the resort to Foppa. The resort's history as a tourist resort dates back a further 70 years before that first chair lift, when the local pastor had the idea to build an hotel, the Kurhaus Waldhaus, with 120 beds. Walks to a newly built restaurant at Lake Cauma were also constructed and the initiative was so successful that illustrious guests began to arrive, the hotel was enlarged and a casino added by the time the Dutch Queen Wilhelmine arrived in 1893. The tourist office opened in 1904 and winter sports were embraced straight after the war ended. The Naraus - Cassons cable car was completed in 1956. In 1978 this was extended up to the Vorab glacier, where a chair lift and two T Bar lifts are operational. In 1996 the Mountain Transportation Companies of Flims and Laax combined to form the White Arena Corporation.ActivitiesSnowboarding: Snowboarding is available, with amenities such as a terrain park, and three halfpipes. Two mini boardercrosses as well.Cross Country Profile: 60 km of cross country trails are available.LodgingMore than 25,000 beds are available. Additional lodging available nearby.Winter RecreationSnowboarding, cross country, off-piste, glacier skiing, curling, sledding, toboganning, ice stick shooting, dog sled adventures, sleigh rides, ice skating, and 60k winter hiking. Also indoor swimming pools, suanas, paragliding.