Laax
GraubündenSee it on the map
About Laax
Laax is the freestyle capital of Europe and has been building that reputation deliberately since the 1980s, when it was one of the first resorts in the Alps to welcome snowboarders rather than tolerate them. Today it runs several snowparks for every level, from a beginners' line to a pro park, and one of the largest halfpipes in the world; the Laax Open each January is one of the biggest events on the snowboard calendar, and there is an indoor Freestyle Academy at the base for practising on trampolines and foam pits when the weather closes in.
It would be a mistake to think it is only for people who jump. The ski area shared by Flims, Laax and Falera counts around 220 km of pistes, most of them broad, well groomed and sunny, rising from the villages to the Vorab glacier at just over 3,000 m. The hub at Crap Sogn Gion is where the sectors meet, and the terrain below it is as good for cruising intermediates as anywhere in Graubünden.
The base at Laax is modern — the rocksresort development of stone-clad blocks — while Flims is the older, more established village and Falera the quiet one.
Last reviewed 13 September 2026
Best suited to
- Snowboarding
- Intermediates
- Advanced skiers
- Beginners
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Where lessons start
Beginners are best served on the gentle slopes at Foppa, above Flims, and on the broad, easy terrain around Crap Sogn Gion, all of it sunny and wide enough to give a first week room to breathe. Laax is the obvious place in Switzerland to learn to snowboard or to start in the park: the beginner park is designed for exactly that, and instructors here teach freestyle as a matter of course, not as a special request. Intermediates get the mileage; advanced skiers get the glacier and some good off-piste with a guide.
Resort areas
- Laax
- Flims
- Falera
Getting there
Chur is half an hour away by road, with regular buses up to Flims and Laax, and Chur itself is a little over an hour from Zurich by train — so Zurich airport to the slopes is under two hours either by car or by train and bus. It is one of the easiest major Swiss ski areas to reach, which explains the weekend crowds from Zurich; midweek is noticeably quieter.
Qualifications required in Switzerland
Teaching skiing or snowboarding for payment in Switzerland is a regulated profession: an instructor must hold the Snowsports instructor diploma. Instructors listed as certified on Alpine Pal have either sent theirs to us for review or are vouched for by the ski school that invited them.
Find instructors in SwitzerlandLaax: common questions
Is Laax only for snowboarders?
No — the parks are the headline, but they occupy a small fraction of a big area. Skiers outnumber boarders on the pistes, the terrain from Crap Sogn Gion down to the villages is classic wide cruising, and the Vorab glacier gives reliable snow into spring. What is true is that the culture is younger and more freestyle-minded than in most Swiss resorts, and the après reflects that.
Can a beginner learn to ride the park here?
Yes, and it is one of the best places in the Alps to do it. There is a dedicated beginner park with small kickers and low boxes, the Freestyle Academy indoors lets you practise jumps onto foam before trying them on snow, and the instructors are used to teaching first tricks. The one condition is being solid on ordinary pistes first: park lessons assume you can already link turns and stop where you mean to.
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