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Skiing

Why billionaires and British royals �ock toKlostersSwitzerland's coolest ski resort counts the creme de la creme amongst its seasonal visitors.Here's why....

BY SIMON MILLS

19 Dec 2016

After Christmas, the hoteliers and restaurateurs of Klosters brace themselves for

the busiest period of the winter season. This hectic interlude has nothing to do

with New Year's Eve, the school holidays or the scheduling of a rowdy

snowboarding jamboree on the mountain. The end of January is WorldWelcome to British GQ. This site uses cookies. To find out more, read our privacy policy.

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Economic Forum time in Switzerland, where the most important people on the

planet will be choosing the chocolate-box diplomacy of Klosters, just a short ski

away from the concrete hotels and shopping centres of neighbouring Davos, for

their convention base. The Luegisland chalet may host Nicolas Sarkozy and

Carla Bruni... or Bono.

Why do the big hitters, game-changers, politicians, money men, Euro-aristos

and all-weather downhillers come to Klosters? Because the little Graubunden

village does the low-key and discreetly well-appointed snow-and-security thing

better than any other resort in the Alps. If it's world-class shopping, après-ski

sushi and party-like-a-Russian nightclubs you're looking for in a winter sports

destination, head for St Moritz or Courchevel. Klosters, meanwhile, is a

fabulously snooty, super-civilised, immaculately run farming community that just

happens to have world-class skiing at its doorstep.

During a high season week you might just catch a glimpse of Johnny Depp, Julia

Roberts, the king of Sweden or Prince Charles walking the aisles at the local

supermarket, but you won't see a single franchised retail outlet anywhere.

When in Klosters, your schedule is get up early, have a hearty breakfast, ski, ski,

ski. Stop for a slab of cremeschnitte and a shot of schnapps. Ski a bit more.

Dinner. Disco, maybe. Yes, Klosters might require a more vigorous, thigh-burning

schedule than other resorts, but rest assured you are following in the tracks of

writers, playboys, Hollywood legends, lotharios, divas and adventurers...

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During the Fifties Klosters was dubbed "Hollywood on the rocks" because its

hills were alive with movie stars and their acolytes - Paul Newman, Gregory

Peck, Lauren Bacall, Gene Kelly, Greta Garbo, Peter Sellers, Truman Capote and

Audrey Hepburn - and they all stayed at the Chesa Grischuna (above), playing

skittles in the Chesa's bowling alley and dancing atop the piano in the ground-

floor bar. Other than installing Wi-Fi, not much has changed in the hotel during

the past 60 or so years. For the authentic, old-school Klosters experience ask for

one of the older, more rustic rooms. Oh, and don't be put off by the three-star

rating. Klosters' residents may be used to hosting some of the world's richest

and most powerful but they have put a ban on five-star "luxury" hotels.

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Klosters Parsenn ski area is 307 kilometres of groomed pistes. If you want a

challenge try run No24: a cruise through the trees towards a lunch at Alte

Schwendi). Or zoom down the 12km long Parsenn Weissfluhjoch to the railway

station at Küblis and have a rosti lunch at Kessler's kessler-kulm.ch before

heading back to base.

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For dinner the Berghaus Alpenrösli restaurant, located up on the edge of the

village, offers spectacular views of the Gotschna mountains. Restaurant

Höhwald, situated in the neighbouring village of Monbiel, is a charming old

farmhouse full of locals and Klosters regulars where the staff don traditional

dirndl dresses. Don't leave without sampling the spätzle with pear, cheese and

roasted onions.

Pretty much the only nightclub in town, Casa Antica is where Anjelica Huston

and her model friend Marisa Berenson used to cut a rug after a day on the

slopes during the Seventies. Prince Harry is also a regular. It's cheesy but a lot of

fun. Go on a Friday night and leave at dawn.

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