Advanced plans to connect the neighbouring Swiss resorts of Lenzerheide-Valbella with Arosa and create Switerland’s biggest ski area, have been set back by a vote held in each of the local communities to decide whether or not to go ahead with the connection, due for completion ahead of winter 2009-10.
The residents of the smaller ski area of Arosa voted overwhelmingly (84%) in favour of the connection, which would create one of Switzerland’s biggest ski areas with about 220km (138 miles) of piste served by more than 50 lifts.
However , the people of the Vaz/Obervaz area around Lenzerheide, which has a ski area nearly three times bigger than Arosa’s, voted against the plan, with 59.7% of voters rejecting it.
A spokesperson for the tourist office in Arosa said they regret that the people of Vaz/Obervaz had voted against the plan. They believed the reason that they turned it down was that they didn’t see any advantage in linking the two resorts.
But both Arosa and Lenzerheide ski resorts will not give up and say that they will come up with a new project as soon as possible.
The two resorts already offer a joint lift ticket with a bus service linking the two and it is possible to ski from one to the other via an off-piste itinerary accompanied by a local guide.