A second home in the mountains

If weekend visitors become temporary locals, the Glarus region must have been incredibly appealing to them. VISIT Glarus asked holidaymakers in Elm and Braunwald what keeps them coming back to the Ziger Valley.

The family of Karin Baer and Peter Wolfermann spend almost as many days in their holiday home Planura in Braunwald as they do at home in the canton of Zurich. ‘At least almost,’ smiles Peter. Because it has become a lovely home away from home. ‘The first snow in early December always has a special charm for us Winterthurer. Of course, we spend the holidays in Braunwald – which means more time and less of a packed agenda, and the contrast to city life is very pleasant. The relaxation begins as soon as we are on the funicular. The imposing mountain world and the proximity to nature in the Grosstal are incomparably beautiful, especially when we can look out over the sea of fog from up high. We first went to Braunwald together at Easter 2013 – to the Märchenhotel. There was over a metre of snow, which was fantastic. What we will never forget is that one deep-snow run in the Bächital, when the powder snow reached up to our waists. It is always great to be the first to start out on the untouched slopes in the morning. We always end the day with a sledge ride into the village, or with some après-ski in the Fuchsgadä. Thanks to our grandparents from Glarus and the military, we have known the canton of Glarus for a long time. For the last ten years, we have been in Braunwald almost every weekend from December to March – thanks to the short and easy journey, whether by train or car. In the summer, we used to spend a lot of time on the playgrounds of the Zwerg-Bartli adventure trail, but now our children love the rope park at Grotzenbühl. They also love a picnic or a swim in the Oberblegisee lake. The best cervelat in the world and Braunwalder Alp cheese from the village shop are always in the rucksack. We go to Bsinti for coffee and cake, or to cultural events. When we are out walking in and around the village, we often have spontaneous, good conversations with the locals, who always welcome us very warmly. We decided to rent out the second holiday apartment in our house Planura a few years ago. We really enjoy welcoming guests to our home. This is where we have found our second home.’

Caroline and René Schär have been enjoying their ski holidays in Elm with their whole family for 25 years. They first stayed at the Suworow-Haus and have been staying at the Ulrich-Elmer-Haus for the past three years. This historic house has also become very dear to their hearts, as has the village, the ski area and the Glarus region. ‘If Vreni learned to ski here, it must be a good place for us too – for a winter holiday apartment. We discovered Elm on a hike with the Birrhard village association from Mettmen via Wildmad. That was 25 years ago, when our boys were 12 and 9 years old. Elm has indeed proven to be a secret tip. When we moved in, we were greeted with the words ‘you are most welcome’ – we will never forget that. Two grandchildren have since joined the family and we have moved into the historic Ulrich-Elmer-Haus, next to the former apartment in the Suworow-Haus. We are still close to the Suworow-Cheller. Of course, we like to go for an aperitif there after a day’s skiing. In the evenings, we met locals who were clearly proud to be from Glarus. The only difficult thing was always to remember the next day whether the person’s name was Rhyner, Schneider or Elmer... While our boys used to struggle with the double chairlift at Schabell during the day, last year our five-year-old granddaughter Julie learned to ski in the children’s paradise. We were very proud of her when she skied down the slope singing a song. We used to do the same thing after the full-moon parties at the Munggä Hüttä. We would have a fondue party with music, dancing and celebrating. The highlight was the downhill run just before midnight. Skiing in the moonlight, with a touch of fresh snow, was always an unforgettable experience. The full-moon parties are now called Huttenzauber – without the downhill run – but with snowshoes instead. We enjoy the relaxed life in Elm, which is even quieter than it is in the Aargau lowlands where we live. Now that we are retired, we certainly don’t want to miss the six free ski days in Verbier that are included in the Elm season ticket.’