Two huts, two individuals. Paying a visit to Gian Malär (Alp Fops) and Mirko Schadegg (Sit-Hütte).
Intro
Peace or hustle and bustle? Barley soup or hamburgers? Nostalgia or modern-day life? You can’t find more of a contrast than Alp Fops and the Sit-Hütte. But both hosts do have one thing in common: if their guests are happy, they are happy too.
Arosa - Lenzerheide
Arosa Lenzerheide, with its countless meadows, mountain streams and crystal clear mountain lakes offers a wealth of possibilities in summer. And in winter, diverse cross-country ski tracks, winter hiking paths and ski slopes extending over 225 kilometres are yours to enjoy.
Hint
A commute that many a city dweller can only dream of.
Gian Malär’s working day starts with a ride in the chair lift up to Piz Scalottas. What a view, and how peaceful it is! With a full milk churn in his hand, he ascends to the idyllic Alp Fops at a leisurely pace.
Nostalgic charm.
The hut, built back in the 1860s, has been in his family for five generations. But before Gian took it over, he went on a long-distance trip. Away from Lenzerheide. Away from Graubünden. After studying at Luzerner Kunstschule, enjoying a stint as a banker and going on a long world trip, the scales fell from his eyes and he realised that the alp was where he belonged. So he took over the little gem from his father in 2009. He completely hollowed out the old hayloft, put in new toilets and an additional guest room.
I like it when people from all walks of life sit together around the big table in our cosy little lounge when it’s cold outside.
«Then we all just chat – professions and origins don’t matter,» says Gian. His laid-back and modest nature and the hut’s charm are irresistibly contagious.
When skiers sit down and enjoy real barley soup prepared according to Nana's recipe or share a “Fops platter” of local bacon, salsiz sausage and cheese, they forget all about their everyday stress.
Things are a bit more colourful and noisy on the other side of the ski area.
Lively goings-on...
... in Arosa, above the snowpark. Home-made organic beef burgers in Mirko Schadegg’s Sit-Hütte are considered to be the best on the mountain – as evidenced by the swarms of lunch-goers who converge on his hut at lunchtime. A striking number of parents with small children wait patiently in the queue. The interior has an American touch. A former garage for slope vehicles, the Sit-Hütte is a modern up-market diner today.
I love Arosa.
Mirko, born and bred on the shores of Lake Zurich, had only one thing on his mind when he was a teenager: snowboarding! The first time life took him to Arosa, it was love at first sight, and he never left the Schanfigg Valley. Working as a barkeeper and DJ in the evenings, he indulged in his big passion during the day.
The dogged pioneer.
He is the man who convinced the management of Arosa mountain railways to approve special facilities for snowboarders in 1996. No sooner said than done – Mirko and his friends built the first snowpark in Arosa. Now all they needed was a place to stay for those that nobody else would put up. So the garage for slope vehicles was cleared out and put to another use. A former mountain restaurant proprietor even donated them a deep-fat fryer – thus finally ridding himself of the “chip-munching rowdies”.
The dream lives on.
When I listen to all the reports of traffic jams on the radio in the evening I know that I’ve done the right thing.
20 years on – Mirko is the longest-serving host on the mountain. The former young tearaways have been tamed and bring their kids to the universally popular Sit-Hütte. «When I listen to all the reports of traffic jams on the radio in the evening I know that I’ve done the right thing,» he grins and promptly takes off on his snowboard down into the valley.
Impressive views: 360°
Facts - Maximum consumption in figures.
Alp Fops - Winter season consumption figures
1 tonneof cheese
500 salsiz sausages
800 litres of soup
50 salamis
60 sides of bacon
Sit-Hütte - Consumption on a peak day
80 kilogrammes of chips
450 hamburgers