Stoos is a car-free village hung at 1,300 m above the Muotathal, reached by the Stoosbahn, the world's steepest funicular at a 110% gradient, whose barrel-shaped cabins rotate to keep passengers upright. Once you step out at the top, you trade the engineering marvel for one of central Switzerland's most generous lake-and-mountain panoramas: the twin Mythen peaks immediately above, the Vierwaldstättersee opening to the north, and the Bernese Alps as a wall in the distance. The 35 km of pistes spread across a broad sun-facing bowl, and the no-car rule keeps the village quiet enough that you hear the cowbells in summer pastures even in deep winter.
Run counts and piste kilometres are indicative. Green runs only exist in France, Spain, Andorra, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Japan, the United States, Morocco, Algeria, Lesotho, South Africa, Egypt, Canada, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand; Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany start at blue. Indicative average snow depth near the top of the resort, in cm.
Where to stay
A handful of well-rated hotels in and around the resort. Pick one, then compare live prices across Booking, Expedia and Hotels.com.
4.42.0k reviews
€175
★ Top pick
Fronalpstock Hotel | Restaurant
Very good · 2.0k reviews
👍Why we like it
Strong value for Stoos, with a high guest rating that punches above its nightly price.
Guests rate this hotel as very good (4.4/5 from 2,010 reviews). It sits about 4.5 km from the slopes. A mid-range option for Stoos, with live nightly rates shown for your exact dates so you always see the best price.
Ratings from Google, prices indicative per night. Live availability and rates via our booking partners.
Ski-in/ski-out
Because Stoos is car-free and tightly built around the funicular's upper station, ski-in, ski-out is the rule rather than the exception. Most of the village hotels, including the Stoos Lodge, the Hotel Sternen and the Hotel Klingenstock, sit within a few minutes' walk of either the Klingenstock or the Fronalpstock lifts, and luggage is transported between the funicular and the hotel by hand-cart or electric trolley.
Get to know the resort
Once on the plateau, the lift system fans out from the car-free village in two main directions: north to the Klingenstock chairlift at 1,922 m, which serves the long, steady ridge run that drops back into Stoos through open meadows, and west to the Fronalpstock cable car, which lifts skiers above the village to the panoramic terrace overlooking the Vierwaldstättersee. The 35 km of pistes split across 14 blues, 14 reds and five short blacks, with a Klingenstock-to-Fronalpstock ridge traverse on foot that locals treat as part of the day. Stoos has been a quiet favourite of Zurich and Lucerne families since the original funicular opened in 1933, and the rebuilt 2017 Stoosbahn (the world's steepest, now a tourist attraction in itself) has only deepened that pull. The village proper is small, walkable, traffic-free, and the food keeps to central Swiss classics: Älplermagronen, Innerschweizer Chäschüechli and a glass of Schwyz beer in the Hotel Klingenstock's panoramic dining room, with the Mythen peaks framed in the window.
Hotels in Stoos
Hotels and apartments around the lifts. Compare prices on Booking, Expedia and Hotels.com.
Stoos offers 35 km of pistes across 8 lifts, from 1,300 m to 1,922 m. Whether it suits beginners depends on the dedicated learner zones at the base of the slopes, so check the local ski-school options for green and blue run access.
When is the best time to ski Stoos?+
The season runs from Dec 14 to Apr 7, with a snow score of 74/100. The best conditions are usually from late January through February, while spring skiing in March and April brings longer days and softer afternoons.
Where should I stay for true ski-in/ski-out?+
Because Stoos is car-free and tightly built around the funicular's upper station, ski-in, ski-out is the rule rather than the exception. Most of the village hotels, including the Stoos Lodge, the Hotel Sternen and the Hotel Klingenstock, sit within a few minutes' walk of either the Klingenstock or the Fronalpstock lifts, and luggage is transported between the funicular and the hotel by hand-cart or electric trolley.
How big is the Stoos ski area?+
Stoos has 35 km of marked pistes served by 8 lifts, between 1,300 m and 1,922 m of altitude.
Is Stoos more for beginners or experts?+
Stoos counts about 33 marked runs in total. The colour breakdown above shows how they split by difficulty, a good guide to whether the resort fits your level.