Skiing

Toggenburg Valley. A scenic pre-Alpine resort area popular with locals but relatively unexplored by outsiders, this is an ideal place for skiers and hikers who hate crowds. In the rugged Upper Toggenburg, weather-boarded dwellings surround the neighboring resorts of Wildhaus (birthplace of religious reformer Huldrych Zwingli), Unterwasser, and Alt-St. Johann. As they lie within shouting distance of each other, the ski facilities can be shared, and the jagged teeth of the mountains behind provide a dramatic backdrop. www.toggenburg.org.

Wildhaus, Unterwasser, and Alt-St. Johann. Toggenburg Tourismus, Hauptstr. 104, Saint Gallen, 9658. www.toggenburg.org/en/winter. 62 SF for ski pass.