Mountain Manual
Surviving Davos week without losing a toe, an evening, or the plot.
1. Get on the mountain
- Fly to Zurich. Do not fly private unless you enjoy being on a Greenpeace CSV.
- Train to Klosters (≈2h20m, panoramic, cheap-ish). Then a taxi over the pass to Davos (~CHF 90, snarl in traffic optional).
- Book housing in September of the previous year. Yes, really. Yes, that far ahead.
2. Understand what your badge does
- White = Congress Centre access. Every plenary, every panel, every coffee. This is the goal.
- Orange = press. Different rules, worse coffee, better anecdotes.
- Purple = staff/support. Do not envy the schedule.
- No badge = the entire Promenade, most sideline events, and the good bars. Honestly? A great trip.
3. Learn the Promenade
- One street. Every consulting firm, every bank, every AI startup founder in a puffer. Rebranded pop-ups every 40m.
- The good sideline rooms cluster around the Belvedere, the Steigenberger Grandhotel, and the Hard Rock (yes, really).
- The Klosters end quiets down by 4pm. Use it for actual conversations.
4. Pack like an adult
- Ice cleats that slip onto dress shoes. This is the single most important item. Nobody will judge you. Everyone else has them.
- One warm coat you'll be embarrassed by inside every venue. Coat check is free and universal — use it.
- Snacks. The lines are absurd. Nutrigrain bars in a suit pocket = a life philosophy.
- A power bank. Every plenary drains your phone by lunch.
5. What to skip
- Any panel titled 'Rebuilding Trust In [X].' Trust is not rebuilt in 45 minutes with four CEOs and a moderator.
- The 6am 'insights' breakfast. Nobody has insights at 6am.
- Anything that costs $500+ to get into and doesn't feed you.
6. Where the real work happens
- Coffee at the Ameron between 9 and 11.
- That specific corner of the Belvedere lobby, weekday afternoons.
- The taxi rank line, oddly. Ten-minute wait, five real conversations.
- Anywhere with no logo on the door.