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Skiing
Off-piste
Cervinia, Italy
Snowboarding
Spring skiing
Après ski
Ski area
statistics
Winter Walks
Other activities
Related pages:
Local
weather
Snow reports
Spring
skiing
photos
Bump
Bash photos
Zermatt
ski map
Zermatt\Cervinia
ski map
Ski pass prices
Ski &
Snowboard Rental
Ski school & guides
Live mountain
cams
Summer Skiing
more
winter photos
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Dominated by Switzerland's most famous landmark - the Matterhorn
- Zermatt is certainly the country's best all-round ski resort.
Moreover, there are many who would have no hesitation in naming Zermatt
as the Best Ski Resort in the World. Partly thanks to the sublime beauty
of the Matterhorn,
but also thanks to the lack of cars and the resort's great sense of
tradition, Zermatt has a special, alluring atmosphere which draws
visitors back time and time again.
Skiing Zermatt
Skiing in Zermatt is on a vast scale. Fabulous scenery captivates your
attention during your ride up the mountains. It is easy to be dazzled by
the mountain world around you, being surrounded by 29 peaks over 4000m
(13,100ft). These are the highest mountains in Europe. And most
always within sight is the moody and multi-faceted Matterhorn. Cable
cars (aerial tramways) are common here - being very necessary in such an
imposing mountain environment. Many soar silently across chasms and up
cliff faces suspended thousands of feet above the snows. But it is when
you get out and snap on your skis that the real action begins. No longer
are you just an observer in this majestic mountain world. You are here
to ski !
All three of Zermatt's ski areas soar to at least 3100m
(10,200ft). This translates into excellent snow conditions, and
long runs to the village (8 to 13km / 5 to 8 mil). Not only are
the slopes long, but they are open for a long day! Lifts begin operation
at 8-8.20am and do not close until 4.30pm in midwinter, while in April
it is possible to still be skiing at 6pm! Speaking of long,
Zermatt also has the longest winter season in the Alps. All
three skiing areas are open from late November to the start of May - and the huge
glacier area offers good skiing all
through summer too.
|
The longest run is from the Klein Matterhorn
into town. At 3820m (12,500ft) the Klein Matterhorn lift is the
highest cable car in the world. As
a comparison, to stand at the top you are higher than all the
highest mountains of Austria and New Zealand. |
 |
From Klein Matterhorn to
Zermatt is thirteen kilometres (8 ml) and 2200 vertical metres (7250 ft)
of varied terrain. It makes for one heck of a run. This is one of the
highest and longest runs which is consistently open in the world (from
late November to mid April). Take this run and some of Zermatt's
incredible diversity becomes rapidly apparent.
Stepping out of a tunnel blasted through the rock, one comes into a vast
white glacial world. The panoramic
views over much of Switzerland, deep into Italy, even to distant
France are astounding. All about lies the eternal white wilderness of
the high Alps. Pleasant in sunshine, but freezing in bad weather, the
descent begins with coasting over enormous glacial fields, before
dropping into steeper mogulled terrain....
Beginner skiers will find several broad, safe and beautiful
areas, which are ideal for learning. But novice skiers intending to roam
should be prepared to have their ability well tested. There are rarely
beginner trails linking the huge mountain ranges. Zermatt may
not be ideal for a timid novice, but a beginner who enjoys challenges will
love Zermatt as much as anyone - and improve rapidly. Don't forget -
these are big mountains! Zermatt holds enormous appeal for
intermediate and advanced skiers.
Intermediates find a wealth of terrain unfolding before
them - zoom across vast open snowfields and gun down forest motorways.
The key for intermediates is that the runs here are tremendously long
and varied, with worthwhile runs to the village. Snow conditions are
consistently good from December to April. Zermatt's slopes will
constantly surprise and delight. Expect to put many miles of varied
terrain under your skis. Very long runs link all Zermatt's areas, and
intermediates can enjoy traversing entire mountain ranges, even skiing
between countries!.
Advanced skiers are also well catered for. Zermatt is
justifiably famous for its advanced skiing. Warm up your legs with some
speed skiing, before diving headfirst into some of Europe's most
famous mogul fields. Enthusiasts are satisfied in all areas, by the
bumps of National, Gant, Aroleid, and the especially (in)famous Triftji
- site of the well known local event - the
Bump Bash - every Easter. Chutes and steep forested gullies also
abound and beckon the more adventurous. Of course, for better skiers, a
large part of Zermatt's appeal lies in its large off-piste (deep snow)
areas....
Zermatt has extensive off-piste terrain. Large and
seldom skied fields of untouched snow await those 'in the know'. And
thanks to Zermatt's extremely high altitudes and abundance of north
facing slopes, powder snow can still be found many days after it
falls... In spring especially, huge areas of both powder and
spring (corn) snow can be found off piste. (And there are no problems
with ski patrollers when skiing out of bounds here.)
Note that many of Zermatt's
best and largest off piste areas are several kilometres away from marked
runs - they are not easily found and can be very dangerous to ski alone
(without local knowledge of avalanche danger, cliffs, crevasses etc. ).
Please consider taking a local ski guide if
you want to explore Zermatt's best off-piste secrets.
Have you seen the superb off-piste action photos in the Chris
Patient Gallery?
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Snowboarding
Zermatt offers plenty of
superb open terrain for boarders. Currently there are also two snowboard parks and two man-made
half pipes
-
one at Blauherd, the other between Trockener Steg and Furgg. Snowboards
are also welcome on all lifts and 99% of the pistes. Naturally snowboards are
available to hire at many hire shops in town. There is also a
dedicated snowboarding school. Boarders, please be sure to check out
sixteen great snowboarding action shots in the second
Chris Patient Gallery and a few big halfpipe jumps in the summer
section. Contributions
to this section are welcome from Zermatt snowboarders.
Skiing
Cervinia, Italy
| There are precious few
opportunities in the world to ski over international borders, and
Zermatt is lucky to have one of the most interesting! High amid the
peaks and permanent snows lies the frontier crossing to the sparkling
Italian slopes of Cervinia. A huge sunny bowl below the southern face of
the Matterhorn (known as Monte Cervino to the Italians!) reveals a
multitude of open, high-altitude runs. Skiing in Cervinia is highlighted
by fabulous snow conditions, with a particularly magnificent run to the
village open six months of the year. Known as 'Highway 7' (Run 7 on the
Zermatt\Cervinia
ski map), it
is 11 kilometres (7 miles) of cruising bliss. |
 |
Cervinia has quite different skiing to Zermatt - there are few
steeps....barely a single mogul to dance about, and Zermatt offers far superior
deep snow (off-piste) skiing. But Cervinia does excel with
long, magnificently groomed and maintained intermediate pistes. For
capable skiers these are ideal for speed skiing! (They hold a famous
Italian race from the border to the village at the end of April) For
those still learning, there is scarcely a better place to perfect your
parallel technique!
| Cervinia contrasts and
compliments Zermatt beautifully, not only in terms of the slopes it
offers, but also in the spirit of the people. While skiers in Zermatt
are (generally) quiet, efficient and precise - the atmosphere skiing
into Italy changes markedly. Boisterous, exuberant and flamboyant - but
not generally as technically proficient, Italians are tremendous fun to
ski with. |
 |
Inside a Zermatt cable car skiers stand silently in awe of the
surrounding scenery and contemplate the next run, while a huge cable car
in Italy vibrates with animated conversation and rock music blasted out
of speakers. It's contrasts and variety like this that makes a visit to
this area that much more interesting.
Zermatt and Cervinia - explore
two countries and both sides of your character!
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Spring
skiing in Zermatt
It is no idle boast to say
that Zermatt has the longest winter season in the Alps. Many new
visitors to Zermatt are surprised to learn that March and April also
offer simply superb snow conditions. It is quite normal for there to be
just as much skiable area open in spring as in January...
There are several important
reasons for this: One has to remember the height of Zermatt's mountains
- which are the highest in Europe (aside from Mt.Blanc itself). Therefore most of Zermatt's skiable
area lies at very high altitude - between 2000-3800m. The other very
important factor is that most of these same areas face north - away from
direct sun. These slopes receive no sun midwinter, when they are
bitterly cold. But by spring it is very pleasant - around freezing when
sunny. The snow melts very slowly. If you have admired any of the skiing
photos on this website and are planning a visit in spring you will be
glad. Many of the photos were taken in March and April. Check out our
April photo special.
As spring comes to the
mountains everywhere, the snow does not suddenly disappear, the
'snowline' slowly crawls higher up the mountains. So from
mid-March onwards there may be patchy snow in the village of Zermatt at
1620 metres. But at higher altitudes (eg. 2500m) the snow pack does not
even reach its greatest depth for the year until March. In fact
one of Zermatt's biggest and best advanced areas (Stockhorn/Triftji) does not normally open until February,
because it requires a lot of snow to cover its rocky slopes. But then it
remains superb until May.. In late April you may not be able to ski
right to the village, but the runs are still very long
- how does 11km (7 miles) from top to bottom sound?
| Another important factor
in favour of spring skiing is that the days are much longer. It is
possible to fit in that much more skiing or boarding. In April
most lifts are open 1½ hours longer each day than in January. |
 |
The following table can give you a idea of how much skiable area to
expect open for a spring visit. While the table can give you a
good idea of how much snow to expect, it is impossible of course to
predict the condition of the actual snow surface far in advance. Even in
April snow-storms are quite common. Snow often falls
right down to the village, although there it does tend to melt in a few
days. At higher altitudes - above 2200m - the snow tends to fall as
powder..
In a two week spring visit, you would most likely experience a bit of
everything - powder, spring snow, icy hard pack, powder... in
short: a great variety which will improve your skiing for sure!
Unless you are already familiar with Zermatt, you might find it useful
to study the Zermatt piste
map in conjunction with the following table.
| ~Until
mid-March |
100%
of terrain should be open, including all runs to the village (at 1620m
altitude). Effectively still like mid-winter in terms of snow
coverage. |
| ~Second half of March |
Expect good skiable
snow above 1800m. This means 95% of Zermatt's skiable area is
open and fantastic! Powder
snow can last on the northerly slopes. Skiing to the village is
still possible thanks to snowmaking. |
| ~First
half of April |
Expect
good skiable snow above 2000m generally, which is 85% of
Zermatt's area. Powder snow normally softens within a day when
it falls. The
final kilometre descent to the village from the Sunnegga area
(below Patrullarve) will normally be closing due to lack of
snow. Skiing to Furi (1850m)
and from there to Zermatt should still be possible due to
snowmaking and its
northerly orientation. |
| ~ mid-April to early
May |
Expect good skiable
conditions above 2200m. This translates to about 70% of
Zermatt's skiable area. Powder snow falls tend to soften within
hours, but the spring snow is fantastic and one gets a great
tan. Slopes are completely uncrowded. Skies are deep blue. A visit is
still very worthwhile! The final kilometre descent to the
village from Furi will normally be closed due to lack of snow.
But at this time of year the run from the top to bottom (Klein
Matterhorn to Furi) is still 11km (7 ml)! Top to bottom skiing is
still available in Cervinia - for an 11km run. |
| From
early May |
The
winter season officially ends in Zermatt. The month of May
brings rain and warm winds to the altitudes of 2000-3000m. One
has to ascend above 3000m on to the glaciers for good snow. May
is a prime month for ski-tourers. But the lower two of Zermatt's
three skiing areas close. The large glacier ski area - Klein
Matterhorn - remains open year
round. |
The snow cover is the table above cannot
of course be guaranteed, because the weather can be a fickle thing.
However late season skiing is normally very reliable.
NB.
The last couple of years the lift company has changed its
long standing policy a little. It seems that the two
lower areas (Gornergrat/Rothorn) will close on the 23rd April. Only
the Klein Matterhorn/Schwarzsee area will be all open until the evening of
1st May. After that it is officially summer
skiing.
March and April are still
super times to visit. Come and be very pleasantly surprised!
PS. Be sure to check out our April
photo
special to get a better feel for spring skiing in
Zermatt. Or watch the live
mountain cameras to follow Zermatt's impressively long season for
yourself.
April photo available in Half Size
59kb
or Full Size 209kb
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Après ski in Zermatt
There is an old saying - that
'In Zermatt, Après Ski begins at noon'. While that may not be true for
everyone, it is true that Après ski here does hold a special
attraction. It is not hard to see why.. Three dozen mountain restaurants
are to be found above Zermatt, most with sublime views of the
Matterhorn's many angles. Most are also authentic, cosy, distinctly
Swiss 'chalets', charming visitors with fantastic food and a unique
Zermatt atmosphere. It is no idle boast to say that Zermatt has many of
the best mountain restaurants in the Alps.
Skiing up to an ancient sun browned cabin,
it is a delight to snap off one's skis at the end of a satisfying day,
faces glowing from the sun, and to share a Glüwein (Spiced warm wine)
or delicious Apfelstrudel (local apple pie) with friends. Often the
atmosphere invites one to linger long after the sun goes down, before a
laughter filled descent under moonlight the final miles to the village.
Overall
There are few places to match Zermatt for its combination of excellent,
extensive, advanced and intermediate skiing, reliable snow, car-free
Alpine-village charm and superb mountain restaurants. Topped with
magnificent scenery, Zermatt enjoys some of the most spectacular skiing
in the Alps.
Winter
Walks
Some 30km of winter
footpaths are cleared of snow; leading through the magnificent local
terrain. Six beautiful winter walks are detailed in our exclusive
Walking
Guide to Zermatt and the Matterhorn.
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Ski
area statistics
Other
winter activities
38 mountain restaurants
Dozens of village bars & nightclubs, 100 restaurants
A dozen indoor swimming pools
2 natural ice rinks - 1 artificial ice rink
2 indoor tennis courts, squash, gym & fitness centre
Pool/billiard centre - 9 pin bowling
30 km winter footpaths for non-skiers, Sleigh rides
Mountaineering expeditions by ski (incl. the famous Haute-Route)
Heli-skiing (from 4200m) & scenic helicopter flights
Paragliding school and tandem 'taxi' flights
For any further information
please
contact us !
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