stacye

My husband and I are spending 2 days skiing in Zermatt and the end of March. We have only skied in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at one ski resort. Zermatt skiing seems a bit overwhelming as it is so much larger. From what I have read you can buy lift tickets at multiple locations. Can these tickets be used to ski anywhere in Zermatt? My husband and I are intermediate skiers, and we would love to hire someone to take us to the slopes and ski with us a bit in order for us to become more familiar with the area. Any information you can give me about skiing in Zermatt for the first time (coming from a small ski hill in Michigan) would really be appreciated. Thank you!

michelhuebeli

http://www.zermatt.ch/en/Skiing

More from the tourist office

Zermatt Tourismus
Bahnhofplatz 5
3920 Zermatt
phone +41 27 966 81 00
[email protected]

swandav2000

Hi stacye,

I spent a week skiing Zermatt a few years ago, also in March, and I have to say it was not a wonderful experience. I'm an intermediate skier, and I've skied some other Alpine areas -- Jungfrau area in Switzerland a few times and the Garmisch-Partenkirchen area in Germany, where I live now.

First of all, the ski area at Zermatt is quite high. When the winds are blowing, it is extraordinarily cold, perhaps the second coldest I have ever been in my life (the first coldest was in the Army in Korea). And the winds blew the snow around so much that the piste was obscured, and in fact I could barely see the skier in front of me in the class. I've had ski conditions like that here at the Zugspitze twice . . . but here, I had a season ski pass, and I didn't lose much by coming down early. If you put all your hopes into having good weather on two or thee specific days, there is a chance you'll either freeze for the day or have to give it up. Of course, there is an equal chance that you'll have glorious weather!!

And just fyi -- though I had paid for a week's worth of skiing, after three days, I spent the rest of the week hiking the area.

Second, yes, do take a class. You can either take a private lesson or a group lesson, either one will help you to understand the layout of the pistes and where the lifts are. Also, ski instructors tend to take you to the best snow for the day. There are several ski schools in Zermatt -- just use the links michelhuebeli provided to check the prices. You can even sign up online.

I do have to add that, an intermediate skier from a small ski hill in Michigan may not be an intermediate skier in the Alps. The slopes are coded differently, and I've heard many USA skiers say that their skills didn't match the Alpine piste codes. Be prepared to be scared, and be prepared to be classified for beginners' slopes (blue).

Have fun as you plan!

s

neckervd

Weather in the Zermatt area is usually better than elsewhere in Switzerland. I suppose Swan would have had even worse weather in the Bernese Oberland at the same time.

Zermatt is a big ski area at altitudes going up to 3800 metres. Families and beginners go usually to much smaller (and cheaper) places like Graechen, Riederalp-Bettmeralp, St. Luc.....

As to Zermatt, engage a ski instructor (as suggested above) and you will be fine!

swandav2000

No, it's not the weather alone -- it's weather plus altitude of the ski area. I don't think the ski areas of the Jungfrau region are as high as those at Zermatt.

Here in Garmisch, you can be experiencing pretty nice weather with a bit of a breeze, but on the Zugspitze, it feels and looks like a blizzard.

It's possible I could have gone to a ski area at a lower altitude at Zermatt, but I had paid for lessons, and I believed the instructor was taking us to the place with the best conditions. I don't know for sure what the conditions were like lower down.

s

stacye

Thank you so much for the advice!

jzimmy16

I've been visiting Zermatt for the past 20+ years, it is a huge resort with much of the skiing above the tree line. I recommend taking either ski classes (they are more follow the leader than pure instruction) from one of the English speaking ski schools ( we use Summit) -- the lift pass is good for the three areas (Sunnegga, Gornegrat and Matterhorn Glacier Paradise) - if you want to ski to Italy (weather permitting) there's an additional charge. What is different from the eastern US, is that often the easier slopes are not the ones at the bottom of the mountain (I often take the cable or train back into the Village rather than skiing on a narrow cat track.)

Weather is never predictable, but we usually ski in March and it's warm (often too warm in the afternoon.) We usually dress in layers and carry a small backpack. The only time I've been cold was in early February when it was cold and windy. The beauty of the Zermatt is that many of the lifts run both directions, so if it turns out to be inclement weather on one side of the village you can take the lift back into town and head somewhere else.) There are also many places on the mountain to stop to drink/eat (including Michelin starred restaurants.)

Have fun!