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Resort Guide

Suitability	Resort height: 1620m
Families:		[Yes]
Glacier:		[Yes]
Beginners:		[3]
Intermediates:		[5]
Advanced:		[5]
Snowboarding:		[4]

Zermatt has it all: a stunning setting beneath the Matterhorn (and 37 more 4,000m peaks), a spectacular ski area stretching for nearly 320km (200 miles) across the border in to Italy (you can even cross the border towards Cervinia on a chairlift), a car free village, one of the biggest lift-served verticals rising to the highest lifts in Europe – open for skiing and boarding 365 days a year and world class hotels, restaurants and shopping. Despite its massive lift served vertical, the village is not low, but situated at a normally snow-sure altitude meaning you can ski all the way back to resort for the entire winter.

Zermatt has a long history as a mountain resort, welcoming the first tourists in 1780 and opening its first guest house in 1838. The Gornegrat railway, the first electric funicular railway in Switzerland, opened in 1898 and is still used by skiers. The first ski lessons were staged in 1902 with the first proper resort opening for a ‘winter season’ in 1928. The resort has gone from strength to strength ever since, particularly with the introduction of electric vehicles in 1947 which are still made locally in the village. A decision to ban cars permanently in 1961 is paying dividends nearly 50 years later as guests seek the peace and quiet of an Alpine village free of the noise and fumes of petrol powered vehicles.

Not that Zermatt is that quiet. With hundreds of shops and restaurants and thousands of guests the humans can be noisy enough.

Beginners

Although travelling to one of the world’s biggest and best ski areas for your very first few days on the slope may not be everyone’s first choice, nor the most economic way to find out if you really like skiing, Zermatt does have an excellent ski school and wide gentle runs, Trokener Steg and Sunegga, on which to make your first turns on. You can then progress on to the slightly more challenging terrain of Gornergrat.

Intermediates

One of the world’s best ski resorts for intermediates, there’s a vast choice that would keep you busy all winter, let alone for just a week. The choice of terrain encompasses all that skiing can offer from fast wide routes above the tree line to narrow trails down through the trees and all else besides. Some of the longest reds are to be found on the Unterrothorn and the 14km (nine mile) run down from the Plateau Rosa towards Cervinia and Valtournenche over the Italian border is one of the world’s longest.

Advanced

It’s no surprise that Zermatt is high on the “must ski� list for serious skiers. It has everything from superb off piste opportunities to high altitude ski touring and even heliskiing. The ski area’s high altitude helps keep the powder in good shape for longer. Of the more than 20 black runs in the region covering nearly 60km (36 miles) of steep slopes, the most highly rated include the Tiefbach run and Trifti, one of the world’s longest and most technically challenging mogul runs.

Snowboarding

Year round boarding is a rare treat and when you throw in the powder bowls and even heli-boarding you have a world class destination for snowboarders. The Gravity Park is one of the best with a 200 metre (650 foot) long superpipe as well as numerous rails, a quarter pipe, jumps, tables and many other features. Three snowboarding schools can get you started or help you improve technique and mountain guides will gladly take you to the best powder bowls.

Other Activities and Facilities

Zermatt has enough to keep a non-skier busy for a week. There are over 300 shops to begin with then the bowling alley, cinemas, Alpine museum, indoor and outdoor climbing walls, saunas, indoor pools (including the ‘Sole’ saltwater pool), indoor golf, a fitness centre, natural and artificial ice rinks, a curling rink, indoor tennis, billiards, sleigh rides and a paragliding school. There are 30km (19 miles) of prepared winter walking routes cleared of snow.

It’s worth visiting the highest glacier palace in the Alps at 3,810m on the Klein Matterhorn. A new, largely solar powered, restaurant with accommodation opened here this winter with an access tunnel through the glacier to reach it. An exhibition within includes ice sculptures and information on glaciers, climbing and geology.

Après Ski and Dining Out

With more than 40 bars, over 90 restaurants and eight night clubs, Zermatt has some of the most extensive après ski opportunities in the world. Popular bars include Elsie’s or The Village (there are many more) whilst the Pink plays jazz. Night clubs such as Pollux are typically open until three or four in the morning.

At the more affordable end of the scale, dining options range from high quality burgers at the Brown Cow to Italian favourites at the Spaghetti Factory to a wide choice of gourmet options. Chinese, Japanese and Thai establishments provide an alternative to the mouth-watering Alpine cuisine if you ever fancy a change.

Families

Zermatt offers some of the best value in the Alps for families, with children up to nine years of age skiing free when accompanied by a paying adult, then children up to 16 pay half price. The Kinderparadies Zermatt offers non-ski nursery provision for babies from three months whilst the ski school accepts children aged four and over. There is a special children’s area on the Riffelberg. Zermatt’s car free nature and wide ranging activities are also great for families.

Accommodation in Zermatt

• Alessandra - 3 star, catered
• Alessandra - 3 star, catered
• Alpenresort - 4 star, catered
• Alpenresort - 4 star, half board
• Alpenresort - 4 star, half board
• Alpenrose - 3 star, catered
• Alpenroyal - 3 star, half board
• Ambassador - 4 star, half board
• Angelina - 4 star, catered
• Angelina - 1 star, catered
• Anita - 3 star, catered
• Anita - 3 star, catered
• Antares - 4 star, half board
• Antares - 4 star, half board
• Antares - 4 star, half board
• Aristella - 3 star, half board
• Astoria - 4 star, half board
• Chalet Aldica - 3 star, half board
• Chalet Aldica - 3 star, catered
• Chalet Aldica - 3 star, catered
• Chalet Aldica - 3 star, catered
• Chalet Annie - 4 star, catered
• Chalet Annie - 4 star, catered
• Chalet Annie - 4 star, catered
• Chalet Echo - 3 star, catered
• Chalet Echo - 3 star, catered
• Chalet Echo - 3 star, catered
• Chalet Patricia - 4 star, catered
• Claudia - 3 star, catered
• Claudia - 1 star, catered
• Diana - 3 star, catered
• Diana - 3 star, catered
• Edelweiss - 3 star, catered
• Edelweiss - 1 star, catered
• Genepy - 1 star, catered
• Genepy - 4 star, catered
• Holiday - 3 star, catered
• Kamanga - 3 star, catered
• La Perle Apartments - 4 star, self catering
• Lea - 1 star, self catering
• Leah - 4 star, catered
• Manuela - 1 star, catered
• Manuela - 1 star, catered
• Matterhorn Focus - 4 star, catered
• Monte Rosa - 4 star, bed & breakfast
• Perelia - 1 star, bed & breakfast
• Perelia - 4 star, catered
• Residencepatricia - 3 star, catered
• Residencepatricia - 3 star, self catering
• Schweizerhof - 4 star, bed & breakfast
• Simi - 4 star, bed & breakfast
• Sunna - 4 star, bed & breakfast
• Sunna - 1 star, catered
• Sunnega - 4 star, catered
• Sunnega - 4 star, catered
• Tschugge - 4 star, half board

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