One of the world’s great ski resorts, Zermatt has it all!
You want great skiing? There’s 350km of it stretching over the border into Italy, stretching up to Europe’s highest slopes – open all year because the snow’s guaranteed. From the top there are massive verticals to descend on every type of terrain, then fast modern lifts to whisk you back up.
You want a vibrant resort? Zermatt is lined with hundreds of shops, cafes, bustling bars and gourmet restaurants with accommodation ranging from hostels to super-lux five star hotels and chalets. It’s all pedestrianised so you can wander the streets without the noise and danger of vehicles rushing past.
The downsides? There aren’t many. To some extent the resort is a victim of its own success and queues can develop at key points sometimes, but Swiss efficiency means these are dealt with normally. And talking of Swiss – Zermatt does have a reputation for high prices, in large part thanks to the strong Swiss Franc. Many of these you can minimise with savvy purchases, although Europe’s most expensive lift pass is more difficult to side step if you want to ski.
But there’s something to impress everyone in Zermatt and few don’t leave here not feeling sorry to have to go and deeply impressed by the place.
The Skiing
Zermatt’s ski area is one of Switzerland’s and the world’s largest. The slopes are fully inter-connected above the resort but with several different convenient access lifts located at different convenient points.
The lift-served vertical of 2,270m is in fact one of the world’s five biggest and allows for gloriously long ski runs back down to the resort.
There’s every kind of terrain here including great beginner areas, classic winding trails down through the forested slopes directly above Zermatt, to wider open slopes above the treeline. There are classic bump runs, steep blacks, plenty of intermediate cruisers and for more advanced skiers the chance to hire a guide and head off piste in to freeride terrain or even go heliskiing.
The Italian connection is an exciting option with some of the region’s best runs crossing the border from the highest lift on the Klein Matterhorn and heading down into Italy where you can so for a ‘proper’ espresso in the first mountain hut you reach and perhaps ski all the way down to Cervinia for a pasta or pizza lunch. Just make sure you have purchased the ‘International’ version of the lift pass not the ‘Zermatt only’ one.
Snowsure
There’s no ski area on the planet that can claim to be more snowsure than Zermatt. With the highest ski slopes in Europe, and one of only two ski centres in the world to be open year-round, its upper slopes are known as the ‘glacier paradise’. This area of eternal ice, covered in snow, is so big that the lift-served vertical here in the summer months alone is as big as anything in the southern hemisphere during their winter.
Party Places
Zermatt has a reputation for having one of the biggest and best nightlife scenes in Switzerland, with more than 100 restaurants, 60 bars and plenty of nightclubs to choose from, all with a good mix of international guests.
There are a number of bars and restaurants lining the base of the runs as you head down at the end of the ski day which quickly become popular apres ski venues each afternoon. Among these is resort-institution Blatten which has been welcoming mountain lovers since the 1850s. The Hennu Stall is not so old but is old enough, and famed as one of the best apres ski sports in the resort.
Or skiing down from Sunnegga you find the popular Champagner Bar which offers spectacular views over the Matterhorn and Zermatt to enjoy with your glass of fizz.
Down by the river in Zermatt itself is another popular venue, Snowboat & The Zermatt Yacht Club, which is located in a suitably boat-shaped building and is usually lively as the slopes close and often right through to closing at midnight.
There are many other popular and well known pubs in which to spend the evening – famous names include The Brown Cow (open to 2am) and Pollux.
Nightclubs stay open to 3.30 or 4am. There are quite a few to choose from including the stylish Cuckoo Club and Broken, located in the cellars beneath the Hotel Post where the saying is that if you haven’t danced on top of the barrel in the Broken, you haven’t REALLY been to Zermatt.
Not Skiing
Zermatt is a great choice if you don’t plan to ski or have non-skiers in your party. The pedestrianised village and surrounding valley is full of other things to do, plus it’s a great resort to just wander around, stopping in one of the many cafes for a superb home made cake at regular intervals. Several of the hotels have spa facilities open to the public too.
There are three toboggan runs to choose from, the mile-long Rotenboden toboggan run on the Gornergrat is particularly highly regarded and takes about 10 minutes to whizz down. The Täsch toboggan run is longer though and popular with the locals at more than two miles (3.6km in fact).
There are also winter hiking and snowshoeing routes which you can do yourself with maps provided, or join a guided group.
Then the list of alternatives is long indeed – electronic clay pigeon shooting perhaps? Curling or skating on the ice rink, or if you want to splash-the-cash, a scenic helicopter flight around the Matterhorn. Still up in the air, tandem paragliding flights are also offered.
Whether you’re a newbie looking to learn the ropes in skiing’s heartland, or an expert keen to get more out of the Alps’ best-loved resorts, hotels.com have put together a series of interactive guides to help you plan your next ski trip.
Further hotels.com ski deals are here: http://uk.hotels.com/hotel-deals/ukskipromotion/
