Zermatt ski holidays
Established in 1928 the Swiss ski resort Zermatt lies at 1620 metres altitude in the Valais region of the Swiss Alps / Alpes. With the highest lifts and ski slopes at 3899m the area is snow sure. Over 350 snow cannons ensure artificial snow making covers 99.2km of trails, which equates to around 60 of the slopes. The nearest airport transfer to Zermatt is Zürich at a distance of 248km or approximately 180 minutes driving time. Their season runs from December to November.
Alpine Downhill Runs
Beginner Trails
 0 runs 0km |
0% |
Intermediate Trails
 12 runs 29km |
16% |
Advanced Trails
 41 runs 109km |
55% |
Expert Trails
 21 runs 21km |
28% |
Resort and Holiday Stats
| Beginners |  |
| Intermediate | |
| Advanced/Expert | |
| Snowboarders | |
| Apres Ski | |
| Family/child Friendly | |
| Snow-Sure | |
| Ambience | |
| Value for money | |
| Lift Pass Prices (adult 6 day) | CHF371 - CHF371 |
Traditional Village / Purpose Built Resort |
| Resort Opens | Dec 2013 |
| Resort Closes | Nov 2014 |
| (snow conditions often influence opening/closing) |
Mountain and Slopes
| Downhill Runs | 185km |
| total length of Zermatt trails |
| Longest Lift-Served Run | 21km |
| longest piste or trail reachable by lift |
| Slope Orientation | N W S E |
| direction Zermatt area faces |
| Top Altitude | 3899m |
| top station of highest lift |
| Bottom Altitude | 1620m |
| bottom of lowest run |
| Resort Altitude | 1620m |
| centre of Zermatt ski resort |
| Vertical Drop | 2200m |
| total descent from top lift to bottom piste |
| Skiable Vertical | ^v 2380m |
| can include extra hike up above top lift |
Skiing in Zermatt
74 pistes and trails means approximately 185km of runs. 33 Zermatt lifts have capacity to transport 51350 per hour. The longest run in the Swiss ski resort is over 21km. Visit summer or winter as there is glacier skiing in Zermatt.
The mountain has 0% beginner runs or nursery slopes, 16% intermediate, 55% advanced slopes and 28% for experts - the most difficult piste is the 33km Tiefbach run, with a steepness/slope angle of 60%. There is no night skiing.
Rating for skiing gets 4 stars out of 5 overall
Snowboarding in Zermatt
Of the 33 ski lifts, 20 are surface lifts or "drag lifts" - this gives an indication of how modern the lift system is and how good Zermatt is for snowboarding - especially for beginners learning to board. Facilities include 1 terrain parks and 2 half pipe (longest half pipe length is 200 metres), 0 quarter pipe and 0 boardercross courses.
Rating for snowboarding gets 4 stars out of 5 overall
Zermatt Apres Ski
Off-Slope activities include:
44 apres ski bars 91 restaurants 1 bowling 8 night club 1 cinema 1 billiards / pool 1 games room 0 concert 7 indoor swimming 0 outdoor heated pools 16 saunas 2 hot tubs 1 solariums 1 masseurs 0 indoor ice skating 2 outdoor ice skating 1 indoor sports centre 0 indoor tennis 0 squash racquetball 1 sleigh rides 0 ballooning 0 horse riding 45 prepare winter walks 1 climbing 1 golf 0 fishing 1 museum 0 library Plus these additional apres ski facilities Bridge, Curling, Art Gallery, Heliskiing, Helicopter Flights, Ice Climbing, Ice Hockey, Indoor Golf, Table Football, Theatre.
Rating for apres ski gets 4 stars out of 5 overall
"Zermatt" by any other name
The Swiss resort is also known as Zermatt Sunnegga, Rothorn, Gornergrat, Stockhorn, Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and has common misspellings: Zarmat, Zarmatt, Zermat, Zermat, Zermatt, Zermatte, Zermot, Zermott, Zirmat, Zrmat, Zurmat, Zurmatt
The direction which the various Zermatt slopes face can make or break your ski holiday. To guarantee good snow conditions, choose a resort with piste which face the right way for the time of year you're travelling.
- In the coldest winter months of January and February pick a resort with sunny south facing slopes, so your days on the snow doesn't feel like a polar expedition. Conversely, in the warmest spring skiing months of March and especially April, a resort with cool and shady north facing trails will ensure you're not riding on slush, but benefitting from best late season snow. The best destinations have areas which face in all directions so that you're guaranteed greating conditions whatever the weather. Zermatt has slopes facing N W S E.
Rating for snow gets 5 stars out of 5 overall
Zermatt reviews, 4.3 star rating and information is collated by SNO man from staff experience and customer feedback.