Ski Switzerland

Welcome to the Ski Switzerland page, providing a regular round-up of the skiing conditions and current snow reports for the main ski resorts in the Swiss Alps. Over recent years some of the most consistent good piste conditions have been reported at Saas Fee, Davos, Zermatt, Klosters, Andermatt, Verbier, and Engelberg showing a mix of high glacial resorts and those most exposed to the prevailing north westerly storm tracks. However, in any given week or season the best slope conditions may be found at any of the numerous other high Swiss resorts or at lower elevation ski stations in poor weather amongst the trees.

For off-piste powder, resorts such as Zinal, Grimentz, Davos, Les Diablerets, Arosa, Andermatt, and Engelberg have proven among the most consistent over several seasons either because of regular heavy snowfalls, favourable sun aspect, or in some cases because they are high and quite so they don't get tracked out quickly.

In terms of accumulating snow depth throughout the season, Andermatt and Engelberg excel and are a regular match for anywhere in Europe, however every season is different and there are no guarantees. Slope conditions change day by day so check out the reports summaries below for the latest news and of course the snow forecasts we produce for summit, mid-station and resort level elevations at every major ski station in Switzerland.

Switzerland is for many people the country most immediately associated with skiing. Known for its spectacular mountain scenery, efficient infrastructure, high quality and yes, high prices, the country does have the world’s longest history as a winter sports tourism destination – with the very first holiday taking place in St Moritz one and a half centuries ago, shortly before downhill skiing was invented in Norway, in the Telemark style.

The Kulm Hotel St Moritz was the first hotel to be built in St Moritz, the Kulm opened its doors in 1856 and immediately became popular for summer spa and painting holidays, particularly among the British who comprised around 75% of the hotel guests.

The owner of the Kulm Hotel, Johannes Badrutt, initiated winter holidays to St Moritz from 1864, when he laid a bet with his last departing summer guests that the local weather was so good they could sun themselves on the hotel’s terrace even in deep December; if not, he would cover the cost of their holiday himself. He won the bet and within two years, the hotel was fully booked with guests staying for the entire winter season. The Kulm Hotel St Moritz can, therefore, take credit for starting the trend for winter sports holidays which developed in to Swiss ski holidays and the Kulm itself is now a huge five star hotel – one of five in the famous resort – is still in business to this day.

Since then around 400 Swiss ski resorts have opened in every canton including many of the world’s best known destinations. Europe’s highest ski lifts are here at Zermatt, 3899m up, which is one of only two resorts in the world open 365 days a year. As well as St Moritz there are glitzy resorts like Verbier, Crans Montana and Gstaad; resorts with long histories and particularly stunning mountain scenery like Grindelwald, Wengen and Murren in the Jungfrau – a favourite British destination for more than a century - or Davos, where Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a ski pioneer.

Architecture can be more problematic in Switzerland’s ski resorts. Although there are none of the entirely concrete-block developments that have blighted some areas in the French Alps, many of the bigger Swiss resorts contain a few similar ugly buildings as they do not have the same building restrictions as Austria, where a traditional chalet style design is normally required for all new buildings. There are however unspoilt villages to be found such as Grimentz.

Switzerland offers skiing in resorts in the West of the country where French is spoken, the East where it’s German and in the southerly canton of Ticino, Italian. There are ski areas of all sizes including the 350km cross-border area shared by Zermatt and Italy’s Cervinia and the 400km of the 4 Valleys. Thanks to the glaciers and high altitude skiing of many resorts including Engelberg and Laax, snow cover is rarely a problem and sunshine is a strength, particularly for St Moritz again, which claims more than 300 days of it each year.

Another idea pioneered by the Swiss is car-free ski resorts. There are about a dozen including Saas Fee, Wengen and Zermatt. In some cases they have been so successful that permitted hotel electric buggys throng the streets making them almost as busy as they would be with motor traffic, but the noise isn’t there, nor the polluting fumes, making these very special and relaxing places to stay.

Spectacular mountain restaurants are yet another forte, be they the revolving restaurant built with money generated by the James Bond film crew that filmed On His Majesty’s Secret Service at Murren in the late 1950s, or similar establishments above Leysin and Saas Fee, or the ultra-cool Botta restaurant at Les Diablerets.

Switzerland is expensive although just how expensive depends on the strength of the Franc against other currencies. In the 1990s its strength made Switzerland the most expensive destination in Europe for skiers, but through the first decade of the current century prices gradually dropped below those of the Euro, and the French 3 Valleys around Courchevel became more expensive than the Swiss 4 Valleys around Verbier. That changed with the global economic collapse in 2008 when investors seeking a safe haven invested in the Franc and by autumn 2011 the currency was riding so high that one version of Zermatt’s international pass became the most expensive lift ticket in the world – overtaking the usually ‘most pricey’ in Western USA for the first time in decades. The Swiss national bank intervened to limit the strength of the franc and prevent the collapse of Swiss tourism.

Many fans of Swiss skiing do say that the higher costs are worthwhile anyway, so long as they are affordable, for the higher quality experience. Swiss Airlines provide a high quality service to skiers which is continually recognised in user polls and industry awards and, once you land in Geneva or Zurich, many resorts are accessible by an ultra efficient rail and bus network direct from the airports.

It’s also worth noting that, although lift tickets for adults can be expensive, Switzerland offers the best prices in Europe for children. Indeed more than 50 resorts don’t charge for children at all until age 8 or 9 and then offers at least 50% off until adulthood at age 16 or 18 and even then there’s usually a 15-30% discount for young adults or students to their early 20s. This compares to France where children usually pay from age 4 or 5 and then 60-80% of the full adult price, which is payable in total from age 11 to 13. So some family configurations may find that, even with a higher adult lift pass cost, overall they pay less.
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Switzerland: latest snow conditions round-up


SWITZERLAND REPORT It's been another snowy week in Switzerland, the third in a row. We've seen some big accumulations over that period, most noteworthy perhaps Saas Fee (130/470cm / 52/188"), which after over two metres (80") of snowfall last week scored another metre (40") in 72 hours to put it within a few centimetres/inches of the world's deepest snowpack.

The downside though is severe avalanche danger which meant only 15% of its area could open at the start of this week. Elsewhere across Switzerland, there have been other ski areas seeing bases significantly boosted, if not quite so much as Saas Fee. Laax (0/450cm, / 0/180") is also among those posting the world's deepest snow, but it managed to keep 70% of its slopes open having had less massive accumulations. It's zero snow depth stat at the resort level also reflects the arrival of springtime in Switzerland - plenty of snow up top but little left in the valleys.

Summary of forecast snowfall and ski conditions for resorts in Switzerland. Fresh snow is forecast at 5 resorts. Powder is reported at 24 resorts and 27 are reporting good piste conditions.

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Recent Eyeball Snow Reports for Switzerland

A–C

D–G H–K L–M N–R S–U V–Z Best powder (24)Best piste conditions (27)

Ski resorts in Switzerland from A to C

Resort
snow depth
top and bottom

on-piste

off-piste

Last Snow

Next 9 Days
0–3 | 3–6 | 6–9
snow (cm)
Next 5 days weather forecast.
Freezing level (m)
Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

(1259m — 1974m)

snow report today

Adelboden webcam
139
Artificial snow cover 2.0 cm
4 days ago
28.0
1.0
part cloud part cloud thunderstorm cloud mod snow
Mid station 1616 m
1700m 2300m 2500m 2700m 1000m

(999m — 1626m)

snow report 6 days ago

1.0 cm
7 days ago
21.0
1.0
part cloud part cloud thunderstorm cloud mod snow
Mid station 1312 m
2250m 2650m 2600m 2700m 900m

(1175m — 2249m)

snow report today

90
20
Artificial snow cover 1.0 cm
yesterday
42.0
1.0
part cloud cloud rain showers cloud heavy snow
Mid station 1712 m
1350m 1550m 2450m 2650m 1150m

(1045m — 2627m)

snow report today

250
Powder / Spring Snow
11 cm
yesterday
47.0
8.0
part cloud cloud rain showers cloud heavy snow
Mid station 1836 m
1950m 2550m 2450m 2600m 950m

(910m — 1634m)

snow report today

10 cm
7 days ago
33.0
5.0
part cloud cloud rain showers cloud heavy snow
Mid station 1272 m
1800m 2500m 2500m 2600m 950m

(1436m — 2963m)

snow report today

215
61
Powder
Powder
15 cm
yesterday
65.0
3.0
cloud part cloud light snow cloud heavy snow
Mid station 2200 m
1300m 1500m 2350m 2550m 1100m

(1500m — 2420m)

snow report today

170
40
Spring snow 12 cm
yesterday
31.0
1.0
part cloud part cloud rain showers part cloud heavy snow
Mid station 1960 m
1400m 1850m 2450m 2600m 1050m

(2000m — 3000m)

snow report today

Arolla webcam
243
87
Spring snow 7 cm
yesterday
39.0
part cloud part cloud light snow part cloud heavy snow
Mid station 2500 m
2100m 2700m 2400m 2650m 1150m

(1493m — 2865m)

snow report today

110
100
Packed powder and groomed snow 8 cm
yesterday
53.0
1.0
part cloud part cloud light snow cloud heavy snow
Mid station 2179 m
1150m 1950m 2400m 2450m 1100m

(920m — 1300m)

snow report today

opens in 270 days 5 cm
7 days ago
26.0
4.0
cloud part cloud rain showers cloud mod snow
Mid station 1110 m
2100m 2600m 2500m 2600m 850m

(1963m — 2601m)

snow report yesterday

3.0 cm
yesterday
63.0
part cloud part cloud snow showers cloud heavy snow
Mid station 2282 m
1350m 1950m 2550m 2700m 1200m

(1200m — 1951m)

snow report 3 days ago

Beatenberg webcam
2.0 cm
4 days ago
32.0
2.0
part cloud part cloud thunderstorm cloud heavy snow
Mid station 1576 m
2250m 2700m 2600m 2700m 900m

(1322m — 3110m)

snow report today

248
Packed powder and groomed snow 10 cm
yesterday
43.0
1.0
part cloud part cloud rain showers cloud heavy snow
Mid station 2216 m
1650m 2550m 2550m 2650m 1050m

(1609m — 2559m)

snow report today

175
65
Packed powder and groomed snow 10 cm
yesterday
49.0
1.0
part cloud part cloud rain showers cloud heavy snow
Mid station 2084 m
1650m 2550m 2550m 2600m 1050m

(1594m — 3019m)

snow report 7 days ago

255

Good
No Info
5 cm
yesterday
59.0
part cloud part cloud snow showers cloud heavy snow
Mid station 2306 m
1300m 2300m 2450m 2500m 1200m

(1623m — 2647m)

snow report today

Bettmeralp - Aletsch webcam
220
120
Packed powder and groomed snow 10 cm
yesterday
45.0
1.0
part cloud part cloud rain showers cloud heavy snow
Mid station 2135 m
1600m 2550m 2550m 2650m 1100m

(1707m — 2560m)

snow report today

170
60
Packed powder and groomed snow 3.0 cm
yesterday
57.0
part cloud part cloud rain showers cloud heavy snow
Mid station 2134 m
1350m 2250m 2550m 2650m 1200m

(1500m — 2301m)

snow report today

210
152
No Info
No Info
5 cm
yesterday
43.0
part cloud part cloud rain showers cloud heavy snow
Mid station 1900 m
1800m 2300m 2600m 2800m 1150m

(1256m — 1905m)

snow report today

13 cm
yesterday
47.0
4.0
cloud part cloud light rain cloud heavy snow
Mid station 1580 m
1350m 2200m 2400m 2550m 1050m

(1684m — 2322m)

snow report today

70
10
×
Closed
Spring Snow
12 cm
yesterday
45.0
2.0
cloud part cloud thunderstorm cloud heavy snow
Mid station 2003 m
2100m 2600m 2600m 2600m 900m

(1103m — 2418m)

snow report today

150
40
Packed powder and groomed snow 11 cm
yesterday
45.0
4.0
part cloud part cloud light rain cloud heavy snow
Mid station 1760 m
1300m 1500m 2300m 2500m 1100m

(1210m — 2578m)

snow report today

130
20

Powder
2.0 cm
4 days ago
27.0
part cloud part cloud rain showers part cloud mod snow
Mid station 1894 m
2050m 2450m 2550m 2700m 1100m

(929m — 1707m)

snow report yesterday

300
No Info
1.0 cm
7 days ago
24.0
1.0
part cloud part cloud thunderstorm part cloud mod snow
Mid station 1318 m
2400m 2750m 2650m 2700m 900m

(1069m — 1585m)

snow report 8 days ago

365
No Info
4 cm
7 days ago
27.0
2.0
cloud part cloud thunderstorm cloud mod snow
Mid station 1327 m
2250m 2650m 2600m 2650m 900m

(1718m — 2550m)

snow report today

50
30
Packed powder and groomed snow 8 cm
yesterday
32.0
part cloud part cloud rain showers cloud heavy snow
Mid station 2134 m
1450m 2300m 2450m 2600m 1150m

(1720m — 2270m)

snow report today

252
53

Powder
4 cm
yesterday
46.0
part cloud part cloud rain showers cloud mod snow
Mid station 1995 m
1350m 2400m 2500m 2550m 1250m

(1040m — 2277m)

snow report today

145
132
Wet
2.0 cm
4 days ago
30.0
part cloud part cloud rain showers part cloud mod snow
Mid station 1658 m
2400m 2750m 2650m 2750m 1000m

(1702m — 2671m)

snow report today

121
35
×
Closed
No Info
9 cm
yesterday
34.0
part cloud part cloud rain showers part cloud mod snow
Mid station 2186 m
2000m 2450m 2600m 2700m 1100m

(1310m — 2150m)

snow report 3 days ago

2.0 cm
4 days ago
31.0
part cloud part cloud rain showers part cloud mod snow
Mid station 1730 m
2400m 2750m 2650m 2750m 1000m

(1650m — 3001m)

snow report today

Chandolin webcam
155
105
Packed powder and groomed snow 11 cm
yesterday
32.0
part cloud part cloud rain showers part cloud heavy snow
Mid station 2326 m
1350m 1550m 2350m 2500m 1150m

(1045m — 1893m)

snow report 6 days ago

1.0 cm
7 days ago
31.0
1.0
part cloud part cloud thunderstorm part cloud mod snow
Mid station 1469 m
2350m 2700m 2650m 2700m 900m

(1000m — 2200m)

snow report 3 days ago

2.0 cm
4 days ago
36.0
1.0
part cloud part cloud rain showers part cloud mod snow
Mid station 1600 m
2250m 2650m 2600m 2700m 900m

(600m — 2175m)

snow report 2 days ago

217
×
Closed
No Info
7 cm
yesterday
32.0
3.0
part cloud part cloud light rain cloud heavy snow
Mid station 1388 m
1200m 1950m 2350m 2450m 1050m

(1480m — 2210m)

snow report yesterday

7 cm
yesterday
44.0
2.0
part cloud part cloud light rain cloud heavy snow
Mid station 1845 m
1050m 1600m 2300m 2450m 1100m

(1797m — 3303m)

snow report today

240
65
Packed powder and groomed snow 4 cm
yesterday
64.0
part cloud part cloud snow showers cloud heavy snow
Mid station 2550 m
1450m 2350m 2600m 2600m 1300m

(1720m — 3057m)

snow report yesterday

4 cm
yesterday
60.0
part cloud part cloud snow showers cloud heavy snow
Mid station 2388 m
1350m 2400m 2500m 2550m 1250m

(1500m — 3000m)

snow report today

120
100
Fresh snow across the ski area
Fresh
12 cm
yesterday
34.0
part cloud part cloud rain showers part cloud heavy snow
Mid station 2250 m
1400m 1750m 2450m 2600m 1050m