Went here for two days because no snow in les Diablerets.
1. Very snow sure. Lots of runs above 2500 with good quality snow.
2. Trend to intermediates - there are a few itineraries but half were closed.
3. Lifts work ok, very little queuing.
4. Resort quite pretty with nice feel.
5. Expensive.
6. I imagine in early mid season the weather can often be too bad to go out but great fallback for reliable late season snow.
Unfortunately, bad service. Been living in CH for several years and had first time experience of Saas-Fee. Terrible weather, not ski resort's fault but ticket sales very unhelpful and selling overpriced tickets + insurance for the bad weather, which after the lifts were closed on glacier was not paid back/insured in anyway, anyhow. Ended up paying approx. 160 chf for two adults for one ride up and down. Ticket counter was rude and lacked information i.e maps of the area for winter which would have been useful in a situation like this. Never going back and will not recommend the place.
I’ve done a bit of a Swiss ski tour this year, skiing 15 different resorts. Skied 4 days at Saas Fee early in the new year. Fresh snow everyday. Overall it’s a Little underwhelming, I mostly skied off-piste and it’s ok. There are some nice lines off both sides of the mountain. And it was super cold so the snow was light. Good ski touring. The piste was poor quality even with fresh snow. The scenery is amazing and I stayed at the Bristol which was great. Car free is nice but watch the cost of parking. Pretty expensive lift ticket for the dated and somewhat limited system. It feels like a tourist resort first and a ski resort second.
We probably picked the two most beautiful weeks of the whole ski season: a cloudless sky, sunny and very pleasant temperatures during the period Feb 15th - March 1st 2019.
My husband and I have been skiing in Saas-Fee several times before and had no problem picking this resort to bring our three grand-children along to discover the beauty of Switzerland. Needless to say Saas-Fee is the ideal place to cater for families with children.
The ski school worked out perfectly for our 12 year old grand-daughter as well as for the 9 and 4 year old grand-sons.
The older two became excellent skiers and loved the variety of slopes and the snow conditions while the little one, who just started, could follow us beautifully down the blue slopes after a few days. Amazing!
We took them on every cable car, ski lift and the metro alpin, of course. We skied down to the village and didn't skip a day except for an excursion to Zermatt.
The unbeatable price of Sfr 220.00, for each season pass we purchased ahead of time was tremendous value.
We rented a chalet that satisfied all our needs and we enjoyed every day to the fullest.
The torchlight descent at night performed by the ski school instructors, followed by a show and fireworks, was a lot of fun and very entertaining.
We also happened to get a taste of the Saaser Carnival with a great marching band, playing their catchy tunes, a few times right below our balcony.
We were all sad to leave this beautiful village that made our Swiss vacation a real hit.
We take home beautiful souvenirs and will be back one day without a doubt.
Thank you Saas-Fee.
Since the introduction of Winter card the quality of Saas Fee has gone down to almost non existent. This is the 2nd time I'm here for ski, yet almost all slopes are closed, apparently due to risk of avalanche.
But I've skied here before and it was never an issue.
I say spend a bit more and go to another ski resort.
I've been skiing Saas Fee for the past few years. The skiing is great with challenging off-piste (take a guide for the best) and some awesome blacks but it's still got nice blues and reds. The best thing is NO QUEUES - the longest you'll have to wait is 10 mins for a cable car but once you're on the mountain the queues evaporate. If you're after racking up kilometres don't go to Saas Fee but if you want spacious, uncrowded, quality skiing Saas Fee is unbeatable. It's a mecca for boarders and ski-teams go there form France to train every year. Last year we had synchronised ski teams training which was awesome.
The altitude and aspect mean that Saas Fee has probably the best snow record in the Alps with resort skiing from mid December to mid April and glacier skiing all year round. This was a blessing in 2011 when we were skiing in April as the rest of Switzerland shut-down or resorted to grass skiing.
Beauty-wise Saas Fee can't be beat with eight 4000+ metre peaks seemingly at touching distance. The views are tremendous everywhere and the village is just lovely. Eating and nightlife are good but I confess I normally head home and put my feet up with a beer after a day skiing.
I usually self cater with the family and there are some great apartments and chalets with a few you can ski-in and out of - take care with Alpine Village. The apartments are nice but it's a long walk to the snow.
Drew
Simply perfect for all kindd of skiers, especially for off-piste skiers and snowboarders.
The villages are also magnificent...
Very expensive resort, like everywhere in Switzerland...
I went to Saas Fee early March 2011 - there had been a 5 week period without significant snowfall. It snowed twice (30-40cm ) on the upper slopes, dusting at village level. Beautiful village which lived up to the name 'pearl of the Alps'.
We had some excellent skiing above the mid-station, as well as an 'all day' day tour with one of the guides from the resort ski school. Highly recommended.
The glacial scenery, the motorway carving on top of the glacier and the deep snow were holiday highlights. We experienced little to no queuing - but you should be at the lift before 9.30 or after 11 to miss the ski school rush.
As for the 'endless walking' - if you can ski 2000m vertical then you should be able to manage a 5 minute walk. Nothing as bad as expected having read some negative reviews here. It isn't door step skiing but if you do your research - stay near the lifts, go at the right time - no problem whatsoever .
Pros : massive mountain - good range of runs / glacial scenery / off-piste tour (with guide) / friendly staff everywhere / good snow
Cons : very expensive / always squashed in cable cars with coffee breath people / limited for beginners
Saas Fee is a beautiful high altitude resort. The village itself is very picturesque. We had lovely weather and great snow. Food and drink were expensive though (eg CHF3 for tap water).
For beginners, I would recommend the village slopes and some of the blues and easy reds from the Felskinn. Beginners are probably best getting the cable car down as the blue runs to the bottom are narrow, icy paths.
Lots of choice for intermediates but beware the red runs from Plattjen and Spielboden which are quite steep. If it's cold in the afternoon (and it can get very cold), consider taking the bus to Saas Grund for some sunny reds.
For advanced skiers: although there are not many black runs on the piste map, the advanced skiers in our group loved Saas Almagell (20mins by Postbus) and found it very challenging. They also liked the Plattjen runs.
Saas Fee is a beautiful resort set high in the Swiss Alps. Having skied much larger resorts in the past the ski area is very small but there are, however, a few hidden gems if the snow conditions are right. For a family holiday it is ideal and the village facilities are excellent.
It was very cold when we visited: -25 celcius but if you are prepared it isn't a big issue. The lift system is very different to most big French resorts with only two chair lifts. The underground train to the top is worth the visit for the view but not for the skiing (do it once!)
The resort caters well for beginners but some of the reds back to the village from mid-station have steep sections so improvers need to beware.
A good holiday but if you want to cover lots of ground go somewhere else.