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Visitor reviews for Zermatt Ski Resort
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(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
Lowest rated
March 24, 2010
sandy from
Luxembourg
sandy from
Luxembourg
January 05, 2010
Harry from
Australia
Harry from
Australia
Sadly, I also think the skiing at Zermatt is boring. I stayed at Cervina for a week towards the end of last season and regularly skied over to Zermatt. The scenery at both resorts is spectacular. The skiing at Cervinia is perhaps a little less boring than at Zermatt and the eating at Cervinia is much better (Zermatt's on mountain eateries are rubbish). I enjoyed my week there but wouldn't bother going back. For us here on the other side of the world, North America (particularly Colorado, Wyoming and Utah) is closer and has much better skiing than Europe generally. Even better is Japan (but we are trying to keep that a secret).
December 30, 2011
Bob from
United Kingdom
Bob from
United Kingdom
Recently returned from a week in Zermatt with a large group of mixed ability. Many of the good and bad points have been listed in the reviews below, but here's my take.
Good points: The town - great atmosphere, picturesque valley and the Matterhorn (although we only saw it out of the clouds for 3 hours!)
The vertical (when it's open) and some of the long red runs were great.
Not much queueing.
The Chalet - Kamanga was fine and the food and wine good.
Bad points: Lift and piste management was very poor- lifts and pistes closed all over for no apparent reason, snow cannons left on turning poor visibility (it was snowing) into dangerous conditions.
Expensive - everything from the lift pass (which might be reasonable value if lifts and runs were open) to food and drink, but not that bad compared to top French resorts.
The runs: (those that were open) good for intermediates, poor for advanced,(hardly any blacks open) poor for beginners or nervous, and poor for boarders (too many flat sections). Can't comment on the itiniaries as they were all closed and not for lack of snow. Off piste was not advisable due to avalanche risk.
The connection to Cervinia - a joke!. We paid in advance for the area pass but could not use it. The top cable was not open for skiers at all and the double, very lengthy draglift was allegedly open for 3 hours one day, meaning that they refused to give any refunds.
Overall we had a good time and made the most of what we could do and were perhaps unfortunate that the snow arrived late and in such quantities. It snowed over 1 metre the day we arrived and continued to snow (mainly lightly) all the time we were there. The powder was brilliant for the advanced, but the visibility poor.
As others have said its probably better to go to Zermatt later in the season, when all the runs are open and hope for a bit of sunshine.
February 24, 2011
Ian de Haan from
United Kingdom
Ian de Haan from
United Kingdom
I have just returned form another week's skiing in Zermatt. The third visit of the season so far. The journey out was great. The train journey form Geneva Airport to Zermatt around the lake has to be one of the best in the world. Very easy as the station is under the airport and only one change at Visp. You also get to ski all of the last day if you book the last flight out of Geneva, making 7 full days of skiing or 7.5 if you arrive early enough on the Saturday! Looking out over the lake to the mountains is second to none.
As before, I stayed in the Beau Site hotel for one of their Ski Week packages. This includes ski hire, ski pass and half-board. I book my own holidays as you get far better deals than via a tour operator and the benefit of much better food than staying in chalet accommodation packages, especially if you are a single traveller and even better when as a couple or family.
There is a large choice of accommodation form apartments through to five star hotels or even a six star hotel at Riffelalp. The choice will accommodate every budget.
You can hire skis independently if you wish to and I can recommend the ski hire shop right by the Sunnegga lift station, run by English John. It is small, friendly and BIG on quality of service.
The weather was perfect sunshine and temperatures that were not too cold or warm with the snow holding up well all the way down to Valtournenche car park. This longest run can be skied in 17 minutes from the exit of Klein Matterhorn to Valtournenche including the little chair lift, albeit in good conditions. Does it make your heart pump - undoubtedly ! but the exhilaration and the reward of the most perfect espresso at Enzo's cafe it is worth the effort.
The whole resort was skiing well with plenty of long runs and the possibility to get into Italy, enjoy lunch and back to Sunnegga for plenty of afternoon skiing in the sunshine.
Fresh snow arrived during the week, opening up powder skiing possibilities at high level. The best of which was in Cervinia, although we were too late to book a guide to ski under the cable car stations, we watched the lucky ones. The snow was so light when skied, large rooster tails flew up at each turn, visible from a long way away! By lunch time the whole of Cervinia's off-piste was completely skied out. Having made our own contributions to this we skied back to Zermatt after lunch at Bondadini.
A great week? Certainly, and more snow than a lot of other resorts that week, certainly Leysin, which had so little snow, a report and photo appeared in a local paper, showing a lot of brown grass and a small patch of snow!
Go again, absolutely! and I am, at the end of March - can't wait!
March 06, 2015
Ben from
Switzerland
Ben from
Switzerland
Don't go for the skiing, go for the full experience!
If you want a ski, ski, ski holiday don't go to Zermatt.
If you want a balance between skiing and mountain town holiday do it! One of the best ski holidays you can have!
At the end of the day the overall ski experience is average in Zermatt itself. Notice how most of the positive reviews note that you should head over to Italy as much as you can! It is for a reason. If the link to Italy is shut, expect queues.
Management of lifts was poor. Open late regularly.
January 05, 2010
Eric from
United States
Eric from
United States
Expensive, very expensive. Nothing is inexpensive here: beer, food, room. Expect to pay 50-60 SF for a mediocre plate of pasta. Coke 6 SF, beer start at 6 and go up. Same beverages and food over in Cervina 1/3 the cost.
Lift passes rival Vail or Aspen in terms of cost, without the flexibility. Better places to ski cheaper.
The snow reports were less than factual over the last 2 weeks. Zermatt needs 200+ real centimeters to be even barely skiable. 400 for great skiing, have been here during those periods. When snow is at his depth here (400+), sell your children and come here. Oh yeah, that is what it will cost.
The crew here is 2 expert, one advanced skier. We found the new lift layouts her and in Cernvina not an improvement on the old setup. You are forced into more limited skiing area with more people. Close works in shaves and dancing, not on the ski slope.
If you like skiing with rude drunk Brits, go to Austria: same ambiance, same drunk Brits, cheaper cost. Chamonix, Val D' Isere, Lech-Zurs offer comparable skiing at a lower cost.
If you must come here stay in Cervina with lower costs and similar acces to the slopes. Since one cannot forecast when fantastic conditions occur, save your cash.
Oh, travel time to get here is obscene for the experience. The Hotel Bristol is a good hotel so consider it if you must come, however, get the half board option.
December 28, 2011
Ian de Haan from
United Kingdom
Ian de Haan from
United Kingdom
I had my first ski week of the season in Zermatt 10-17th December. Once again we enjoyed the amazingly scenic train journey form Geneva airport to Visp around the north shores of lake Geneva, on a very sunny morning.
We got into Zermatt, were collected by the Beau Site hotel's taxi and were in plenty of time to enjoy an afternoon's skiing to warm us up for the Ski Week ahead. The piste skiing was very limited due to the lack of snow but nevertheless, enough to get ready.
The next day we were off-piste with a guide for the whole week and had fantastic deep snow from the first forays into the off-piste. We started off at Rothorn and after only about 100 metres we were following the guide off-piste in deep, untracked snow. This then set the pace and continued for the rest of the week. After the first day the snow started to fall and just kept falling.
We skied over to Valtournenche mid station on the one day the pass was open but despite poor visibility we all skied the varied snow conditions form crud to crust to deep powder before returning to Zermatt and enjoying deep untracked powder on both sides of Furggsattel and on to Garten.
Everyday we skied somewhere different, always off-piste and always in untracked deep snow.
On the last day, the lifts were closed so three of us went out on touring skis with the guide via Franz and Heidis to Sunnegga, where we skied down to Hotel Cervo in lovely, light, deep powder snow to finish our week.
When you are skiing Zermatt, it can appear limiting if you only ski in Zermatt. When you ski to Cervinia and Valtournenche, it is a GREAT ski area. When you go off-piste the whole week, Zermatt becomes a VAST ski area, especially when you go off-piste to Cervinia and Valtournenche. Then you can get over to the Monte Rosa area and it becomes one of the LARGEST ski areas in the world.
Not only great skiing, but some of the finest mountain restaurants in the world which we managed to eat in too!
When I returned, I emailed some friends. They were in Heavenly USA and skiing only man-made snow!
This was undoubtedly one of the best ski weeks I have had and look forward to many more off-piste days with their guides. I am returning in January and looking to ski to St Jacques.
The lifts continue to be improved and is still value for money. Get to the lifts late and just like any other top resort, there may well be queues - ignore the people who expect the world to revolve around themselves and go to the most amazing ski resort in the world !
March 08, 2012
David Jedeikin from
United States
David Jedeikin from
United States
Having grown up in eastern Canada and now making my home in California, I've been all over the U.S. and Canada as a snowboarder (and sometime skier), but really nothing can quite prepare you for the majesty that is Zermatt: a totally authentic, walkable alpine village; jaw-dropping views (including the iconic Matterhorn); every conceivable type of ski lift on Earth; and miles and miles and miles of pistes. As a lifelong fan of long, intermediate "cruiser runs," Zermatt has to rank way up at the top for me. Amazing mountain restaurants further enhance the experience.
Only drawbacks? Yes, it's pricey... but then so are high-tone ski resorts in North America (Aspen, Vail)... and Zermatt seems to offer a less-snooty vibe than those ritzy resorts Stateside. Although many snowboarders may lament the lack of those insane "steep powder" runs, for an intermediate like myself it's pure heaven. Go for the experience of a lifetime.
March 28, 2010
Graeme Dunbar from
United Kingdom
Graeme Dunbar from
United Kingdom
Have just returned from Zermatt. We are a family of 3 advanced intermediate skiers. Agree that all resorts have good and bad points and Zermatt is no different. Also, didn't have best of conditions with over-warm weather interspersed with low cloud and high winds. This always influences one's opinion to a degree.
The ski area is large if you include the slopes of Cervinia, not so much if you don't. Wasn't blown away by any of the reds and blacks we did, but some have a large vertical (if flat in parts). The yellow ski itineraries were either closed or had very poor snow coverage, so can't comment on them. Piste signage is appalling, with no on-piste indicators of piste number, and only very occasional directional indicators (should be much better considering price of lift pass!).
Some views of course are spectacular, with great photo opportunities. But, at the risk of being controversial, I wonder how much the presence of the Matterhorn persuades people that the on-piste skiing is actually better than it really is?
Biggest downside of the resort (Zermatt) is getting to the slopes then up the hill, especially if you need to get high for good snow. This seriously eats into your skiing day, even with the decent electric ski bus service and the modern and recently improved lift system. Getting into Italy is torturously long unless you are at the lift before 8.45am, difficult with youngsters who need their sleep. Also seemed very quick to close lifts in bad weather, more so than in other resorts we've skied, so this can create serious congestion on Gornegrat train and on accessible pistes.
Don't think the resort or the mountain restaurants are excessively expensive. Drinks are cheaper than in the big French resorts and food, though comparable in price, is of better quality overall. Chalet Etoile, in Italy, was superb and great value. Chez Vrony is an institution and the food we had there lived up to reputation (expensive but very good).
We liked Zermatt centre, had quite a buzz about it, and good for a stroll after skiing or after dinner. The old town area is fascinating, with many wooden buildings several centuries old.
We stayed at the Beau-Site Hotel, excellent in every respect and strongly recommended. Would we go back to Zermatt? Probably, but not in a hurry. As I said, better conditions would have meant better skiing, but even allowing for that, overall the resort didn't 'hook' us as it seems to do others.