Zermatt, Switzerland
Zoes view
British Olympic Boarder-X
A pain to get to but good park and pipe in the summer
Think Zermatt and you’ll probably think money, and you’d be right. However there are some serious mountains here and plenty to keep a freerider occupied for a number of weeks.
The village sits in the shadow of the mighty Matterhorn with every chalet craning to get a view. It’s a compact, attractive place, car free but with souped-up electric golf buggies hooning it around.
Zermatt links with Cervinia forming the Matterhorn Ski Paradise and 313km of pistes. Lift pass prices are about as high as you get, but if you are not heading over to Cervinia then don’t pay the extra for the pass and play in Zermatt’s 183km of slopes.
Zermatt is one of the few places remaining in the World where you can snowboard 365 days a year. In the summer the Matterhorn glacier has 22km of pistes and a good park & pipe. In the winter it provides the starting point for a huge 2263m vertical descent back into the village.
There are lots of narrow cat tracks linking up areas and the runs down to the village are especially guilty. However it’s not the pistes that are going to be attracting the snowboarders, it is the stack of quality off-piste and freeride routes this place offers.
Nightlife is lively for Switzerland with quite a few mountain bars and clubs open till gone 3am
New for season
2008/9:“Glacier restaurant” on the Matterhorn glacier paradise
“Snowmaker” – the snow machine marvel
Stockhorn ski lift
Downhill race covering 2200 metres of altitude
A new diva in town: Hotel Matterhorn Focus
Award for Zermatt
Beginner’s park with the Crossliner on Sunnegga paradise
Renovation work in the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof
Restaurant Riffelberg even more comfortable
Glacier Palace with direct access through a new lift
Reopening Hotel Monte Rosa
06/07: new 4-seat chair lift Sunnegga paradise from Findeln to Breitenboden, new Skilift Stockhorn
Hotel search
Top Holiday Offers
Ambassador Apartments - Self Catered
Situated in the Hotel Ambassador (Prop ID.1051), these 2 and 3-room apartments offer spacious self-catering accommodation just 2 minutes’ walk from
Resort Statistics
Resort Type:
Alpine
Winter: Nov to April
Summer: May to Sept
Lifts
Total Lifts: 33
Cable cars: 9
Gondolas: 5
Chair lifts: 8
Drag lifts: 9
Other lifts: 1 Funicular train, 1 cog-railway
Max people per hour: 64,500
Board Leashes required: Yes
Mountain
Total pistes/trails: 73
Total ride area: 183km
Longest run: 13km
Top lift: 3899m
Vertical drop: 2279m
First lift: 1620m
Piste suitability
Green runs: 20%
Red runs: 75%
Black runs: 5%
Lift Passes
| Low Season | High Season | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHF | GBP | CHF | GBP | |
| Day Pass | 71.00 | 44.19 | 71.00 | 44.19 |
| 6-Day Pass | 350.00 | 217.85 | 350.00 | 217.85 |
| 6-Day Linked area Pass | 394.00 | 245.24 | 394.00 | 245.24 |
| CHF | GBP | |
|---|---|---|
| Season Pass: | 1,400.00 | 871.41 |
Lift Passes:
Zermatt only:
Half day 52,
Day pass 68Chf
5 Days pass 290Chf
Season 1365 Chf
Zermatt/Cervinia
Half-day 59, Day pass 76, 5 days 326CHF, season 1530.
Summer day pass 63CHF
Lift times:8.30am to 4.30pm
Snowfall
Average annual snowfall: 7m
Artificial snowmaking coverage: 25%
Facilities
| CHF | GBP | |
|---|---|---|
| Days Rental of Board & Boots: | 45.00 | 28.01 |
| 4hr Group Lesson (full day): | 54.00 | 33.61 |
| 4hr Private Lesson (full day): | - | - |
Snowboard Schools:
Group lessons from - 40CHF
Snowboard Hire:
Daily rates from - 28CHF (Kids from 22CHF)
Night Riding: :
No
Other activities
Heliboarding: :
options to Alphubeljoch, Äschhorn and Monte Rosa and a 4hr trip costs 380CHF, if you dont have that sort of cash then 185CHF will get you on a freeride day to some less trodden locations. Contact the Zermatt Alpin Center for details ww.alpincenter-zermatt.ch tel: +41 (0)27 966 24 60
Snowmobiles:
Not available
Further information
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Summary
Zermatt is an extremely good resort with some excellent freering terrain set in an incredible location. Nightlife is descent but you need to bring yours and someone elses wallet with you.
ON THE SLOPES: Good
OFF THE SLOPES: As you would expect, pricey
MONEY WISE: Lift passes prices & accomodation are crazy money.
Terrain & parks
HALFPIPE:
Yes - 2
TERRAIN PARK:
Yes - 2
BACKCOUNTRY/OFF-PISTE:Lots
TREE RUNS:Yes
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Resort News
Changes at Zermatt 7Oct08
>> more news on Zermatt ...Weather & conditions
| Weather | ||
sunny
|
||
5°C
|
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| Snow cover | ||
| Total | Last 24hrs | |
| Upper | 142cm | 0cm |
| Lower | 85cm | 0cm |
| Resort | 11cm | 0cm |
| Last Snowfall: 4 days ago - Mon 15 Mar 2010 | ||
| Runs | ||
| Runs Open: | 331KM | |
| Lifts Open: | 55 | |
| Piste Conditions: | powder | |
| Runs to resorts: | good | |
| Off Piste Conditions: | ||
| Comments: | ||
| http://matterhornparadise.ch/i/ | ||
| Source | ||
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||
Piste Map
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