Switzerland may be smaller in physical size than its neighbour France, but it punches above it’s weight in terms of quality skiing and snowboarding. Home to some seriously sharp-edged mountains and plenty of high-altitude resorts and glaciers, Switzerland is one of the most snow-sure places to visit.
Skiing here is primarily in the 4 Valées area, which counts Zermatt and Verbier within it’s rather large embrace. This interconnected area covers four valleys as the name suggests and five individual destinations that offer a wide variety of winter and summer sports.
Switzerland is a pricey place to ski, there’s no doubt about it. But it does have some of the most amazing terrain and scenery you’ll find anywhere in the world, so it’s worth saving your pennies and visiting at least once if you can. Zermatt is normally the first choice as it offers fantastic views of the famous Matterhorn mountain and has some incredibly testing slopes and off-piste for those who want a challenge.
For those looking for something a little more down to earth Nendaz, just down from Verbier and also in the four valleys, offers slightly better value but still some of the same unique swiss charm.
The Valais area is home to 2400km of pistes and it’s here that you’ll find Zermatt, Verbier and the highest pistes in Europe.
This region of Switzerland has world-class ski resorts around every corner, but Zermatt is still the jewel in the crown. The resort itself sits at 1620m with an ear-popping summit of 3899m meaning snow is reliable across it’s 360km ski area.