Switzerland Skiing & Snowboarding

Switzerland in the heart of the Alps is the epitome of the mountains in Europe. The towering Swiss Alps run across the central-south part of Switzerland, taking up about 60 percent of the country’s area. Approximately one hundred mountains in Switzerland rise to nearly or higher than 4,000 metres (13,000 feet), and the famous Matterhorn soars to 4,478 m (14,692 ft) and that’s not even the highest mountain. The Swiss Alps are also home to many glaciers, including the largest in western Europe, Aletsch Glacier.

It’s not surprising that such a mountainous country is synonymous with skiing. There are more than a hundred well-known Switzerland ski resorts, many at high altitude, so the snow quality is excellent.

As to be expected, the ski resorts in Switzerland are well organised & efficient, with state-of-the-art snow-making & lift infrastructure to whisk skiers & snowboarders kilometres up the mountain. Despite the efficiency, the Swiss ski resorts have typically done a sterling job of maintaining their traditional charm. Ugly purpose-built ski resorts are negligible. The norm, with some notable exceptions, is the cutesy, charming ski village with mountain refuges that complement the stunning scenery.

Swiss Alps Ski Resorts

World famous ski resorts (& some awesome not so world-famous ones) abound in the Swiss Alps. If visiting for the first time, we recommend visiting a combination of one large, well-known ski area (like Davos or Zermatt), plus a few smaller ones that may not have ever been on your radar (like Unterbäch or Ovronnaz). Read on to get a sense of the possibilities.

Andermatt Sedrun is a Powderhounds favourite & one of the best ski resorts in the world (according to us!). Huge free ride terrain, modern lifts & deep snow in a traditional village. Andermatt Sedrun has recently completed a huge expansion & won’t stay under the radar too much longer, particularly as part of Vail Resorts.

Another Powderhounds favourite is the massive Arosa Lenzerheide in southeast Switzerland. The terrain, snow & facilities are absolutely world class. Powderhounds rated it previously in the top 3 overall Europe ski resorts.

4 Vallees (Verbier & Nendaz-Veysonnaz-Thyon) is amongst Europe's biggest interconnected ski resorts. The 4 Valleys has ski & snowboard terrain for all abilities, but it’s well known for the delightfully steep, gnarly off-piste slopes around Mont Fort, & Mont Gele that we can attest to existing! The après and nightlife is more vibrant in Verbier than at the usual Swiss ski resort but is at a high price point. Nendaz, Veysonnaz & Thyon are quieter & more affordable.

Saas-Fee is located near the Italian border in the Valais canton of Switzerland. Saas Fee incorporates one of the ski world's most stunning glacier landscapes & offers both winter & summer skiing. A highlight of the area is travelling up to 3,500 metres, before skiing all the way down to the beautiful & romantic Saas Fee village at 1,800 metres. Saas-Fee provides a cheaper, less crowded alternative to the neighbouring Zermatt.

Zermatt sits at the foot of the Matterhorn making it one of the most famous ski resorts in the world. Zermatt has an old traditional town where cute horse-drawn sleighs still travel down cobble stone streets. Skiing occurs across a range of high mountain areas & includes the highest lifted piste terrain in Europe, allowing for extensive summer skiing on its glacier terrain. Zermatt is known for its après drinking & late night revelry, but it’s also popular with families. Has the additional appeal of being connected to wonderful Cervinia in Italy.

The prestigious Swiss ski resort town of St. Moritz is delightfully chic & upmarket, but also a fantastic destination for all levels of skier. Beyond being the Swiss ski holiday hot spot for the rich & famous, St Moritz skiing terrain encompasses 3 diverse ski areas (Corvatsch, Corviglia & Diavolezza Lagalb) with fantastic lifts, pistes & powder catering to all abilities. St Moritz should be on every skier's 'must do' list.

Davos Klosters is a well-known collection of 5 main ski areas high in the canton of Graubünden (POWbünden!). Davos attracts a diverse crowd but it’s largely a very fashionable ski resort where Powderhounds can excel on the world-class off-piste freeride powder terrain with little competition unless the sun is out! Down valley is Klosters, which is famous as the ski holiday spot for the British royal family. The village of Klosters is smaller than Davos and more traditional, intimate & refined.

Other large ski resorts of note include the cross-border monstrosity of Portes du Soleil, the world’s best snow park location at the expansive Laax, the incredible Jungfrau Ski Region plus the diverse (and sometimes frightening!) freeride meccas of Engelberg & Glacier 3000. Fantastic mid-size ski resorts like Aletsch Arena, Adelboden-Lenk, Gstaad & Crans Montana & Villars Gryon Diablerets are absolutely commonplace in Switzerland. All are ready to welcome you and your friends & family.

Switzerland is home to a fabulous number of “forgotten” ski resorts with massive appeal to Powderhounds. We have visited a host of smaller, secret-stash Swiss ski resorts in recent years and will keep going back to them because they are so good on powder days. These include Anzère, Arolla-Evolene, Belalp, Bivio, Brigels, Grimentz Zinal, Lauchernalp, Leukerbad, Leysin, Rosswald & St Luc Chandolin. The list goes on. Switzerland is full of these powder laden ski resort gems. Discovering them is (and will be) a helluva lot of fun.

If you want to try the one of the best value ski resorts in Europe, you will have head to a remote valley in Graubünden, south of Ilanz at the village of Vals. Vals 3000 rises over 1,600m vertical above the valley and provides incredibly cheap freeride powder on a huge mountain. Go check it out.

See more about the highest ranked Swiss ski areas via our Best Ski Resorts in Switzerland page.

Skiing in Switzerland Experience

Expect the best scenery, ski lifts, snow & terrain diversity in Switzerland. From learn-to-ski areas with a view of the Matterhorn to wide, long intermediate cruisers & extreme couloirs, Switzerland has it all. Not all resorts provide the heated seat, hooded chairlift ski experience though. Numerous smaller resorts have been forgotten by the masses & provide an intimate, traditional snow holiday experience which has been lost in the mega resorts. Use the superb Swiss public transport system to re-discover them for yourself.

Like most skiing in Europe, the actual snowboarding or skiing in Switzerland is just a small part of the overall experience. Reclining in sun lounges whilst working on the tan & visiting the mountain restaurants for a long leisurely lunch is a big priority. And considering the number of cows in Switzerland (yes, they do have bells around their neck in summer!), it would seem churlish not to try a gourmet cheese fix via fondue & raclette. But go easy & don't forget to eat your greens. Remember too that there is a whole lot more to Swiss cuisine than cheese & rösti potatoes.

After a long lunch, ski a little in the afternoon before stopping for some schnapps or wine on the way home. Typically, the Swiss version of après is sedate & not a patch on what you’d find in the Austria ski resorts, but a few of the high-profile Swiss ski resorts provide some lively après & evening festivities.

Also in Swiss ski resorts, non-ski activities abound. Sledding trails than go for miles, endless winter walking trails, incredible suspended cliff walks and bridges, scenic train rides. horse drawn sleigh rides. You get the idea. A winter holiday in Switzerland is more than just skiing or boarding.

Lift Passes

In more recent seasons, a host of international aggregated lift passes have become conditionally valid in some Swiss ski resorts. IKON Pass is valid in Zermatt. EPIC Pass is valid in Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis & the entire 4-Vallees. Access to each resort is usually limited & conditionally. See the full access details & conditions on our Europe Ski Lift Passes page.

If looking for an affordable way to ski multiple resorts in Switzerland in a season, we recommend getting a MAGIC Pass. We get one every year and love it.

Whilst lift passes in Switzerland are already alot more affordable than in North America or Australia, another good thing to know is that many ski areas have dynamic lift pass pricing online. St Moritz was one of the first to start it. What it means is that pre-purchased lift passes bought online are priced based on that day's demand. As a result, some lift passes are over 40% cheaper than one purchased at the ticket window. Even if not dynamically priced, any lift pass bought online or at a vending machine is usually cheaper (at least 5%), than its ticket window equivalent.

Travel To & Around Switzerland

Getting to Switzerland is easy via either of the major international airports at Geneva (GVA) & Zurich (ZRH). Both airports provide a stellar entry into Switzerland. We rate the airport at Zurich more highly than Geneva purely on it being better integrated with trains & hotels, and more accessible from a wider number of international flight origins. Geneva airport is more of an arrive then leave kind of proposition, whereas staying a night or two in Zurich (or nearby Lucerne) is worth it from a general euro travel experience point of view.

From the airports, it would be a skiing crime not to use the best railway system in the world to get around. Aside from the eye-popping scenery from the train, many Swiss ski resorts (most really) are reachable directly by train from the airport. Engelberg, St Moritz, Davos Klosters & Andermatt are simple from Zurich. Verbier, Leysin, Gstaad, Villars Gryon Diablerets, plus Champery in Portes du Soleil are easy from Geneva. Loads of the best French Alps ski resorts are within a short drive of Geneva too, including Chamonix.

Through the valleys of the Upper Rhone & Rhine Rivers in cantons Valais (Wallis) & Grisons (Graubünden), the Matterhorn-Gotthard line & the Rhaetian railway link a huge number of ski resorts across the mountainous south. Zermatt, Crans Montana, Belalp, Andermatt Sedrun, Disentis, Brigels, Laax, Arosa, Lenzerheide, Davos Klosters & St Moritz ski resorts are all on or close to the train line. The Glacier Express links the entire journey from Zermatt to St Moritz. Aletsch Arena ski resort now has the equal best access by rail to ski lifts in the world. Two base areas (Betten & Fiesch) have ski lifts integrated into the train station for seamless transfers up to the mountain. And that's just a start! Take the train - an absolute 'must do' Swiss ski holiday experience.

Search & book here for all train tickets in Switzerland. Note tickets are not usually available until within 3 months of the travel date.

Whilst getting around Switzerland is simple comparative to other locations in the world, there are always so great helpful hints to help make the journey go as smooth as possible. For more information & hints on the best travel options to Swiss ski resorts, see our Travel to Switzerland page.

When to Go

High season at Swiss ski resorts is from Christmas to the first week in January, all of February & most weekends through to early April. The last 3 weeks of January & mid-week in March & all of April can be a good time to save a few pennies, ski deserted slopes & some amazing late season powder days in the high alpine. Our pick is the last few weeks of January for deep, cold powder snow & no competition for fresh tracks. Later in the season (particularly April) is best for the glorious sunny days & stable snow-pack for alpine touring.

For more information on the best times to ski or snowboard Switzerland, see our When To Ski Switzerland page.

Cost of Skiing in Switzerland

The cost of Switzerland skiing is largely dependent on the strength of the Swiss franc (CHF). Typically, the Switzerland ski resorts are reasonably expensive, but you get what you pay for. They’re less crowded & generally provide a more exclusive ski holiday than many other European ski destinations. The Swiss ski resorts are more costly than the Austrian ski resorts & skiing in Italy, and similar to the super popular mega French ski resorts. Of course, it’s possible to stay in pensions & guesthouses rather than hotels & ski Switzerland on a budget, so long as you keep the restaurant food & wine consumption to a minimum! The real way to save money in Switzerland is not go out for dinner and stay in simpler accommodation. That way, you might even have some money left to buy a new watch & a Swiss army knife! As mentioned earlier, the best value ski resort in Switzerland is probably Vals 3000.

More Reasons to Ski Switzerland

Enjoy the benefits of a nation that runs like clockwork, still enjoys its freedom (it was open throughout covid!), has wonderful transport links and hotels with well-organized service. Combine this with the charming ski resort villages that have been carefully developed without losing the traditional alpine essence of Switzerland. Ski Switzerland - you will not regret it.

Compare Swiss Ski Resorts to Europe & the World

See how Swiss ski resorts compare to each other on the Switzerland ski resort ratings page or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.

Alternatively see comparisons to the rest of the world on our Best Ski Resorts page.

Reviews & Contact

The Powderhounds Europe team are constantly reviewing new Swiss & European ski resorts or having a second or third look at old ones. See our reviews via the links on each ski resort overview page.

If you have a question about skiing & snowboarding in Switzerland or Europe, CONTACT US.

Follow Powderhounds Europe on Instagram to see where we are currently skiing. Follow our main Powderhounds page on Facebook to stay in touch with up-to-date info, tours, and discussions.