Aletsch Arena Ski Switzerland
The family friendly Aletsch Arena is a high-altitude ski resort in the legendary Valais of Switzerland. The picture-perfect alpine village at Bettmeralp is the opening stanza in a symphony of beauty, immaculate skiing & fun activities which every family member will appreciate.
Aletsch Arena is a wonderful family oriented Swiss holiday destination only a short train ride from the transport hub of Brig.
Pros & Cons for Aletsch Arena Ski Resort
Pros
- Fabulous, family friendly snow holiday destination.
- Snow sure, with all terrain over 2,000m.
- Perfect Swiss alpine village at Bettmeralp.
- Particularly good beginner & intermediate on-piste trails.
- Uncrowded.
- Few people skiing off-piste!
- Beautiful views over the Rhone valley & Aletsch Glacier.
- Fantastic range & extent of non-ski activities.
- Ski-in accommodation throughout the resort.
- Interesting mountain huts.
- Lively après ski in Bettmeralp village.
- Amongst the world’s best public transport access by combination train & cable car.
Cons
- No on-piste valley trails & limited advanced on-piste terrain.
- Limited consistent fall-line skiing.
- Not very snowboard friendly between the various sectors due to some awkward linking traverses.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Away from Bettmeralp the villages are quiet after hours.
- All alpine villages are car-free and accessible only by cable car or gondola.
- Sunny, south-facing ski terrain.
- There is some great off-piste terrain for adventurers & little competition for it!
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
Perched high above the valley on sunny south facing slopes, the majority of Aletsch Arena's 104km of perfectly groomed ski trails are above 2,000m elevation - guaranteeing quality snow conditions. The mostly gentle, rolling terrain across much of the resort is great for beginners and intermediate skiers, the many viewpoints to Aletsch Glacier (the Alps largest/longest glacier!) 7 across the valley all the way to the Matterhorn & Monte Rosa are a bonus.
Check out the ski trail map for Aletsch Arena below.
Advanced riders will enjoy more serious challenges via the tunnel off Bettmerhorn, the summit of Eggishorn, in the off-piste and several freeride routes. We easily found delightful off-piste powder with very few people hunting it, particularly skier's right of Riederfurka and loads of steep, interesting stuff off Bettmerhorn, Eggishorn & under the Heimall chair. But let us not kid ourselves, even though there is some wonderful terrain, Aletsch Arena is not about advanced & expert freeriders.
Whilst the snow quality is amazing, the terrain lends itself more to fun, family ski holidays, and less to huge freeride adventure - and that's OK because there are plenty of other mountains for that. It is possible to have some adventure though. Some very good freeride chutes and lines off the top of Eggishorn are perfect on a powder day. You can scope them from the top of Talegga chair. Alternatively, if there is snow down to the valley, ski the full vertical of over 1,800m from the top of Eggishorn down to the valley town of Fiesch. The bottom half can be quite 'sporty'! And you may have to pay for the gondola back up to Fiescheralp as it is not usually included in a ski pass.
The ski lifts at Aletsch Arena are a quality mix of cable cars, gondola & modern chairs. They are well-positioned to interconnect the wide expanse of the resort. Access from the valley is best from Fiesch train station via the new gondola. The oldest major lift is the cable car to the Eggishorn summit, which is a shame because it is an impressive ending & deserves a more modern conveyance! Regardless of which one you are riding, the stupendous views are such a distraction throughout, that even if the resort's ski lifts were a collection of vintage double chairs (which of course they are not!), you wouldn't even notice! Enjoy all the rides up.
Lift Passes
Lift passes at the resort are now dynamically priced (and potentially quite cheap) when purchased online. Prices at ticket windows are usually significantly higher. Lift passes can come with or without the 'feeder' (valley access from Fiesch to Fiescheralp, Betten to Bettmeralp & Mörel to Riederalp) cable cars from the valley included on the pass. Naturally a lift pass without the feeder cable cars (for anyone staying on the mountain) is slightly cheaper. Everyone visiting for the day will need the feeder cable cars included on their ticket as there is no other way up the mountain in winter.
Where is Aletsch Arena Switzerland?
Aletsch Arena ski resort is in the magical Swiss Valais (Wallis), only 10km from the canton’s capital of Brig. The closest main town to Aletsch Arena is the substantial Fiesch. Surprisingly, the closest major international gateway airport is Milan Malpensa (MXP) - 166km by road (or shorter by rail) to the south. Geneva (GVA) international airport is 220km west of Betten (a locality at the base of Aletsch Arena’s best village of Bettmeralp), a journey of around 3½hr by train in winter. In our view, the airport at Zurich (ZRH) is the better option though, around 3¼hr away by train to Betten via Brig.
Aletsch Arena has one of the best public transport/ski lift interfaces in the world, hence the recommended mode of travel to the resort is by train. Direct trains to Brig leave from both the centre of Milan & Geneva but the better one is direct from Zurich airport terminal. From Brig, a quick stroll outside the station gets one to the regional train connections for either Betten (15min) or Fiesch (35min).
At Betten, the cable cars to Bettmeralp are integrated into the train station complex. A large multi-story car park is across the road from the station complex for those with rental cars that ignored the greatest train system on the planet! Further along the line at Fiesch, a new combination train/gondola station allows swift & efficient access to Fiescheralp, Aletsch Arena's highest village. The large village of Fiesch is a short walk down the hill from the station. The new station complex at Fiesch elevates Aletsch Arena to joint first place in the best train/ski lift interfaces in the world, along with Kronplatz & Folgarida Marilleva in Italy.
Search & book train tickets to Betten, Fiesch or Brig.
Aletsch Arena Accommodation
The ski resort at Aletsch Arena is effectively made up of seven different villages, so visitors are spoilt for choice when it comes to staying overnight. Much of the accommodation is in traditional chalets.
Three alpine villages (Bettmeralp, Riederalp & Fiescheralp) all offer ski-in (& many ski-out) accommodation. All three alpine villages are car-free & only accessible by cable car or gondola in winter.
At an elevation of over 1,950m, Bettmeralp is one of the prettiest alpine ski villages in Europe & certainly the best place to stay at Aletsch Arena. Most of the chalets are ski-in ski-out & close to all services.
Four other villages are in the valley below. Three of them are linked to the ski lifts (Mörel, Betten & the largest village of Fiesch) and the fourth, the smaller hamlet of Lax, has a train station for a quick rail trip to either Fiesch or Betten to catch the lift up.
Search & book Aletsch Arena ski accommodation.
The valley accommodations are cheaper, but only Fiesch has a full range of services & shops available. In the alpine, Bettmeralp is the largest, most picturesque village, plus has the best range of shops & services.
For more info & recommendations on the best accommodation, see our Where to Stay in Aletsch Arena page.
Ski Rentals, Lessons & Guiding
Ski rentals are available throughout the resort via our local partners in the alpine villages of Riederalp, Bettmeralp & Fiescheralp. Receive a discount when you search & book via our Aletsch Arena Ski & Snowboard Equipment Rental page.
If looking for on or off-piste ski & snowboard lessons, or just looking for a guide to show you around the mountain, compare, search & book via our Aletsch Arena Ski Lessons & Guiding page.
Activities
The terrain at Aletsch lends itself to a vast network of winter walking trails which are sensational for non-skiers to reach the high points on their own steam & enjoy the many mountain restaurants. Of course, it also possible to use the ski lifts to head up & then wander down at your leisure on the trails. The network is 72km long, which is extraordinary in the context of one ski resort. Other activities such as sledding (or sledging as it is known locally) & ice skating abound, but you will have to drag yourself out of your perfect Swiss chalet and avert your gaze from the splendid panoramas to do it. Good luck!
Nearby Ski Resorts
Aletsch Arena’s location is amongst some of Powderhounds favourite sneaky (& some not so sneaky) ski resorts. Further along the train line to the east is the all-time Andermatt-Sedrun. Across the valley along past the toe of the Aletsch Glacier is Belalp & on the opposite side of the Rhone valley is Rosswald. The local’s haunt of Bellwald is just up the rail line from Fiesch - although we haven't checked it out. A short train ride from Brig is the cracking Lauchernalp. Gets me excited just typing their names!
Review
The Powderhounds reviewed Aletsch Arena in 2017 and more recently in January 2024. On both occasions we had a great time skiing fresh powder and wandering the pretty villages. On our last visit we searched out & skied the dark side of the mountain and found plenty on offer. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read our thoughts.
See how Aletsch Arena compares to the rest of the Swiss ski resorts on the Switzerland ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.
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