Unterbäch is one of the many small Swiss ski areas that are continually overlooked by international visitors. Whilst it has few of the accoutrements associated with a modern ski resort, what it has got is soul …… plus access to a load of 3,000m peaks on north-aspect terrain and then a 1,800m vertical off & on piste descent back to a beer or five! What it also has is old-school honesty. Everyone just leaves their skis on the rack near the base chairlift overnight, and in a world that often tests our faith, that’s just so refreshingly nice!

The main village of Unterbäch is reached by car or via a spectacular cable car ride from the Rhone River valley town of Raron. The cable car station is a few minutes’ walk from the train station which is the main line between Visp & Sion. The cable car line is through a deep rocky gorge. The top station is in the centre of town opposite the Hotel Alpenhof, and only 100m from the chairlift.

We stayed lower down in the village at the convivial Hotel Walliserhof. A lovely room, fantastic hospitality, wonderful food (the breakfasts in particular are excellent) and friendly hosts made the stay even more enjoyable. A rowdy night in the bar with some visiting chippys from Sweden & Germany didn’t hurt either…. Well in hindsight, it may have hurt a bit, but it was self-inflicted! Note too that the better place to stay is the Hotel Alpenhof which is more conveniently located right at the base of the ski lifts.

Unterbäch is one of four small ski areas spread across the mountain side in this region. The others, neighbouring Eischoll, and nearby Bürchen each have their merits, but we think Unterbäch is the better of them simply due to its ease of access, top to bottom snow-making on the main piste trails, and the ability to easily ski tour to numerous peaks from the top lift. Having said that, when the temperatures are cold and the snow is low, a few days spent exploring all of these ski areas would be a great lark. Bürchen in particular has some impressive terrain above 2,000m altitude and some steep piste runs off its top lift at 2,550m. Eischoll is included in the Unterbäch lift pass, so one can add its 15km of pistes to the mix! Of course if you have a Magic Pass it is all available.

As for Unterbäch, the ski lifts are of the ‘enjoy the ride’ variety, moseying along from a low base of 1,220m all the way to 2,420m ish. That’s a not too shabby 1,200 skiable vertical. The first two lifts are double chairs, the second two are T-bars. Another surface tow is in the base area for novices. A great place to learn to ski. Affordable, interesting and family friendly. For most powder hounds the upper lift is where the action is. Ascending 425m vertical into the true high alpine, it has a great selection of pistes and a few luscious off-piste zones to the left and right. Skiers right are some gentle, light tree options that are a wonderful first foray into this type of freeriding. Skier left, after a long traverse, keep pushing high away from the ski run and you have a mixed bowl of powder skiing goodies to feast upon.

I had a lot of fun skiing the top lift terrain, but the real reason I came was to skin up one of the nearby peaks. I chose the 3,050m Dreizehntenhorn. A lovely climb, straight forward navigation, the final ascent to the peak requires boot-packing (which in snowboard boots would be a challenge in icy conditions without crampons). There are several descent options. In high avalanche hazard many work their way down to the Niggelinglicke Col, where gentler slopes lead back into the lifted area, or alternatively return back down the bootpack and descend along the same route as the skin trail (boring!). In good, stable snow, there are steep options directly from the summit as well. I chose a middle path between the two. Snow was a tad funky in parts but was great fun nonetheless. Stopped off at Bergrestaurant Ginals for a delicious soup before heading back down to the village. The lower half of the pistes are often shared with sledders so keep an eye out, they often go faster than skiers. The final piste into Unterbach has a direct black option that can be seriously icy, but hey, a bit of challenge to end the day is cool.

Unterbäch does have trails that interlink with Eischoll (and vice-versa) but I didn’t note them at all - too busy enjoying myself.

Unterbäch is the sort of place you can leave booking until the last minute. There will always be a room available, and the ski area is never busy. If good snow and whether combine, it can provide an unforgettable Swiss Alps ski experience, without the unforgettable Swiss prices…. Don’t overlook Unterbäch. Remember it and visit some time.

See our thoughts about the resort’s pros & cons on our Unterbäch overview page.