What it's like to visit the Swiss mountains in winter

26.11.2023 - 10:14 / nationalgeographic.com

The Swiss have been mastering the mountains for centuries, with cable-cars, tunnels and high-elevation railways giving easy access to peaks and historic towns. Skiing here is simply part of life, and it’s world-class. Granted, the Swiss experience can be pricey, but it can be great value, spanning everything from the tasty rösti potato bake in a mountain restaurant to the friendly, efficient service in spotless family-run hotels — not to mention a transport network that run like clockwork.

The British ski holiday originated in St Moritz, but the slide in value of the pound against the Swiss Franc and reduction in the number of catered chalet holidays has meant Switzerland isn’t often first on the UK skier’s list. But it should be.

For starters, most resorts here have evolved from traditional farming villages, which means they couldn’t get more picture perfect. While adapting to the demands of modern tourism, most have retained their original style and charm, and attract a vibrant, year-round community, giving a different atmosphere to some of the Alps’ purpose-built resorts.

British skiers love a large, linked ski area but few might know that Zermatt shares 224 miles of piste with Cervinia in Italy, or that Verbier links with the family-friendly villages of Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Bruson. The other British staple requirement — high, snow-sure skiing — is easy to find in Switzerland, too, from the glaciers of Saas-Fee and Zermatt to the resorts of St Moritz, Engelberg and Laax. 

Although Klosters and Gstaad are renowned for their grand-dame hotels and fur-clad guests, there are more humble resorts to be found. Families should check out the small, south-facing resort of Anzère, in Valais, for example, while neighbouring Crans Montana and Laax in Graubünden both offer huge terrain parks and a youthful freeride scene.

Switzerland protects the environment better than most, and Laax has long been ahead of the curve in this respect. Here, all development decisions since 1970 have been made ecologically, with the resort now running on 100% renewable energy and working to protect nature, maximise energy efficiency, electrify transport and decarbonise existing buildings.

If you’re a regular skier in Switzerland, you’ll know there are some good-value lift passes around: the Magic Pass gives access to 69 ski resorts, while US company Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass includes its resorts in North America along with select European destinations such as Verbier and Andermatt, which could be a good investment for Brits planning both a long-haul and European ski trip this year. The high and snow-sure resort of Andermatt last year became the first in the Alps to partner with Vail Resorts.

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