Is Zermatt Good For Beginner Skiers? (Honest Review)
Zermatt Ski Resort, Switzerland is considered one of the best ski resorts in Europe and attracts skiers from around the world. With incredible views of the Matterhorn and an impressive amount of skiing terrain, Zermatt is certainly an amazing place to ski. But, is this famous resort suitable for beginner skiers?
Yes, Zermatt Ski Resort is a good place for all levels of skiers, including beginners. While the resort offers a greater selection of slopes for intermediate skiers - access to world-class ski instructors allow you to learn from the best.
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The skiing terain is ideally suited towards intermediate skiers who have skied previously - due to it having more blue and red runs. However you can learn to ski here and have fun doing it - just progress to more challenging slopes once your ready.
Zermatt Mountain Resort
Zermatt's terrain has, 17% green runs (easiest), 21% dedicated to blue intermediate runs and 62% red advanced slopes.
Zermatt Mountain has some of the best skiing in Switzerland with over 360 km of terrain to enjoy. Europe’s highest skiing resort, Zermatt is a fantastic location for really great skiing with great snow and picturesque Swiss mountains.
Known for its long ski runs with terrain for all skill levels, Zermatt is one of only a few places in the world where you can ski 365 days a year. Although it is best to visit during winter, they also offer summer skiing on the glacier as well as a variety of other activities to enjoy.
Regardless of your skiing experience, Zermatt has something to do for everyone. Ice skating, curling, snow-shoeing, restaurants, bars, or just taking in the breath-taking views of the Matterhorn.
Set in the land of Swiss cheese, chocolate, and big mountains, Zermatt is a spectacular location for everyone to visit in Switzerland close to the Italian border.
Beginning to Ski at Zermatt
Zermatt has various areas that are dedicated to beginners such as the Sunnegga area, meaning “sunny corner”, this area is great for the whole family. As the name suggests, this area has some of the sunniest views including an incredible view of the Matterhorn.
Complete beginners will enjoy learning to ski at “Wolli’s park” at Sunnegga. This area will give young children a great ski learning experience but is also where skiers of all ages can learn to ski. There are five magic carpets within a sunny, sheltered area, perfect for beginners.
With some great ski schools available, there is no doubt that people of all ages will be able to learn how to ski.
The great advantage of Zermatt is that there are so many things to do outside of skiing. Learning to ski isn’t always easy so having warm, cozy restaurants, and stunning views of the Matterhorn certainly makes it easier to enjoy.
Lots of Intermediate Skiing Terrain
Once you have progressed past the beginner level of skiing, you will want to start skiing on longer “green” runs, perfect for beginners who are still learning. However, you will find that Zermatt has limited green runs, but they’ll likely end up progressing onto intermediate runs.
Starting to ski on intermediate runs will open up a lot more of the Zermatt Mountain Resort. With a very large amount of intermediate skiing at Zermatt, there are many pockets of skiing to explore.
Zermatt's terrain has 21 percent dedicated to blue intermediate runs and 62 percent as red advanced slopes. Looking at the trail map, you can see that the Breuil-Cervinia area is more dedicated to intermediate skiers and the beginner slopes are closer to Zermatt.
So, if you are looking to advance your skiing at Zermatt, it could be worth venturing over to the Breuil-Cervinia area.
Getting to Zermatt Mountain Resort
Visiting Zermatt Mountain Resort can be a great way to enjoy more than just skiing, but, how easy is it to get to if you don’t live close by?
There is no airport in Zermatt that you can fly directly into. The nearest airport is over ~250 km away in Geneva or Zurich. As such, there are essentially three methods of transportation for getting to Zermatt: train, car, or helicopter.
If you are flying into Zurich or Geneva, the easiest way to get to Zermatt is to take the train to Visp and then transfer to a direct train to Zermatt. From Geneva, it takes around 3 hours by car or 3.5 hours by train. From Zurich, it takes around 4 hours by car or 3 hours by train.
The Swiss rail network is great and makes it easy for you to navigate around Switzerland, including reaching Zermatt Mountain resort. Taking the train can be a fantastic way to see the beautiful Swiss country along the way.
Is Zermatt Mountain Resort right for me?
As Zermatt offers skiing year-round, you can expect to pay varying amounts to learn to ski depending on when you plan on visiting. Summer ski passes start at CHF 79.00 and winter skiing prices from CHF 83.00. You can use this online price calculator to figure out how much your trip would cost.
If you are traveling with young children, one of the great benefits of Zermatt is a free ski pass for kids up to 9 years of age with the Wolli Card, as well as discounts for children under 16 years of age. Note that this area is only open during the winter season.
Zermatt is a great resort for beginner skiers who have never skied before. However, if you are looking to improve, it would be necessary to advance your skiing to an intermediate level to be able to make the most of what Zermatt has to offer.
When considering if Zermatt is the right resort to learn to ski at, you should also consider the costs of traveling there. In saying that, Zermatt Mountain Resort isn’t just about learning to ski. The area has so much to offer all year round. Set in the incredible Matterhorn area, Zermatt is certainly an incredible location to visit.
Let’s weigh the pros and cons of Zermatt Mountain Resort.
Advantages
- Wolli’s park is great for beginners to learn and perfect for young children under 9
- A large amount of intermediate skiing is great to advance your beginner skills
- Offer skiing 365 days per year both throughout summer and winter!
- The beautiful mountain scenery of the Matterhorn
- The high altitude of Zermatt (“Europe’s highest ski resort”) means that the powder conditions are great, even for the beginner slopes down the bottom.
- The European ‘old town’ traditional ways have been maintained.
Disadvantages
- Requires traveling through Switzerland to get there (which could be seen as an advantage!)
- Limited green runs; the terrain isn’t particularly suited to beginners and you would need to advance your ski skills to intermediate runs quickly to be able to ski more of the field.
- Can get expensive depending on where you are traveling from.
Why Book a Ski Trip To Zermatt?
Zermatt Mountain Resort in Switzerland is a wonderful location for skiers of all abilities. The small towns truly provide a fantastic location for those who just want to enjoy the beautiful town and picturesque mountains.
What makes this resort special is its view of the world-famous Matterhorn and the array of activities and sights on offer.
Learning to ski can be challenging regardless of where you begin your learning experience. But, at Zermatt, once you surpass skiing on the small magic carpet slopes, you will have to learn how to ski more intermediate runs to be able to take advantage of the entire mountain at Zermatt.
Zermatt offers a great location for families and Wolli Park is certainly a great place for the kids. They offer reasonable-priced tickets and kids under 9 years old ski free!
Whether you are looking to learn to ski in an incredible place, or you are wanting to take your first day or two on the slopes to the next level, Zermatt Mountain Resort is a great location for beginners.
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Hello, I'm Simon & I love skiing. I started skiing in 2007 and I founded this website to help new skiers learn everything there is to know about skiing. NewToSki.com has grown to be a trusted resource for over a million skiers to plan their ski trips each year and learn more about every aspect of skiing. Be sure to join my email list for the best tips and handpicked deals each week.
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