Located in a beautiful and peaceful mountain village with excellent restaurants, international tourism, and friendly locals, this resort reaches to a peak of 12,792ft at Matterhorn. Zermatt has always been about the mountains. This is a scenic, car-free village with a medieval center. Zermatt provides a great base for some of the best Alpine skiing.

General Information
Zermatt has three main ski areas, the Sunnegga, the Gornergrat, and the Klein Matterhorn. All three of these areas are above 10,200 feet and can only be reached by multiple trams and gondolas. The population of Zermatt is only 5,500 and there are no gasoline-powered cars allowed in the village. This is a quaint, Swiss village that is so attractive that many people leave here with an experience that is truly unforgettable.

Zermatt is surrounded by 28 mountains that are among the highest peaks in the Alps. About 90 percent of the skiing is above the tree line. The restaurants and bars here are fantastic. Unfortunately, the cost at this resort is fairly high, even for Swiss standards. Be prepared to spend more money here than at other resorts.

Skiing/Snowboarding
Zermatt caters mostly to intermediate and advanced skiers. The trail map states that there are only 46 trails here, but with numerous runs that are over five to eight miles in length, this is grossly understated. Zermatt is not really for the beginning skier. There are 15 trails designated beginner and are located mostly in the Klein Matterhorn and Gornergrat regions.

About 50 percent of the runs are classified as intermediate. These include wide open trails and scenic pine shrouded forest trails. The most concentrated number of intermediate runs are located in the Klein Matterhorn ski area. Advanced skiers will find 28 percent of the resort's trails are designated for them, but this does not take into account the quality of the trails. The Stockhorn area is regarded as one of the best advanced ski areas in Zermatt. There is also excellent off-trail skiing and moguls available for the advanced skier.

Snowboarding at Zermatt is neither popular nor frowned upon. There are two snowboard parks and half-pipes—one at Blauherd, the other between Trockener Steg and Furggsattel. Snowboarders are allowed on all the runs, so the terrain is the same as for skiers.

Night skiing is available at Rothorn on limited occasions. Heliskiing is available in the area surrounding Zermatt. Cross-country trails are located below the tree line and offer a shorter season than the downhill skiing. There are three designated areas for cross-country skiing with only a few different loops and trails.

There is no snowmobiling at Zermatt. The main area for ice climbing is an artificial ice tower in the center of the village. Organized ice climbing trips are available to natural spots for all skill levels and last from four to eight hours.

Children's Ski and Winter Activities
The majority of visitors at Zermatt seem to be above 40, so children are in the minority. If you look, you can find some childcare services at various locations. Zermatt is a fairly child-friendly village as a whole. No cars are allowed here and the main street is wide-open and full of stores. The travel time to Zermatt can be tiresome for children, though.

Kinderparadeis is an indoor playground where children over two years old can be dropped off daily. Zermatt ski school offers a ski daycare for children four to six. Children under age nine ski for free and there are discount passes for children nine to 16.

Apres-Ski
The apres-skiing scene at Zermatt is tough to beat. Many skiers don't head right to their hotel after skiing, but stop at one of many on-slope restaurants to enjoy the scenery, appetizers, and drinks. In the village, there are over 100 restaurants to choose from and dozen of bars and nightclubs. You will find a wide range of food types here from traditional regional dishes to Chinese, Italian, and Thai cuisine.

The bars and nightclubs are open until 3:00 a.m. Every type of nightlife can be found from jazz clubs to discotheques to quiet pubs. Remember no matter where you decide to go, a night out on the town in Zermatt can be expensive. Also, if you are one to just go back to your hotel after a day of skiing, Zermatt may not be the best place for you. In fact, there is a good chance that your skiing will suffer because of the great apres-ski scene.

Attractions
A helicopter trip around the Matterhorn tops the list of attractions in Zermatt. There is also the mountaineer graveyard and the Alpine Museum. The Radio Matterhorn Museum was once the most popular broadcasting radio station in German-speaking Switzerland.

Another main attraction in this area would be the Rhaetian Railway Glacier Express. This is a seven-hour train trip through the Alps from St. Moritz to Zermatt and the Matterhorn. This train runs over 291 bridges and viaducts and through 91 tunnels. This trip can be excellent year-round.

Due to its location deep in the Swiss Alps and the ban on motor vehicles, there are very few day trips available from out of Zermatt. Cervinia is an Italian ski mountain that is just over the boarder. For those who like to country hop, this is a good choice in the Zermatt area. For the most part, though, people come to Zermatt for the isolation since there is plenty to do in the village itself.

Lift Facilities
Zermatt has created an extensive lift system. There are 73 different ways to get up the mountain, including one rack railway with 18 railcars, a high-speed underground cable railway, 13 aerial cable cars/trams, 7 gondolas, 18 chairlifts, and 31 surface ski lifts. This allows 75,180 skiers up the mountain per hour. There is a bus system that takes visitors around the village and up to the ski lifts.

Snow Conditions
There is a big difference between the upper and lower slopes in Zermatt when it comes to snow conditions. The monthly winter average on the lower slopes is 17 inches, while the monthly average for the upper slopes is 76 inches. The majority of the lower slopes are equipped with over 55 kilometers of snowmaking in order to compensate for the lack of snow.

Travel Time
While Zermatt is located in a remote section of the southern Swiss Alps, there are two major international airports within five miles of Zermatt. Both Geneva and Zurich offer an easy way to get to Zermatt. From these airports, the only way to get to Zermatt is by car or train. Most visitors take the train to Zermatt due to the excellent railway system and due to the car restriction in Zermatt. For those driving a car, parking is available in Tasch, which is about three miles outside of Zermatt, and a train or taxi is available for the remaining distance.