Zermatt is a sprawling ski area, connecting many mountain hamlets. Here, the Matterhorn rises behind the chapel at Findeln.
Zermatt is a sprawling ski area, connecting many mountain hamlets. Here, the Matterhorn rises behind the chapel at Findeln.
ZERMATT
RECOMMENDED BY Amadé Perrig
Since British mountaineer Edward Whymper first summited the Matterhorn—a pyramidal spire that rises nine thousand feet directly above the town of Zermatt, to a height of 14,690 feet—in 1865, alpinists from around the world have flocked here to make their ascent … or simply to stare upon one of the world’s most iconic mountains. Many come today to ski and snowboard at what’s become one of the world’s largest and most famous ski centers.
“Zermatt is one of the oldest summer and winter resorts in the Alps,” Amadé Perrig began, “but it’s interesting to note that, like so many resorts in this area, it got its start as a summer resort. It’s just the opposite of ski area development in the United States, where many resorts are now trying to appeal to summer visitors. The first hotel opened here in 1838, and tourism started in earnest over the next few decades, as people came to hike and climb mountains. Many of the early guests were wealthy English people, and they could afford to stay in beautiful hotels. Many sprang up to accommodate them. [Whymper’s successful summiting, and the subsequent accident that sent four members of his party to their death, prompted Queen Victoria to ban mountaineering for British citizens. This only increased the English appetite for adventure.] Skiing didn’t begin in the Alps until the 1870s. That was in Austria. Though people participated in alpine skiing around Zermatt at the turn of the century, the first lifts were not built until the late 1920s.”
Zermatt rests in the southwest corner of Switzerland, just above the border with Italy; there are some runs, in fact, where you can ski into Italy, making a visit to Zermatt a truly international experience! Depending on who you speak to, there are at least three main ski areas at Zermatt (some identify more discrete areas): the Blauherd/Rothorn area, the Stockhorn/Gornergrat area, and the Klein Matterhorn. While each area has its unique charms from a terrain perspective, they all share four characteristics that help make Zermatt special. “The first is that we’re located in the heart of the highest mountains in the Alps,” Amadé continued. “There are nine out of the ten highest mountains in Europe here, and thirty-eight peaks over four thousand meters [thirteen thousand feet]. The vistas are dazzling, and the elevation translates into a long season and incredible vertical [over 7,795 feet]. We also have Europe’s most beautiful mountain, the Matterhorn, which is in view from so many of our trails. There are so many stories, books, photos, movies, and paintings featuring the Matterhorn. It’s part of alpine culture.
“The second reason Zermatt is so special is that it’s a car-free place. There’s a parking area five miles away; guests take a shuttle train into the village. Not even locals are allowed to drive in the village; we park our cars in a lot that’s underground! Without cars, we have no pollution. Zermatt still has an authentic, old alpine village feeling, with houses that are three hundred or four hundred years old. It’s like a fairy tale. The streets are narrow, very cozy. Everyone walks, but it’s only 1.5 miles from one end of town to the other. Zermatt’s wonderful hotel infrastructure is its third special feature. We have 130 lodging options in the village, from top luxury hotels to modest pensiones. All are owned by local people, and many have been in their families for generations. Guests feel very much at home; in fact, 70 percent of the visitors to Zermatt are repeat visitors. We had a gentleman from the United States who came here for one hundred straight years … his last visit was at age 104!
“The last reason—but certainly not least—is the fact that Zermatt offers tremendous skiing. There are seventy-three gondolas and ski lifts serving more than one hundred trails that offer more than two hundred miles of skiing/boarding. One big difference between Zermatt—and, for that matter, other Alps resorts—and most U.S. ski areas is that here, every little valley is connected. In the United States, you have certain options to get up to the top, and then you hit boundaries. In the Alps, we ski in all zones, move in the whole arena, including glaciers. There are no boundaries. We have some extremely long trails. One runs eight miles—you ski and ski and ski! (This trail, from the top of Klein, or “Little,” Matterhorn to the village of Zermatt, drops 7,250 feet.)
“You will not go hungry on the mountain. There are eighty restaurants scattered about the ski area, many in centuries-old houses. There are also great restaurants at the top of each lift. I would call much of the food gourmet. Our neighbors in Italy, France, Austria, and Germany have many specialties. We’ve stolen the best from each—but we also have some of our own. These include cheese fondue, served with a crisp white wine, and raclette, which is warmed cheese that’s served with boiled onions, potatoes, and pickles. You’ll also see air-dried beef and ham served with a dark bread called Roggenbrot. Veal, cut very thin and served with Rösti [which resembles hash browns] is a popular entrée. We have many of our own wines in Switzerland, juicy reds and dry whites. Many visitors say, ‘This white wine is great. Why can’t we get it in the states?’ I joke that we keep it all for ourselves. The Swiss are champions for dessert. The pastries are fantastic.”
Amadé Perrig has skied around Zermatt for more than sixty years. He described how a typical morning on the slopes might unfold. “I can step out of my house, take the underground train, and be at the Sunnegga lift in four minutes. My first run, I’d take a trail through the forest, making nice wide turns. I would leave my sunglasses off, so the wind would wash out my eyes. I’d then take a quad up to the Blauherd area, and on up to Rothorn. From there, you can go left or right. There’s usually nice powder in there, and morning sunshine. I’d make my way south to Gant and then up to Gornergrat. I might stop and have a little warm-up drink, a schnapps, perhaps. Soon it’s time for lunch. There are so many great options, but I like the hamlet of Findeln, near Sunnegga. There are six restaurants there, each one better than the next.”
Should you find yourself on Little Matterhorn some winter morning, you may hear an iconic Swiss sound, the sound of yodeling. It’s believed that yodeling emerged in the Alps as a means of communication between livestock herders in different villages. For Amadé, it’s merely an expression of joy. “When I’m coming down Klein Matterhorn in deep powder, I yodel as I float along,” he said. “It echoes off the surrounding hills.
“I like to play golf in the summer, and I used to yodel when I made birdie. But the captain [pro] at the course said I should stop, as I might interrupt someone teeing off.”
AMADÉ PERRIG served as the president of tourism in Saas-Fee (Switzerland) and Zermatt (Switzerland) for twenty-five years. As a CEO of Zermatt, he was in charge of the entire resort, which includes more than 70 cable cars, 122 hotels, 7,000 apartments, 300 restaurants, and many sports facilities. He also served as a tourism consultant for planning ski areas in the United States. Amadé was an ardent ski racer in his youth, and is a certified ski instructor; he has climbed his home mountain, the Matterhorn, fifteen times. Amadé is the founder, and was also the president and general secretary, of the European marketing organization Best of the Alps, which includes the following summer and winter resorts: Garmisch-Partenkirchen (D), Lech (A), Seefeld (A), St. Anton (A), Kitzbühel (A), Cortina d’Ampezzo (I), Chamonix (F), Mégève (F), Davos (CH), Grindelwald (CH), St. Moritz (CH), and Zermatt (CH). He and his wife call Zermatt home, but spend several months in Arizona each year.
If You Go
Getting There: Visitors generally fly into Zurich or Geneva (served by most major carriers), and then take a train (operated by the Swiss rail network) to Zermatt. Rail times are three and four hours, respectively.
Season: Much of the mountain is open late November to early May. Some areas on the glacier are open year-round.
Lift Tickets: Day passes for all the areas in Zermatt run 75 euros. Multi-day passes are available.
Level of Difficulty: Zermatt offers a dizzying amount of terrain—some 153 miles of trails—with something for everyone. Terrain is classified as 23 percent beginner; 44 percent intermediate; 33 percent expert.
Accommodations: Zermatt Tourismus (+41 27 966 81 00; www.zermatt.ch) highlights the wide range of lodging options in town.
