 EUROPEAN SKI
HOLIDAYS
SWITZERLAND
Capital: Bern
Currency: Swiss Francs Language: French
Time: GMT +1 Telephone Code: 00 41
Officially the Swiss Confederation, Switzerland
is in Western Europe and is one of the richest countries in the world. A
2006 survey reported that two of Switzerland’s regions had the first and second rated quality of life and
Switzerland holds the 2nd place title of life expectancy.
There are some historic
and interesting sites that one would not want to miss when traveling to Switzerland, Vierwaltstattersee region
which is the home of William Tell, Sarganserland which is the home of Heidi and of course the
Matterhorn.
When one thinks of skiing you can’t help but
think of Switzerland and the Swiss enjoy their ski resorts as much as their cheese!Switzerland’s best known ski resort is Zermatt and was the base for the 1860’s first
assaults on the Matterhorn.
The strict town boarding ensures that Zermatt
remains a quaint chalet filled town resembling a fairytale. Zermatt offers skiing all year round due to its
location high on the mountain.
Zermatt offers 60% of their runs
to intermediate skiers, 22% to beginners, 6% to the advanced and a whopping 12% to the expert! Zermatt’s
highest vertical drop is 7018 feet and the longest run is over 10 miles long. There are 43 acres of snow
making to ensure availability all year long.
 The Portes du
Soleil ski area is located south of Lake Geneva and is
thought to be one of Europe’s largest ski areas. The Portes
du Soleil area is made up of about a dozen resorts between
Switzerland and France.
Champéry , a resort in The Portes du
Soleil, is a small mountain village that is quickly becoming an international
resort. Champéry runs lean heavily toward the beginner’s side with over 50% of the runs being suited
for the beginning skier but don’t let that scare you off; there are plenty of runs for all levels. Some
fantastic ski deals can be had in Champery.
Almost 40% of their runs are ranked intermediate
and the remaining 10% are advanced. Champéry’s highest vertical drop is 4058 feet
and the longest run is 4.3 miles long. Champery has a total of 675 ski-able acres.
Lift Information
Zermatt offers a total of 57 lifts including 8
gondolas or trams, 2 quad chairs, 3 double chairs and 12 surface lifts. Champery offers a total of 194 lifts
including 2 high speed quads, 6 quad chairs, 1 triple chair, 4 double chairs and 19 surface
lifts.
Cross Country Skiing
Zermattâ's Nordic skiing is not really comparable
to their alpine skiing and has just over 5 miles of tracks. Champery offers over 6 miles of cross country skiing on
4 different trails that serve beginning skiers to the expert skier. Every evening the skier can enjoy the 2 mile
lit track until 10:00pm
Types of Accommodation
Staying in Zermatt is all about location. The
closer you are to the center of town the easier it is to get back at night; however, make sure you request a room
that is not facing the main street if you want to avoid the raucous crowds from the disco.
If you are budget minded try one of the many
apartments or flats available. Champery has 12 hotels and plenty of apartments including the Hotel Suisse located
in the center of the village. The hotel lends itself well to après ski as well. Many of the ski deals offer a high
standard of accommodation.
Best Ways to Get There
Getting to Zermatt is not difficult if you arrive
in Zurich and travel to Brig where a special train delivers you to Zermatt. Trains also run from Geneve to Brig.
Champery is accessible from the Geneve airport and is about 90 minutes drive. Aigle and Monthey have train service
and a Postbus will take you right to the resort.
Après Ski
In the Zermatt the fun starts before the slopes
close for après ski
seekers. With apres ski spots slope side you can make your way back to town in a fun way. Bars, dancing and
restaurants in Zermatt make the apres ski experience a good one.
Champery après ski place to be is
at Bar des Guides located in the Hotel Suisse and offers good beers on tap and loads of activity. There are also
other hot spots in Champery from the English speaking to the grunge crowd looking for a good
time.
Ski Resorts in Switzerland
Adelboden
Anzere
Arosa
Champery
Davos
Engelberg
Flims
Grindelwald
Gstaad
Interlaken
Kandersteg
Klosters
Les Diablerets
Leysin
Meiringen / Hasliberg
Murren
St Moritz
Taesch
Verbier
Villars
Wengen
Zermatt
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