EUROPEAN SKI HOLIDAYSSWITZERLAND 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.
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. Champery 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. Almost 40% of their runs are ranked intermediate and the remaining 10% are advanced. Champery’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 InformationZermatt 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 SkiingZermattâ'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 AccommodationStaying 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. Best Ways to Get ThereGetting 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
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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.
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